Team JEGS, a Family Affair

The family that races together…always has a lot of fun together. That's been the case with Coughlin racing clan for the better part of four decades, and by all indications, as a third generation comes of age, there will be no slowing down any time soon.

Beginning with family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr.'s first foray into quarter-mile competition in the late 1950s, when the sport was in its infancy, there has always been a Coughlin in the cockpit. That trend continues to this day with several of Jeg Sr.'s grandkids just getting their start.

But everyone knows it all started with "Pops." With his ever-growing family by his side, Jeg Sr. found plenty of success in his early days, winning four Division 3 championships and a mantel full of Wally trophies in Top Fuel, Pro Comp, and Super Eliminator

His four boys -- John, Troy, Mike, and Jeg Jr. -- naturally followed in their famous father's footsteps and went from "crewmen" on Dad's hot rods to racecar drivers themselves. Not surprisingly, all four have risen to the top of the sport, painting winner's circles and championship podiums yellow and black for years.

Jeg Jr. has found the most success, winning four world championships -- three in Pro Stock and one in Super Gas -- while racing to an incredible number of national event victories that recently passed 50 in total. Although most of his time is spent in the professional ranks, Jeg Jr. has also proven to be one of the top sportsman racers in the country, winning bracket races and big-dollar shootouts on numerous occasions. So far, Jeg Jr. has claimed trophies in Pro Stock, Competition Eliminator, Super Gas, Super Stock, Top Dragster, and Super Pro during his career.

Oldest brother John is a champion racer himself, having won the Top Dragster title in Div. 3 in 2007 as well as two Div. 3 Super Gas crowns on back-to-back years in 1994-'95. Like Jeg Jr., John has raced, and won, in a variety of classes, including Pro Stock Truck, Top Dragster, Super Gas, and Super Stock.

Mike joined John at the champion's table at the end of the '07 season after he dominated the Div. 3 Top Sportsman class. He also has a variety of race wins on his resume, including six victories in Pro Stock Truck -- two coming at the biggest drag race of them all, the U.S. Nationals -- as well as victories in Top Sportsman and Super Comp.

Wild child Troy has become the focal point of the JEGS ProMod Challenge after many successful years racing with his brother Jeg Jr. in Pro Stock. Driving a 2,500-horsepower racecar takes exceptional courage and skill, but Troy has proven to be a natural in a class most consider the most unpredictable in the sport. Troy has won races in Pro Stock, Pro Mod, Super Gas, and Super Comp, not to mention a wide variety of Outlaw hot rods, in which he's claimed some of the biggest purses in Big Dog drag racing.