Racing at the most hallowed drag strip in the world, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Team JEGS drivers John and Mike Coughlin completed one of their most memorable weekends as they each claimed victories during this weekend’s North Central Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season-opener. Mike claimed a win in the Dart Top Sportsman class and a few minutes later, John joined his younger brother in the winner’s circle by taking the Super Stock title.
           
“Anytime you win a race it’s a great feeling, but to have your brother win on the same day makes it even more rewarding and exciting,” said Mike, who is the reigning Division 3 Dart Top Sportsman Series champion. “As soon as I got out of my car after the final, my first thought was to find someplace where I could watch John’s final round. Thankfully, it all worked out for both of us. What a fantastic way to start the season.”  

 

This is not the first time the Coughlins have won at the same event. John and Mike each claimed a victory at least year’s North Central Division Lucas event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet and in 1993, the talented siblings performed a similar feat at the NHRA national event at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, with John winning in Super Stock and Mike capturing the Super Comp title.

 

After qualifying No. 4 in the Dart Top Sportsman field, Mike wheeled his JEGS.com Cobalt to a final round win over Tim Kirman’s Pontiac Grand Am. Mike gained the advantage off the starting line and was ahead at the finish line, posting a 6.87 elapsed time against his dial-in time of 6.80-seconds. At the finish line, Coughlin was ahead by just 11-thousandths of a second.

 

“It was a very close race, that’s for sure,” said Mike. “We made some changes to my car over the winter because I felt like we needed to improve our performance a little bit. This is only my second race of the year, but after the way it turned out, I think we definitely made the right call. The car did exactly what we wanted it to do and as a driver, that gives you so much confidence.”
           
After seven competitive rounds of eliminations in Super Stock, John emerged the victor by driving his JEGS.com Cobalt past fellow Buckeye Craig Marshall in the final. Maintaining a steady pace throughout eliminations, Coughlin completed the job with a .046-second reaction time and an 8.87 on his dial-in time of 8.78-seconds. The win not only jump-starts John’s bid to win his second-straight Division 3 title, but more importantly, he was able to lock up a spot on the North Central Division JEGS Allstars team.
           
“I was happy enough when Mike and I both won but I initially didn’t realize that I’d also made the JEGS Allstars team,” said John. “Being a part of the JEGS Allstars is a big, big deal. It’s always an honor to represent your home division so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
           
The JEGS Allstars event is held annually during the NHRA national event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. The special event brings together the 64 top Lucas Oil Series points earners from each of NHRA’s seven geographic divisions for a lucrative bonus event and overall team competition. This year’s race will be held Saturday, June 7 during the Torco Race Fuels Route 66 Nationals.