May 01, 2019

17th annual Buckeye Nationals, National Trail Raceway (Columbus, Ohio) May 3-5, 2019

The JEGS Mail Order team will be well represented during this weekend’s 17th annual Buckeye Nationals at their home track, National Trail Raceway. Mike Coughlin will be racing his JEGS.com dragster in Top Dragster. Nephew Troy Jr. will pull double duty in Top Alcohol Dragster and Super Comp, and he will be joined by his sister, Paige, who will also be competing in Super Comp with her JEGS.com entry.

The event is the first of seven races in the 2019 North Central Division NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. It is also an NHRA regional event for Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car racers.

Last month, kicked off his 2019 season with back-to-back appearances at the Division 2 event and the 50th annual NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. Mike qualified his supercharged JEGS.com dragster third at both races with a best elapsed time of 6.126.

Mike is a 14-time NHRA national event winner. He has won national event titles in Pro Stock Truck, Super Comp, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.

Mike began his career in the Super Gas and Super Comp classes in the 1980s and has extensive experience in the heads-up “super classes”

Mike is a two-time Division 3 champion in the Top Sportsman class (2007-2009).

The Columbus event will mark the fourth race of the season for Troy Jr. and his first North Central Regional event. He has raced in three national events including the Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals in Houston where he reached the final round.

Troy Jr. is a six-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won the U.S. Nationals in Super Comp in 2010 and also won the Indy Super Gas title in 2014. His other wins have come in Las Vegas (2009), Gainesville (2013), Columbus (2014) and Reading (2018).

Troy Jr. was crowned the 2018 North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion and finished the season as the No. 4 ranked driver in the country. He was also crowned the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.

During his successful rookie season (2018) in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, Troy Jr. won four races and appeared in six final rounds. He won his first race when he drove his Rich McPhillips-owned dragster to the win at the NHRA Regional event in Norwalk. He later claimed additional regional wins in Cecil County, Md., and Bowling Green, Ky. He also won the national event in Reading, Pa. He recorded runner-up finishes at the Norwalk national event and the Regional event in Indianapolis.

During his career, the versatile Troy Jr. has raced in Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Pro Mod, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, E.T. Brackets, and Jr. Dragsters.

In addition to his success in NHRA events, Troy Jr. also is regarded as one of the sport's best E.T. bracket racers. He has accumulated several major victories including a $25,000 payday at the Atco Dragway Superbucks event and a $10,000 win the Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia Motorsports Park. He also won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.

Paige, 18, made her debut in the Super Comp class in 2017 and has raced sporadically while continuing her education at Miami University of Ohio. The Columbus event will mark her 2019 season debut. Paige’s crew chief is Justin Beaver

Paige is the daughter of three-time NHRA Pro Mod series champion Troy Coughlin and the younger sister of Troy Coughlin Jr.

Before transitioning to the Super Comp class, Paige got her start in racing behind the wheel of a Jr. Dragster.

The Coughlin’s have won Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events in ten different classes, Top Fuel, Pro Comp, Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Eliminator, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman.

The Coughlin’s have won Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events at 20 different tracks across North America including races in six of NHRA’s seven geographic divisions. They have not won in Division 6, the Pacific Northwest.

All told, the Coughlin family has won 60 Lucas Oil Series races including two at National Trail Raceway.

The Coughlin family has won 11 NHRA national event titles at National Trail Raceway, the team’s longtime home track. They have also tallied six runner-up finishes here.

Team JEGS - By the Numbers (NHRA North Central Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series 17th annual Buckeye Nationals)

6 - Divisional wins for Troy Coughlin Jr.

12 - Divisional wins for Mike Coughlin

15 - Total North Central Division championships for the Coughlin family

20 - Different tracks where the Coughlin family has won at least one divisional event

60 - Total NHRA Divisional wins for the Coughlin family

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