2019 WAS A BANNER YEAR FOR THE JEGS TEAM

by Bobby Bennett    Thu, 2020-01-02 18:18

 

Last season was a banner year for the iconic Jegs.com team. For the Delaware, Ohio-based team, the season resulted in two championships and a pair of runner-up finishes.

Third-gen driver Troy Coughlin Jr. emerged as the MVP by collecting his second straight regional championship in Top Alcohol Dragster. Uncle Mike Coughlin was the second most successful with his third Division 3 title, this time in Top Dragster. On the big stage of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Jeg Coughlin Jr. finished second in the national Pro Stock points for the second consecutive year, and Troy Jr.'s sister Paige managed to earn the No. 2 ranking in Division 3 in Super Comp despite carrying a full load at Miami (Ohio) University.

Troy Jr., behind the wheel of the Jegs.com Top Alcohol Dragster fielded by McPhillips Racing, used the momentum of a 2018 North Central Region championship to successfully defend his title in 2019. The accolade was far from easy, as he faced a fierce challenge from Josh Hart. His five victories and six runner-up results sealed the deal for the East Region title.

"Without question, I owe everything to Rich and Richie (McPhillips), Duke Roney, John Flenard, Andy Goode, Charlie Wroten, and Charlie Greco," Troy Jr. said. "They inspired me all year with their incredible work ethic and desire to win. They are true professionals in every sense of the word, and I'm humbled to be their driver."

Troy Jr. plans for a run at a third title with McPhillips in 2020. He has 17 national event victories as well as three regional titles and one on the divisional level. He finished third nationally in 2019 and fourth overall in 2018.

For Mike, he ended a decade-long championship drought with his 2019 Top Dragster title. He's a two-time Top Sportsman champion, winning championships in 2007 and 2009.

"We had a fast but kind of finicky car to start the year," Mike said. "My crew chief Greg Cody, with input from Tony Collier, Dave Raurk, and my Dad (Hall of Famer Jeg Coughlin Sr.), decided to make the switch to a Fowler F12 roots-style blower made by a local machinist named Jeff Fowler and our fortunes pretty much changed overnight. It married so well with our ComSYNC EFI that Ryan Micke put together for us, and we were off and running."

Soon after the switch, Mike tallied divisional wins in Indianapolis and Chicago, which convinced the group to add more events to their schedule, including a great swing out west. Although he didn't add another win, Mike was such a consistent late-round finisher down the stretch he was able to close out the D3 championship over Danny Nelson, who went on to win the national title.

 

 

 

Mike will launch a concerted title defense in the early spring. "The only thing we're changing is the number on the car," he said.

Six-time world champion Jeg Jr. used another late-season surge to climb from eight-place to second during the six-race Countdown to the Championship, missing what would have been a seventh title by just 21 points. Two wins, one in Phoenix early in the year and another at the season-ending Winternationals, pushed his career win total to 82, and a pair of runner-up finishes in Dallas and Las Vegas during the playoffs kept things interesting until the end.

"Just a phenomenal year for Elite Motorsports all the way around," Jeg Jr. said. "I'm so proud of Rickie Jones (crew chief) and the rest of the yellow-and-black crew. We didn't win the championship, but we came close behind our teammate Erica Enders, who absolutely killed it in the playoffs to get her third world title.

"Naturally, you want to win it all every year, but realistically you know that can't happen. What you really want as a driver is to have a chance, and we certainly had a car capable of winning, as we proved down the stretch."

Jeg Jr. will return to Elite Performance for another championship run in 2020.

Perhaps no one did more with less than Paige, who managed to finish second in the D3 Super Comp points despite racing only during summer break from university and a few holiday weekends. Paige also finishes the year leading the JEGS Allstars points in her division, something she'll continue to work towards in 2020.

Paige moved to Super Comp part-time in 2017 and has since become a regular in the later rounds of a class that almost always boasts the most competitors at each meet. She even tried her hand at bracket racing in 2019, reaching the final five in a ladies-only contest during an SFG event in Martin, Mich.

"I have a lot of faith in the JEGS dragster and in my crew chief Justin Beaver," Paige said. "I think we showed we are capable of winning rounds and races. I'm so thankful for everything. It was a great year. We won rounds at every race, and we lead the JEGS Allstar points going into 2020. We're having fun."

 

 

 

 

 
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