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There are 138 points available for the professional classes at each event - - 10 for making at least one qualifying run, a maximum of eight if you qualify number one, 100 for winning the event, and 20 points if you set and leave the event with an official NHRA elapsed time national record. That means, with four events remaining on the 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series, there are still 552 points up for grabs.
At the start of the 2000 season, Jeg Jr., put together an impressive win streak that has kept him atop the Winston point standings since the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. He won two of the first three and six of the first seven events, which immediately distanced himself from the rest of the pack in the early point chase. Then Jeg, Jr., went into what many called a "slump." A slump you say? From the Castrol Nationals in Dallas over Memorial Day weekend until the U.S Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, he did not win a race. But his statistics were still better than most… Repeat, his statistics were still better than most!
For that eight race span just prior to the U.S. Nationals, Jeg, Jr., won 13 rounds of national event eliminations, went to two national event finals, went to the semi-finals at the Winston Shootout, a non-point all-star event, and won the Holly Dominator Duel for Pro Stock cars, a non-point special race based on points earned from the driver's qualifying position at national events. Not the wins that marked the first third of the season, but impressive nonetheless. Certainly not a "slump." At the U.S. Nationals, qualifying 16, Jeg, Jr., began another impress win streak. He won Indy. He won the rain-delayed Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., the next weekend. Then, he made it three out of four by winning the just completed Advance Auto Parts Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. That brings us to Memphis, and unless the drag racing gods step in, the only questions remaining are, "At which event will Jeg. Jr., win the 2000 NHRA Winston Pro Stock championship?" and, "Will he break the single-season Pro Stock record of 11 wins set by Darrell Alderman in 1991?" With the numbers in Jeg, Jr.'s favor, return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear as we trace the racing career of the soon-to-be 2000 NHRA Winston Pro Stock champion. Because he was born into a racing family, it was nothing out of the ordinary for Jeg, Jr., to join the family racing program. His father raced everything from Top Fuel to Pro Stock then passed the torch along to his sons. The youngest of four brothers, he grew up watching his brothers race. So, when the time came, it was natural for him to pick up the torch and race with it also. Around 1985, he began racing locally at National Trail Raceway in Columbus and took home the first of many trophies on his first voyage out. Continuing up the ladder, he moved up to Super Gas in 1988, winning a Winston championship and Division 3 championship in Super Gas in 1992. He also won divisional championships in Super Stock (1994 and 1997) and Comp (1997). Between 1989 and 1997, Jeg, Jr., earned 12 national event wins in NHRA sportsman competition. 1997 also marked his move to the professional Pro Stock category. In '97, not only did Jeg, Jr., win the second Pro Stock event he entered - - the Matco Tools SuperNationals in Houston - - but he became the first NHRA driver in history to win in four categories in one season - - winning in Pro Stock, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock and Super Gas. In his first full season on the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series in 1998, he finished second in the NHRA Winston Pro Stock point standings and was named NHRA Winston "Rookie of the Year." In 1999, he finished runner-up (#2) once again in the final point tally in Pro Stock. In special events during '99, he won the Holly Dominator Duel and the Winston Showdown. Jeg, Jr., races under the Team Jeg's Racing banner, a race team that is the outgrowth of the four brothers’ business philosophy: "Track Tested." Their father, Jeg Coughlin, Sr., opened Jeg's High Performance in Columbus, Ohio in 1960. The business grew into a retail conglomerate catering to motorheads. Jeg's four sons, John (now 37), Troy (now 36), Mike (now 34), along with Jeg, Jr., (now 30) purchased Jeg's in 1988 and proceeded to enter into the mail order business. The company quickly became a successful high performance mail order supplier. Continuing the tradition began by Jeg, Sr., in the 60s, Team Jeg's Racing "Track Tests" the high performance parts that Jeg's sells so that their customers can buy with confidence. Jeg, Jr., says he wouldn't be in a position to win a championship without some key ingredients. "You can't win unless you're there and well prepared. We're very fortunate to have the backing of Jeg's Mail Order and the associate sponsors that support the Team Jeg’s Racing program. Each one of them is a core ingredient to our racing program. Our racing program builds name awareness and as a results sells more of our suppliers products. "We also have great assistance on the team starting with my father (Jeg, Sr.) who leads the team and acts as Team Manager for not only my operations but the operations of my three brothers. He's had years of knowledge in the industry and the sport and we're very fortunate to have his experience on board. "Another individual that is very instrumental to our success is Gary Pearman. Gary is crew chief for our two Pro Stock cars, mine as well as Troy’s. You know it take great talent and preparation to challenge and win a race and his hard work, talent and leadership is surpassed by none. Finally, there's the person responsible for our power. With Dick Maskin on board, and the horsepower he brings to the table, our engine program is certainly second to none. I feel fortunate to have such a great relationship with him, added Jeg, Jr. Both Jeg, Jr., and Pearman were named to the 2000 All-Star Drag Racing named by Car Craft Magazine in September - - Jeg, Jr., as Pro Stock Driver of the Year and Pearman as Pro Stock Crew Chief of the Year. Also, if the name Dick Maskin sounds familiar to you, it should. Not only has Maskin been a renowned engine builder for many years, he is the engine builder responsible for Jim Yates' back-to-back NHRA Winston Pro Stock championship in 1996 and 1997. When asked who he sees as the main obstacle to a championship this season, Jeg, Jr., answers quickly, "That's easy. Ourselves. We control our own destiny as far as how well we're prepared, how quick we run, and how well we drive. Like I said before, Dick Maskin and his group at Dart Industries have done a flawless job all season for all the (Team Jeg’s Racing) vehicles in the power department. Additionally, Gary Pearman and my father Jeg have done a great job orchestrating the two (Pro Stock car) teams on getting them down the racetrack. We have great backing from the company and from the sponsors involved with our Track Tested Program. We have great cars, great equipment, and great engines. The rest is then up to me as driver. "There are a lot of top teams out there. Don't get me wrong for not citing one particular individual or a specific team but I think our biggest challenge is within ourselves. I also think that where we shine, because we've got a great group of people. I can't predict that I’ll win the championship, or if I do, at what race will I clinch the championship. Winning the championship is just a matter of circumstances - - waiting and seeing what unfolds. There are still a lot of races left."
No matter what he says, the betting odds have to be on Jeg, Jr.'s side to clinch
before the season-ending event in Pomona, Calif. But will Jeg, Jr., clinch in
Memphis?
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