Jeg Coughlin, Jr. took a season off and came back with only three races to go last year. That’s all the rest he needed to win a fourth world title and third in Pro Stock. That, and a second-round win over Richie Stevens combined with Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly's first-round exits.  

"What a feeling!" Coughlin said. "To win another championship for JEGS.com and all of our employees and fans is special. It's such a cool deal to win the first championship under the NHRA's new Countdown playoff system. It was a tough battle against the best racers in the world but we got it done as a team and I couldn't be prouder of the entire Victor Cagnazzi Racing organization."

Coughlin opened the final day of the season trailing Anderson by 36 points. Each elimination round is worth 20 points, meaning Coughlin had to advance two rounds further than his rival. With Anderson on the opposite side of the ladder, Coughlin needed some help and he got it when newcomer Justin Humphreys left on Anderson by a whopping .053 seconds, which translated to a stunning 6.669 to 6.658-second holeshot win at the top end.

Jeg Coughlin, Jr. took a season off and came back with only three races to go last year. That’s all the rest he needed to win a fourth world title and third in Pro Stock. That, and a second-round win over Richie Stevens combined with Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly's first-round exits.  

"What a feeling!" Coughlin said. "To win another championship for JEGS.com and all of our employees and fans is special. It's such a cool deal to win the first championship under the NHRA's new Countdown playoff system. It was a tough battle against the best racers in the world but we got it done as a team and I couldn't be prouder of the entire Victor Cagnazzi Racing organization."

Coughlin opened the final day of the season trailing Anderson by 36 points. Each elimination round is worth 20 points, meaning Coughlin had to advance two rounds further than his rival. With Anderson on the opposite side of the ladder, Coughlin needed some help and he got it when newcomer Justin Humphreys left on Anderson by a whopping .053 seconds, which translated to a stunning 6.669 to 6.658-second holeshot win at the top end.

"It's incredible how it all fell into place," Coughlin said. "The pressure was enormous for all of us and I think my previous experience might have really helped me there. Last year I only ran three Pro Stock events at the end of the season. The rest of the time I was running a bunch of those high-dollar bracket races and those things are so intense. That's kind of what it felt like these past two races.

"This is such a charge. To be able to give Victor and Brita (Cagnazzi) their first championship means a lot to me. They had a plan to put together a race team capable of winning a championship and through a lot of perseverance and hard work they got it done.

"Like any racer that wins a championship, I have a fantastic team behind me. Roy Simmons, my crew chief, my father Jeg Sr., the crew guys, the boys building the motors back at the shop, the chassis department, they all share in this moment. This is for all of us."