FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 914-4761
NHRA Media Center Online: https://media.nhra.com
GLENDORA, Calif. (Aug. 18, 2014) – It was announced today that the NHRA has named JEGS, one of the largest mail order automotive performance equipment companies in the United States, as presenting sponsor for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Aug. 27- Sept. 1 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. It is the seventh of 10 races in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
“The U.S. Nationals is the crown jewel,” said Troy Coughlin, vice president of JEGS. “To have the name JEGS associated with the most prestigious NHRA race on tour is something our family and the 350-plus associates at JEGS will take great pride in.”
Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer race cars, the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast. The growing class is highlighted by historic muscle cars like ’67 Mustangs and ’68 Firebirds and ’69 Camaros, as well as a wide variety of late model American muscle cars. With more than 3,000 horsepower, the suspended door pro mod cars travel the quarter-mile in less than six seconds at speeds exceeding 250 mph.
JEGS Mail Order and JEGS.com have been helping automobile enthusiasts for more than 50 years. Founded in 1960 by Jeg Coughlin Sr., a champion drag racer in his own right, the second generation company sends out 18 million catalogs a year, registers more than a million hits a day on JEGS.com and generates more than $250 million in sales annually worldwide.
In addition, JEGS is very active in NHRA drag racing. JEGS and Team JEGS has produced three generations of Coughlins who have won some of drag racing’s most prestigious races and championships. Jeg Coughlin Jr. drives the JEGS.com Dodge Dart in Pro Stock and is a five-time Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world champion. Troy Coughlin drives the JEGS.com Chevy Corvette in Pro Mod and is the 2012 Pro Mod world champion while Mike Coughlin drives the JEGS.com Chevy Camaro in the Top Sportsman category. Third generation driver Troy Coughlin Jr. competes in Super Comp and Super Gas and won the Indy event in 2010 in Super Comp. Meghan Coughlin races in Super Street and the family has a fleet of Jr. dragsters.
The 2014 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series competes during a 10-race schedule, with each event televised on the Velocity Channel. The season kicked off at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals with Mike Castellana taking the opening victory over 2013 series champion Rickie Smith. Mike Janis took the second race of the season at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals, defeating Castellana in the final. Rickie Smith defeated Von Smith to win the third race of the season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.
Von Smith raced to victory in the fourth race of the season at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J., beating Jason Hamstra. In the fifth race of the season at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tenn., Pete Farber defeated Steve Matusek. The sixth race of the season saw 2012 series champion Troy Coughlin beat Von Smith to take the Wally at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Each race will air in a half-hour show on the Velocity Channel, which launched in October and is owned by the Discovery Network. The shows, produced by Masters Entertainment Group, will air during 10 consecutive weeks in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 24 national events featuring the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers NHRA Jr. Street for teens and the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. In addition, NHRA owns and operates five racing facilities: Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville in Florida; National Trail Raceway in Ohio; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
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