Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes - Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals (NHRA/JEGS)
Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway Gainesville, Fla. (March 11-14) Jeg Coughlin enters this week’s Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals as the ninth-ranked driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock standings. At the most recent event in Phoenix Ariz., Jeg qualified his JEGS.com Cobalt in the No. 7 spot with a 6.641-second elapsed time before losing in round one to Greg Stanfield by just .009-second. Jeg won the Pro Stock title at the Gatornationals in 2008 and 2001. In 2008, he defeated Jason Line in the final round and in 2001, he stopped Mark Osborne to claim the title. Jeg also claimed three-straight runner-up finishes at Gainesville Raceway from 2002-2004. In 11 career appearances at Gainesville Raceway, Jeg has a round win record of 23-9 in Pro Stock competition. Jeg Coughlin is a four-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2008. As a sportsman driver, Jeg also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992. In his 11 Gainesville races, Jeg has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field nine times, including a best of No. 1 at the 1998 event. His average qualifying position is No. 6. Last season, Jeg enjoyed one of his best years as a professional racer winning seven of 23 events and reaching the final round in two others. He compiled a round-win record of 50-17, the second best record in the class. This year, Jeg will also be racing in Stock eliminator behind the wheel of his new 2010 Dodge Challenger entry. Jeg’s fiancée, Samantha Kenny, will also be racing her JEGS.com dragster in the Super Comp class. With 48 career Pro Stock wins, Jeg ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (60) have more titles. In 262 career Pro Stock races, Jeg has reached the final round 77 times, recording 48 wins. Including his 14 sportsman victories, Jeg has won a total of 62 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 95 final rounds, 77 as a professional and 18 as a sportsman racer. Jeg is currently qualified sixth for the K&N Horsepower Challenge, a special eight-car invitational event which is held each June in Norwalk, Ohio at pays $50,000 to the champion. He won the 2009 K&N Horsepower Challenge and scored back-to-back wins in 1999 and 2000. Team JEGS will also be represented in Gainesville by Jeg’s older brother, Troy, who will be driving his new Chevy Camaro in the NHRA Get Screened American Pro Mod Series. Troy, who is the reigning National Muscle Car Association Pro Street champion, last competed in NHRA Pro Mod events in 2008. Troy previously competed at Gainesville Raceway eight times in the Pro Stock class. His best finish was a runner-up in 2000 and he posted a semifinal finish in 1999. He has a 5-5 record in elimination rounds here. Jeg recently returned from the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver where he cheered the United States team to a Gold Medal in the four-man bobsled event. . In January, Jeg took part in the annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge in Lake Placid, N.Y., winning the silver medal. JEGS Mail Order is a longtime supporter of the Bo-Dyne Bobsled project, which uses racing technology to help outfit the American team with competitive equipment. In Gainesville, Jeg will continue to promote the JEGS “Win this Car�?? contest, a special promotion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of JEGS Mail Order. As part of the promotion, one lucky JEGS fans will win a yellow and black 2010 Chevy Camaro. On Sunday, March 14, at 8 a.m., Jeg plans to take part in a special “Track Walk for Those Who Can’t�?? on the Gainesville Raceway quarter-mile. Jeg and other drivers will be joined by fans for the special event, which will raise funds for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. Gwynn, who was paralyzed in a 1990 racing accident, will also be a part of the event. Jeg Coughlin by the numbers, Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals edition 5 - Final rounds for Jeg Coughlin at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals (two wins, and three runner-up finishes). 6 - Jeg Coughlin’s average qualifying position at Gainesville Raceway 10 - Number of times that Jeg has advanced past the opening round of Pro Stock eliminations in 11 career appearances at Gainesville Raceway. 72 - Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. will celebrate his 72nd birthday on Monday, March 15, the day after the event. 23 - Rounds won by Jeg in Gainesville during his career, against just nine losses 438 - Professional round wins for Jeg Coughlin versus just 201 losses --30-- Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at _www.jegs.com_ (http ://www.jegs.com/) and for media/fan resources checkout _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/) . Media Contact: Scott "Woody" Woodruff JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports Office: 800.345.4545 (#3, ext 412) Mobile: 614.595.1820 Fax: 740.362.5507 Email: _jegspr@aol.com_ (mailto:jegspr@aol.com) -or- _scott.woodruff@jegs.com_ (mailto:scott.woodruff@jegs.com)