The car and the fire suit might be a different color, and the sponsor might have changed, but that's the only thing that's changed about Jeg Coughlin Jr. He's still the drag racer who is wise beyond his years with a driving talent equally as next-level as it gets. 

For Coughlin, orange [or cat's eye gold) is the new yellow and black. 

"Honestly, it didn't feel too odd until I saw pictures and videos of driving the new cars, the red car in the fall, and now the Cat's Eye Gold Scag Power Equipment color," Coughlin said. "It feels a bit different because I've done 20 years in a Pro Stock car plus and another 10-plus years in the sportsman ranks with yellow and black. 

"I've lived it and breathed it my entire life. Whether it was as a kid scratching my sneakers in the gravel doing a burnout or I was racing my bicycle or mopeds later, it didn't matter what I was doing at what stage of my life; there was always something yellow and black involved, and usually, we were revving it up in some fashion. So it would be almost crazy to say it didn't feel different."

Nephew Troy Coughlin Jr. flies the banner of the legendary brand bearing the patriarch Jeg Coughlin's name. With his retirement and the family's subsequent sale of the brand, Coughlin had time to ease into a transitional phase. He now represents the Scag Power Equipment brand. 

"What I will say is it's been very interesting to make this transition," Coughlin explained. "I've had three years where I had, more or less, retired or did retire and passed the reins to Troy Jr. with the yellow and black JEGS machine. And I really enjoyed my time kind of living through him on the racing side. I did a lot of bracket racing myself and stayed sharp. Bracket racing is my first love, which was an easy transition for me.

"But as I watched him progress and watched him win some races, there was no question I missed the environment of driving an NHRA Pro Stock car. And, as this came about with Richard Freeman and the folks from Scag Power Equipment, it was a neat and interesting transition because I went from an iconic brand and color to a much greater and as iconic or more iconic brand and color in Scag Power Equipment."

Coughlin wouldn't say the transition hasn't been seamless, but it has been fun. He returned late last season in the final two events of 2023 as a test driver of sorts, breaking in a new car that world champion Erica Enders drives this season. 

"It's going to be a very fun year for me because it's much in the same as it's been in my whole lifetime," Coughlin explained. "I was in the front lines with JEGS and the yellow and black, and every person that came to our ropes was either a customer or a potential customer, and my family and I always enjoyed that opportunity to make with our friends and fans out there and ideally transition them into customers and happy customers at that."

Unlike the formative years of his career in the 1990s, Coughlin now rolls to the line as the seasoned veteran. 

"I think my next chapter is just known for the same kind of drive, passion, and pursuit of success," Coughlin said. "My mindset today is more mature. It has aged, there's no question about it, but underneath a couple of layers of a few more years, it's still that drive to compete. It's still that drive to win. And that is what my thoughts goals, and mindset are set on is: do just that.

"We have quite a support team behind us. And when we've got eight cars going into round one, some running one another, but going into round two, regardless of how many advance, you've still got that whole team behind you and pushing you. And then the same for the semi-finals, the same for the finals."

Coughlin quickly points out he has no issues being a cheerleader when his race day is done. It's not a new concept coming from a family team where he was all too willing to cheer for a family win through a sibling. Ultimately, he considers the Elite team a family of competitive drivers. 

"If you can't find fuel in some of these opportunities, then you missed a hell of a chance," Coughlin said. "And trust me, I'm plugged in, and I'm ready to go 110% this year."