It has often been said that success breeds success and when Troy Coughlin enters Bristol Dragway for the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers, June 15-17, he will looking to build upon his strong results at the most recent NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx event. Fueling that success is the support he receives by his family, which has become synonymous with drag racing through their JEGS Mail Order business.
Coughlin made it to his first career final round appearance at the most recent event in Englishtown and was paired against points leader Danny Rowe, but a red-light start by Coughlin handed the race to Rowe. The pain of the loss was fleeting and the preparation for the next event started shortly after the loss.
“Probably 3 or 4 seconds is all I think about it,” Coughlin said. “It's all a part of beating yourself, but we know we have a fast car and we will be hitting hard in Bristol. In all of NHRA drag racing there is not a lot of room for problems, especially in the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx, where you have only 5.9 seconds in the run to get it done, a lot of mental thought in the 60-90 minutes between rounds of competition making decisions for 5.8 to 6 seconds of a race.”
The Coughlin name is one of the most well-known and respected names in all of racing. This tight knit clan, led by Jeg Coughlin Sr., can be found racing at tracks across the country during the course of the summer. At Bristol Dragway many members of the Coughlin family will be involved in the event. Troy’s son, Troy Jr., will be racing Super Comp and Top Dragster, Troy’s brother Jeg Jr. will be racing in Pro Stock, Meghan, Troy’s daughter, will be assisting with public relations for the team and Jeg Sr. will be in his customary advisory role during the weekend. For this family, the pit area is where they make some of their most cherished memories.
“I love it when as many members of the family can make it to the races; I love their passion for what they do,” Coughlin said. “The family has grown fast in the last 10 years, out of my four kids, Troy Jr. and Meghan are doing stuff in racing, our little girls, Paige and Kelly compete in Hunters / Jumpers competition with their ponies just about three to four times a month and practice four to five days a week. From a technical side, my Dad, my brothers, Meghan and Troy Jr. are very instrumental in what they see and make recommendations to try and help from a driving and car standpoint.”
Father’s Day will be on Sunday of race weekend and many a holiday weekend has been spent by the Coughlin family at the track, which suits Troy and his entire family.
“It seems like just about every Father’s Day and 4th of July we have been racing that I can remember,” Coughlin said. “It goes a good way back into the ’90s.”
Rowe will be looking to continue his strong season, but Mike Castellana, Rickie Smith and Leah Pruett will all be hoping for strong results during the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as their nearly 2,000-horsepower Pro Mods blast down Bristol Dragway.
Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including ’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs, ’68 Firebirds as well as late model cars, the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.
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