With all the vehicle parts available for order at the Jeg's warehouse, and all the family members racing under the yellow and black banner, you might expect manifolds and pistons on a typical Jeg's dinner table, but at the dragway you might be surprised to find instead…gourmet food. The logistics of preparing and running two Pro Stock cars and two Pro Stock trucks requires huge efforts. The process of feeding father Jeg, brothers, John, Mike, Troy, Jeg Jr. and the expert support crew is no easy task. Jeg's solution: large kitchen, gourmet chef.

Jeg senior seems to have a knack for doing things in a large way. Also, when the Jeg's team sits down at the dinner table I don't think speed is shoved to the back burner, because when the Coughlin team steps away from the food, they serve up their competitive style on all the NHRA tracks across the country…in a large way too.

Recently, I contacted Scott 'Woody' Woodruff, Jeg's Director of Relations, requesting a phone interview with any one of the Jeg's racers. Scott agreed to set up an interview with Jeg Jr. When Jeg Jr. called me, I couldn't help notice that I was talking to an unpretentious certain-champion.

Gourmet meals may be served at the Jeg's camp, but someone has served healthy portions of humility and confidence too. Jeg Jr. had to digest these traits somewhere. (I suspect father Jeg Coughlin is a chef of values in his own right. Good engines come from good metal and precise machining. Good offspring come from good roots and sensible nurturing.)

Enjoy these interview moments with Jeg Coughlin Jr. ...I did. When I asked him if he was ready for my questions, he said…"Let's rock n' roll!"

DOB: June 23, 1970

Birth Town: Columbus,Ohio

Home Town: Columbus, Ohio

"No."

"I haven't had any. I've been fortunate to have close calls, but as a kid, at five or six, I remember getting on a go-cart at my Dad's race shop. I got my leg pinned on the accelerator in a wide-open position. I was racing straight for my dad's transport trailer, but fortunately I smacked the tires squarely and bounced off. That released my leg and the go-cart was no longer a runaway. I learned a lesson, a big appreciation for the power of machines."

"I don't really have heroes, but my dad has always been number one, a great role model. I've enjoyed watching Bob Glidden and "The Snake". I also admire George Straight."

"I need to. I love food. I haven't disciplined myself. I do bicycle on fifteen mile bike paths in our community."

"Not really…I drink a lot of fluids and Gatorade. Our team chef, Ian Rough, prepares great food for us. That pumps us up! Ian is worth his weight in gold."

During the qualifying runs I have a mental routine. I go through the run in my mind. I prepare for the stage on race day by having a good breakfast, stretching and going for a walk. I gear for no surprises. Any time you get up there and start thinking, you are in trouble. You have to make it happen without over-thinking it. A Pro Stock car is not easy to drive. You have to have a game plan to drive it well."

I love golf, but I don't have much time for it. I love motorcycle riding, dirt and road, and mountain bike riding."

I like trail-riding in the winter. Friends have formed a racing group we call the SLED 100. We have a ten-acre tract that we've graded off into a dirt track. We buy old Fords and Chevys and race each other. The Jeg's group enjoys watching us. Since I've been participating in our Sled 100, I've also won many rounds and points on the NHRA circuit.

"The ability to not be distracted and stay focused. The guidance of my father and mother has helped with that. In any activity, the mind is a very strong part. I played lacrosse as a kid…that takes focus."

"The thrill and fun and winning. We enjoy racing. There are so many components to winning. It takes teams of people. It's enjoyable when you win."

©Drum

"I'm very happy, and very fortunate. I've been professionally racing since 1989, twelve seasons. I started in Street Super Gas, and moved up to Pro Stock car. It doesn't seem like I've been racing that long. I've stayed busy. I'm fortunate to have the support of my family, my brothers, dad and mom, my wife and son."

"Nothing really…Maybe making a better business every day…having the right people doing the right job."

"I wouldn't change a whole lot. I'm very happy with the NHRA and Winston Drag Racing. They're trying to strengthen the Pro Stock category. I'm also happy with the Sunday finish by 4 or 5 PM. We want action. We're not like the ground-pounding, nitro fumes, and incredible speed of Funny Car and Top Fuel, but we don't have the vulnerability of that activity either. I'd like to see Pro Stock racing have more speed as with nitrous oxide or some other mechanical factor. Fans can relate more to Pro Stock cars and trucks because they can buy and drive our models."

"Ninety-nine per cent of the time. I was in a crash with a friend driving when I was fourteen. The seat belt saved me."

"My first couple of runs in a Pro Stock car at 196 or 197 mph when I got my license felt fast. My fastest speed is 201 and it was so smooth and straight it didn't have a sensation of speed. The thrill of the speed fizzles away after a while."

"I find peace on a golf course. It's a one-on-one sport that allows me to focus and strengthen my mind. As my grandfather, 'Papa' used to say…'Most of life is the six inches between your temples.' Golf is a game of those six inches between temples. Racing is too. I also find peace at the races. I love Pro Stock and Super Gas. My dad raced Top Fuel, and we were a part of it. That was the atmosphere I was raised in, and because of the level of responsibility given to me, I'm able to fulfill my dreams."

"I've had a lot of experience of fast acceleration and deceleration all in a race car that is loaded with safety equipment. I'm no speed freak on the road. I'm a very defensive driver. I'm always watching for the other guy."

" A 1999 Chevy Silverado black extended cab 800 series. I've had a couple of Cadillacs, but I love the Chevy truck."

"My son. He's three and a half and very active. Very little he does, doesn't worry me. My dad used to say to me when I was growing up…'You'll understand when you have your own children.' He was right."

"I would enjoy the challenges of golf. Other than racing it's the only organized sport I participate in."

"My mind is my strongest asset. I'd also like to make my left leg stronger to get the clutch peddle faster."

"We have a five year old yellow Labrador Retriever, 'Lady'. She is great with my son."

"The candidness of others. I also admire the friendship and intellect of my colleagues."

"I can't point to many, but in racing whether you win or lose, you have to learn. You have to figure out why you got beat or why you won, so you will make fewer mistakes."

"I'm down-to-earth, easy-going, approachable. My mindset is that I'm not trying to be any different from any one else, but I'm committed to doing well."

Additional Comments?

"I enjoy the way my dad, Jeg Coughlin Sr., my crew chief, Gary Pearman, and engine master, Dick Maskin work together. I enjoy all the guys on our team. The first key to winning is to have a great team. The second key to winning is a great chassis, clutch, and engine program. We're all active in the Jeg's business. We have three hundred fifty employees, and we try to stay in touch with all of them. They are the key to making our business thrive. We just moved to a new facility, and their positive energy made that move effective. We want to provide the best service, the best price we can. Also, the Coughlin family works, races, and relaxes together. When twenty of us go out for dinner, we're not afraid to make noise."

The Jeg's team makes noise at the dragway too...round after round, race after race. Jeg jr's commanding lead in the highly competitive NHRA Pro Stock car, is a lead that goes straight to the national championship. This performance requires a strong final word, one that eclipses doubt. To describe this man I searched for a single word that has proper lift…the proper speed…like a record run on a straight strip.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. may be humble and focused, but Jeg Jr. has also proved that his efforts are also…

STELLAR

Jeg Coughlin Jr.;your 2000 NHRA Pro Stock Champion
Courtesy of Auto Imagery

HTML by Gary Larsen
Graphics and Burnout photo courtesy of Jeg's