Troy Coughlin could have taken an easier route in 2007, but that's just not the way the lifelong drag racer is wired. Coming off a career-best runner-up finish in the National Muscle Car Association world rankings, the second of four racing Coughlin brothers could have made another charge at the NMCA title. Instead, he decided to change direction and debut a brand-new, twin-turbo-charged JEGS.com Pontiac GTO in the AMS Staff Leasing ProMod Challenge, which competes at select events each year on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

In a class dominated for years by Nitrous and Super-charged entries, Coughlin and his talented group of mechanics executed a mini version of reinventing the wheel. Instead of making a concerted run at the AMS title with a tried and true combination, they elected to sort out a new car, combination, and tune-up just to see if it could be done.

Coughlin and crew came a long way in 12 months time and now hope their exhaustive efforts will deliver them a real chance at race wins and championship points in 2008 and beyond.

It would seem silly to bet against Coughlin as his racing resume is dotted with impressive achievements. Since the late 1980s, the Delaware, Ohio-based racer has been zipping down quarter-miles from Englishtown, N.J., to Pomona, Calif., winning trophies and setting records at many points in between.

He was the first Super Comp racer in history to top 180 mph. It was also in that class in 2001 that he scored his first win at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green Ky., and his first national event victory -- the prestigious U.S. Nationals, the sport's longest-running and most important event.

Not surprisingly, Troy was the first Coughlin boy to follow in his father Jeg Sr.'s footsteps and race professionally, entering a Pro Stock car in the Spring-nationals at his home track of National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, in 1994.

Coughlin had a fruitful 10-year run in the cutthroat class, with a pair of victories in 10 final-round showings. He earned membership in the ultra-exclusive Holley Six-Second Pro Stock Club in 1997 and was the envy of drag racing in 2000 when he scored $50,000 for winning the Winston Showdown. That same year he also took runner-up honors in the first brother vs. brother final round of the Holley Dominator Duel specialty event to his youngest sibling, Jeg Coughlin Jr.

His career in Pro Stock was highlighted by consecutive sixth-place finishes in 1999 and 2000.

With a growing family that includes wife Julie and their four children, Troy Jr., Megan, Paige, and Kelly, Coughlin elected to pull out of the class in 2005 to avoid its grueling 23-race schedule and prerequisite travel and media obligations. To keep himself busy, he drove a variety of cars at various regional events to much success in the next two years, including another $50,000 pay day at the annual Big Dog Shootout at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C., widely recognized as the toughest Sportsman level race in the country.

These days, when he's not perfecting his twin-turbo ProMod entry, Troy is usually tinkering with his teenaged son Troy Jr.'s Super Gas car.

Fast Facts
DOB:		June 30, 1964
Hometown:		Delaware, Ohio
Wife:		Julie
Children:		Meghan, Troy Jr., Paige and Kelly
Sponsor:		JEGS Mail Order
Primary Car:		2007 Pontiac GTO, ProMod
Career National event wins:		4
Career Divisional event wins:		2 (Super Comp)
Career Best ET:		6.12
Career Best Mph:		232.04
Began Racing:		1987
Began Pro Stock:		1994
First Career Win:		1991 NHRA Lucas Oil Series event, Beech Bend Raceway Park (Super Comp)
First National Event Win:		2001 NHRA 50th anniversary Nationals, Reading, Pa. (Pro Stock)
First Career NHRA national event win (sportsman):		1991 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, Ind. (Super Gas)

Year	Event	Location	Class
1991	U.S. Nationals	Indianapolis,IN	Super Gas
2001	NHRA 50th Nationals	Reading, PA	Pro Stock
2002	O'Reily Nationals	Topeka, KS	Pro Stock
2005	K&N SuperNationals	Englishtown, NJ	Pro Modified
	Lucas Oil Series Event Wins
1991	Beech Bend Raceway	Bowling Green, KY	Super Comp
1993	Indianapolis Raceway Park	Indianapolis, IN	Super Gas
	Special Events Wins
2000	Winston Showdown	Bristol,TN	Pro Stock
2005	Big Dog Challenge Champion	Piedmont, NC	Big Dog

’07 Results:

• Raced in the AMS Pro Mod Series with his Jegs Mail Order Pontiac GTO, one of the first Pro Mod vehicles to feature a turbocharged engine.
• Became the first driver in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge series to win a round of competition with a turbocharged car after beating Doug Palmer in Bristol, Tenn.

’06 Results:

• Won Top Sportsman Shootout title at the Jegs.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Belle Rose, La., after qualifying No. 1.
• Posted four runner-up finishes in the Denso Pro Street class at the Jegs NMCA Hot Rod and Muscle Car Nationals at National Trail Raceway, the Ross Pistons Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., the Nitto Tires Nationals in Commerce, Ga., and the NMCA World Finals in Memphis, Tenn.
• Finished second in the NMCA Denso Pro Street points standings.

’05 Results:

• Made the move from Pro Stock to the new Pro Mod class, driving a supercharged Team Jegs '67 Shelby GT500 Mustang.
• Finished 6th in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge Series points standings.
• Recorded a career best 6.12 at over 232-mph, making him the quickest and fastest of the four Coughlin brothers.
• Also built a Chevy Cavalier for National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Fastest Street Car competition, running in the Denso Pro Street Class. Won NMCA event at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga.
• Finished 6th in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Series
• Rookie year in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Series
• Won 1st AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Series event at Old Bridge raceway Park (Englishtown, NJ).
• Partnered with Mike Ashley's Gotham City Racing in ProMod.
• Won prestigious $50,000 Big Dog - North vs. South Shootout and was a first time competitor.
• Finished 9th in the NMCA in Denso Pro Street Championship.
• Rookie year competing in NMCA Pro Street.
• Won JEGS Family Fun Day - Slow Bracket title.

’04 Results:

• Ran a limited schedule of NHRA Pro Stock events, finishing 22nd in the points standings
• Announced plans to compete in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Series in 2005

’03 Results:

• Finished #13 in the 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship
• 2 runner-up (Phoenix, AZ & Reading, PA) finishes
• Posted career best ET and mph.
  

’02 Results:

• 1 NHRA national event win in Pro Stock (Topeka, Kan.)
  

’01 Results:

• First Pro Win (Pep Boys NHRA National-Reading, PA.)
• Made second fastest run in Pro Stock history 203.83 mph. (Reading, PA.)
  

’00 Results:

• Finished 6th in the Pro Stock NHRA Winston Championship.
  Qualified for all events, one of five.
  Winner of the prestigious Winston Showdown
  2 Runner-up finishes in Pro Stock
• Runner-up finish in the ’00 Holley Dominator Duel (All-star race).
  

’99 Results:

• Finished 6th in NHRA Winston Championship, career best finish.
• 6 Runner-up finishes.
• Became the 9th member of the Federal-Mogul Speed Pro 200 mph Club on May 1, 1999 (Dinwiddie, VA)
• Qualified No. 1 at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, career first.
  

’98 Results:

• Finished 14th in NHRA Winston Championship
  

’97 Results:

• Finished 8th in NHRA Winston Championship
• Runner-up finish at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals, first professional final round appearance.
• Became the 11th member of The Holley Six Second Club
• Qualified for the ’97 Dupont Pro Stock Challenge

’96 Results:

• Finished 11th in NHRA Winston Championship
  

’95 Results:

• Finished 17th in the NHRA Winston Championship
  

’94 Results:

• Finished 24th in the NHRA Winston Championship
  

’93 Results:

• Finished 6th in NHRA Lucas Oil Division 3 championship in Super Gas
• One NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional win in Super Comp (Indianapolis, IN)
• Competed in UDRA/MWPA Pro Stock events
• Competed in Top Sportsman & Quick 8 events
  

’92 Results:

• One JEGS Allstars Race runner-up finish in Super Comp (Columbus, OH)
  

’91 Results:

• Finished 2nd in Division 3 Super Comp standings
• One NHRA national event win in Super Gas (Indianapolis, IN)
• One NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional wins in Super Comp (Bowling Green, KY)
  

’90 Results:

• Competed in Super Comp & Super Gas
  

’89 Results:

• Competed in Super Comp & Super Gas
  

’88 Results:

• Won NHRA Sportsman National Open in Super Gas (Bowling Green, KY)
  

’87 Results:

• Competed in Super Gas