KENT, WA — Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. knows the Elite Motorsports team has all the pieces in place for him to win another NHRA title. The 59-time national event winner also knows it never hurts to have good fortune in racing, something he hopes will return to his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro at this weekend’s 30th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals.
“It feels like we finally shifted our gears last weekend in Sonoma and I think we’re back on the right track,” Coughlin said. “No question we’ve had a bit of a lull in our performances the last handful of races but this is still a car that has raced to the final round a few times this year and been on the pole at three events.
“I know it may not look like it from the cloud looking down but from inside the ropes I feel like we’re getting a little bit of our stride back. We picked up some momentum with a nice round win in Sonoma and we’re ready to stay on the positive side of things.”
Coughlin took second place at national event stops in Houston and Topeka earlier this year and was No. 1 qualifier in Houston, Charlotte 1 and Bristol. He’s qualified in the top half of the field at 13 of 15 national events thus far.
“I think we’re all looking to get off to a fresh start in Seattle and see if we can’t get this JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro completely up to speed in these last three races before the Countdown,” Coughlin said. “We’ve put a lot of time and effort into getting all four team cars running strong and now we need to add consistency to the equation so we can make a run in the playoffs.
“I’m very much looking forward to the event in Seattle. It’s a beautiful, beautiful facility. The track, the surroundings are amazing with Mt. Rainer right there as a backdrop. The air is always good and the track can be very fast.”
Pacific Raceways would seem to be a great place for Coughlin to return to his winning ways. He won the event outright in 2002 and was runner-up at the facility in 2000, 2013 and 2015.
“As I’ve mentioned in the past, we’re very fortunate in that we’ve had successes at most of the places we go on the NHRA tour,” Coughlin said. “Seattle is no exception. Plus, we love visiting the city and taking in all the wonderful sights. If we can have some things fall our way this weekend, we just might be making some new memories.”
“I’ve been fortunate to spend a few days in Northern California this week playing a little golf with my son and some friends. That’s been refreshing. Jeggie III is quite a player now, heading into his second year on the golf team at Ohio State University. I do well to keep him in view these days when we play. I’m very proud of his accomplishments.”
Pro Stock qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:30 and 5 p.m., Friday, and 1:30 and 4 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations begin at noon, Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air the first two rounds of qualifying action from 6-7 p.m., Friday. The main FOX Network will broadcast eliminations live from 1-4 p.m., Sunday. (All times are local and subject to change.)