TROY COUGHLIN JR. ENJOYS SUCCESS AT GATORS AND BEING A FATHER

by Tracy Renck    Fri, 2021-03-19 18:51

Troy Coughlin Jr. didn’t waste any time getting comfortable in the Camaro his uncle Jeg drove last year for Elite Motorsports.

Coughlin Jr. advanced all the way to the final round of the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway March 14 before losing to Greg Anderson.

“It felt good just to be back out there in front of a bunch of fans and have the chance to compete,” Coughlin Jr. said. “It was great to come out and do well with our group and I really enjoy being with my guys on the team.”

At the Gators, Coughlin Jr. defeated his teammate Aaron Stanfield, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Mason McGaha before falling to Anderson when his Camaro shook the tires.

‘it was a great experience,” said Coughlin Jr. about his race day at the Gators. “You learn the timing of the event with the live TV schedule everything is in a hurry and you learn the motions. It is a lot of fun and an incredible rush. It’s a sport, if you have not seen it from a fan’s perspective, you have to go. We were a little aggressive in the finals and the track was a little hot.”

Troy Jr. had a 5-7 elimination round record last season, highlighted by advancing to the finals of Indy 3 before losing to his uncle Jeg. He finished 13th in the point standings while driving for Elite Motorsports.

After an up-and-down 2020 campaign, Coughlin Jr. wasn't nervous at all when he climbed into the cockpit of the Camaro his uncle used to drive.

Jeg retired from driving full-time after the 2020 season. He finished third in the points standings and won two races – the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., and Indy 3.

“No, it’s not added pressure,” Coughlin Jr. said. “It is an incentive to do well. You want to represent the great company of Jegs and (Jeg Coughlin Jr.) really well. It’s more incentive to be the best you can be. You really let the joy of wanting to be a competitor take over that pressure. The love of the competition, the love of the game you let take over that pressure so to speak. I just love being out there. Pro Stock is home. I just always knew that I would come home to that.”

Troy Jr. would love nothing more than to add his own NHRA Camping World Series Pro Stock world championship to the Coughlin family’s illustrious resume.

“Oh my gosh, there wouldn’t be words for that,” Troy Jr. said. “It would mean everything to me. Being here and growing up here in a great family business like Jegs, and racing for an awesome team like Elite Motorsports. It would be great to bring home a ring for uncle Jeg and my dad and my family and all the great guys on my team.  It would be great to be able to give my team rings at the end of the year. That would mean more to me than just about anything I have ever done in my career to be certain. Those guys work so hard in season and offseason. To be able to give them rings in November would absolutely be icing on the cake.” 

Up next for Coughlin in NHRA’s Camping World Series is the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 16-18.

“I’m excited to go to Vegas,” Troy Jr. said. “I won my first national event there back in 2009 in the Super Comp class, so it (Vegas) has always been near and dear to me. I love that track and it’s a neat city.”

Troy Jr. will be competing in the Four-Wide format for the second time in his career.

“I did it in the (Top) Fuel car in Charlotte (N.C.) one time, but I have never done it in the Pro Stock car,” he said. “It’s just another format. It’s all focus either way. It’s just having some more cars on both sides. You just have to mind your beam and know that you have X number of seconds before the time out issue comes on and just focus and race your race.”

Off the track, Troy Jr. has kept plenty busy as he and his wife, Brenna, had their first child, Aubrey Joy, who will be six weeks old March 19.

“It is a full-time job (being a dad), but it is an absolute blast,” Troy Jr. said. “It’s a lot of fun. It has been everything I thought it (being a dad) would be and a bunch more. You never really know what you’re getting into until she is in your arms.”

 

 

 
Categories: 
:::::: News ::::::