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NHRA Team News - JEGS Race Preview Las Vegas


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Las Vegas, Oct. 22, 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 of the season he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

Following his semifinal finish at the most recent event in Reading, Pa., Jeg Jr. is the eighth-ranked driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock standings. There are currently two events remaining in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

As a qualifier for the Countdown to the Championship, Jeg Jr is guaranteed to finish in the top ten in the NHRA Pro Stock class for the 13th time in his career.

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.

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.

During his career, Jeg Jr has won the Pro Stock title five times in Las Vegas. He claimed a win at the inaugural event in 2000 by beating Warren Johnson and returned in 2001 and 2002 to post final round wins over Jim Yates and Warren Johnson, respectively. Jeg also won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, beating Greg Stanfield in both final rounds

In addition to his five Pro Stock wins in Las Vegas, Jeg Jr has also posted a pair of runner-up finishes at both the spring and fall events in 2001. In both finals, he lost to Greg Anderson.

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.

In 2010, his most recent season in Pro Stock competition, Jeg Coughlin Jr. won four Pro Stock races in seven final round appearances.

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.

In 21 appearances at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (including the Spring event held in April), Jeg Jr has a round win record of 37-14 in Pro Stock competition.

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.

Jeg Jr has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field 10 times in Las Vegas including a best of No.1 in 2007 and 2008. During his career, Jeg Jr has qualified in the top spot17 times.

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.

In 304 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.

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

The Big O Tires Nationals will also mark the final race in the ten-event 2012 NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx. Troy Coughlin will be behind the wheel of his new turbocharged JEGS.com Chevy Corvette

The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr, and Troy Jr. has combined for 92 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 9 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.

Troy enters the event as the third-ranked Pro Mod driver in the series. He is currently 42-points out of first place and one point out of second heading into the season finale.

Troy’s JEGS.com Corvette is tuned by noted turbocharger expert Steve Petty. At the recent St. Louis race, Troy posted the top speed of the event with a career-best 257.97 mph speed. He is officially the fastest member of the Coughlin family, eclipsing the performance of his father, Jeg Sr., who raced in the Top Fuel class in the early 1980s.

At the most recent NHRA Pro Mod event in St. Louis, Troy qualified No. 6 in the field and went on to claim his first victory of the season by beating Danny Rowe in the final round.

Troy’s first Pro Mod victory came at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey in 2005 when as he drove his supercharged Mustang to as win over Zack Barkledge in the final round.

Troy is one of the few Pro Mod competitors who have raced all three current engine combinations; turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous oxide assisted

Before moving to the Pro Mod class, Troy enjoyed success in the NHRA Pro Stock class, recording two wins in 12 final round appearances. He also won the $50,000 top prize at the 2000 Winston No Bull Showdown at Bristol Dragway, a special non-points event for Pro Stock competitors.

Troy is a former National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Pro Street champion. While racing his Pro Street car, he also won the $50,000 Big Dog event at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.

The JEGS Mail Order team will also be represented in Las Vegas by third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be driving in Super Comp with his JEGS.com dragster and Super Gas with his JEGS.com Corvette roadster.

Troy Jr. claimed his first NHRA National event title at the Las Vegas event in 2009, when he won the Super Comp title. He has since gone on to win the 2010 U.S. Nationals at Indy.

The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg, and Troy Jr. has combined for 92 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 9 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.