Jeg Coughlin Jr. hadn’t been in a winner’s circle for about four years until he won the NHRA Pro Stock title two weeks ago near Chicago in his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro.

He followed that by winning the Super Comp Sportsman title a week ago in Virginia and made it three straight Sunday when he won the Pro Stock title in the Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tenn.

While the five-time NHRA world champion continued his winning streak, Coughlin also extended the non-winning streak to 12 races for four-time champion Greg Anderson. Coughlin took the lead at the starting line in the final round and his time of 6.709 seconds at 205.10 mph edged Anderson’s 6.741 (205.07).

“Nothing wrong with a little hat trick, right?” Coughlin said of three straight wins. It is his 60th Pro Stock title and second at Bristol.

The other Mello Yello event winners at Bristol are Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Ron Capps in Funny Car.

The three winners have combined for 222 NHRA titles: Schumacher 84, Coughlin 79 and Capps 59.

“We’ve made some pretty cool memories together,” said Coughlin, the youngest of the trio who turns 48 on June 23. “This is another page in that book.”

Coughlin became the third driver in the class to earn two victories on the season.

“My team has made some transitions this season and now we are running much faster, and it feels pretty great to be on the right track,” he said. “Winning at Thunder Valley is historic and it feels fantastic, so to be crowned a champion here is really special.”

He had gone four years without starring in any track’s winner’s circle until winning the Pro Stock title.

“There were some trying times. I’ve been blessed with an amazing career and have worked around some of the brightest crew chiefs, engineers, engine builders and car chiefs.

“We have a lot of great things to show for that. Even if there had been a lull (in winning), I said at Chicago that it felt like my first.”

The final round, however, was far from the first time he faced off with Anderson for an NHRA Wally Trophy. Coughlin now holds an 11-9 record in title rounds against Anderson, who held onto the points lead while Coughlin moved up three spots to sixth in the Mello Yello standings with Elite teammate Erica Enders in fourth.

Coughlin and his team led by crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones were quickest in the first and fourth qualifying sessions but lost the pole on Friday night when Anderson earned the 100th No. 1 qualifying spot of his career.

Qualifying No. 2 might have contributed to him getting past Anderson in the final.

On Saturday, Tommy Lee was unable to stop his car on a qualifying run and he sailed through the sand trap then sustained major frontend damage when he slammed into the safety catch fence. Although Lee was uninjured, his car could not be repaired in time for Sunday’s first round.

That left Coughlin with a first-round bye and without the pressure of racing against someone, it could have allowed his team use the run to prepare for the quarterfinals.

He went on to eliminate Chris McGaha and Drew Skillman, who was disqualified for a red-light start. But Coughlin ran quickly enough to earn lane choice against Anderson.

"We had a good run going, and we're definitely getting better," said Anderson, who knocked out Wally Stroupe, Vincent Nobile and Tanner Gray en route to his second final of the season. "We're still not able to make four perfectly clean rounds on Sunday, and that's what it takes to win, but we're a lot closer than we've been.”

The Mello Yello Series moves to Norwalk, Ohio, next weekend for the fourth race in four weeks.