Five-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. will sport a special competition number on his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt in 2010. In honor of the 50th anniversary of JEGS Automotive, the company his famous father Jeg Coughlin Sr. began in 1960 that is now run by Jeg Jr. and his three brothers, Coughlin will use No. 50 as his official car number for the entire season.
Unique to drag racing, each racer has a competition number assigned to them at the conclusion of their official licensing process. At each event this specific number is used to identify the racer. The exception is the 10 racers that finish in the top 10 the previous year, who assume the number corresponding with their 1-10 finishing spot.
However, the NHRA allows racers to fallback to their original competition number if they so desire. Since the number Coughlin used after winning back-to-back world championships in 2007 and 2008 -- "1" -- will ride with Mike Edwards in 2010, Coughlin decided to go with "50" to honor the celebration of the half-century mark for JEGS Mail Order.