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NHRA Pro Stock - Coughlin Brainerd Preview


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Delaware, Aug. 15, 2012: In 2012, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is making his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after a one-year hiatus. Jeg Jr is driving the all-new JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class. In his first outing since his return, he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

Following the most recent event in Seattle, Jeg Jr has moved into a tie for tenth place in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings. There are two events remaining before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. has four career Pro Stock victories at Brainerd Int’l Raceway in 1999, 2002, 2007, and 2010. Jeg Jr defeated Warren Johnson in the 1999 final and stopped Minnesota native Greg Anderson in both 2002 and 2007. He defeated Shane Gray in 2010 for his most recent Pro Stock win. Jeg Jr was also the runner-up to Kurt Johnson at the 2000 Brainerd race.

In 12 career appearances at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Jeg Jr has a round win record of 25-8 in Pro Stock competition, making it one of his most successful tracks.

As a sportsman driver, Jeg Jr also claimed the Super Stock title in Brainerd in 1997, beating his then teammate Jeff Taylor in an all-JEGS Mail Order final round.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. 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 Jr also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.

In 2010, his most recent season in Pro Stock competition, Jeg Coughlin Jr. won four Pro Stock races in seven final round appearances. He also claimed a win in the Top Dragster class at the St. Louis event.

Including Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 22 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Full Throttle tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk and Charlotte.

Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.520-seconds and his best speed is 212.29-mph both recorded at the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C. in 2010.

Coughlin’s JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger is powered by Mopar Hemi engines supplied by JNR Racing, the JEGS in-house engine program founded by Jeg Coughlin, Nick Ferri, and Roy Simmons. The car is tuned by crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia.

During his hiatus from Pro Stock racing in 2011, Jeg Jr returned to his roots and spent much of the year racing in various sportsman classes. He enjoyed tremendous success, winning the Super Comp title at the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif., and numerous major E.T. bracket racing titles.

At the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event last April in Las Vegas, Jeg Jr scored his 68th career national event title when he drove his JEGS.com dragster to the Super Comp title.

Jeg Jr’s average qualifying position in Brainerd is No. 8. His best qualifying effort came in 1999, when he was No. 3. Jeg has qualified in the top half of the field in five of his 12 appearances in Brainerd.

In 298 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 85 times, recording 52 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr has won a total of 68 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr has appeared in 107 final rounds, 85 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.

Jeg Jr is one of only two drivers, along with Peter Biondo, to win national event titles in six different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster.

With 52-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (74) have more titles.

During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr has recorded 480 round wins while incurring just 230 losses. He has failed to advance past the opening round just 75 times.

Jeg Jr will once again be pulling double duty in Brainerd as he continues to the wheel his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak entry in Stock Eliminator. Earlier this year, family friend Jeff Taylor drove the car to a Lucas Oil Series victory in Gainesville, Fla.

Last month in Denver, Jeg Jr drove the special edition Drag Pak Challenger to a semifinal finish, his best showing in Stock Eliminator.

The JEGS Mail Order team will also be represented in Brainerd by third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be racing in Super Gas with the team’s Corvette roadster.

Troy Jr. is a two-time national event champion in the Super Comp class with wins at the 2009 U.S. Nationals at Indy and the 2010 Las Vegas event. Troy is also an accomplished E.T. bracket racer with several major event victories to his credit.

Troy Jr’s crew chief for the weekend will be his father, Troy, who began his career in Super Gas. Troy is also a former U.S. Nationals Super Gas champ who currently races in the NHRA Pro Mod presented by Pro Care Rx series.