NHRA Full Throttle: Big Color, Fast Job

It seems that colorful paint schemes are as much a part of motorsports as engines and tires. Obviously, the fast job of driving those cars has many challenges and thrills. Some drivers and some teams are more successful at combining color with speed, and that can result in fame.

One of the best nuggets of advice successful people in racing routinely share is simple: find something you love to do and it will never be a job.

Four Coughlin brothers, the sons of speedy parts business founder Jeg Coughlin Sr., operate JEGS.com and didn’t have to look far to find passion in their work. It’s their job to keep the international distribution enterprise on cutting edges. It’s also their job to showcase the colorful yellow and black paint scheme as often as possible on racetracks. It’s family tradition to race what they sell.

JEGS High Performance Parts is synonymous with drag racing, as NHRA is their origin and sustained their mail order business for 50 years, but JEGS has also ventured in NASCAR. For the past few years, they have been a contingency sponsor in Sprint Cup and now the Nationwide series.

Recently JEGS.com was also primary sponsor on Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series No. 2 Chevrolet at Loudon, N.H., race in September.

NASCAR driver and SPEED TV commentator Kenny Wallace has been sponsored by JEGS in the past and he summed up their business plan and advertising policy. 

“I think they get it,” Wallace said. “I think it’s gorilla marketing. They've been on every billboard in the United States. They take care of business. They’re racers but they race so they can do business.” 

Wallace understands the unique relationship of duty and fun.

Recently the Coughlin brothers took their faster jobs called Team JEGS to the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The brothers raced colorful yellow and black cars in various classes: John Coughlin in Comp Eliminator, Troy Coughlin in Pro Modified and Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Strock Car.

The Coughlins know their multi-faceted roles.

“I’m a really competitive guy and I like to win,” John Coughlin said. “Any time you can win that’s an adventure“

Jeg Coughlin Jr. has four national Pro Stock Car championships and understands his job out of the office and at the track. 

“We have literally hundreds of thousands of customers around the world,” Coughlin said. “It’s a thrill to go to the racetrack and hear their response of not only how well we’re doing on the racetrack but how well we perform in getting packages to them. And how well were not doing in getting packages to them. We get those too. Fortunately those are few and far between.”

Troy Coughlin commented on his job under a race helmet.

“You can be down in the dumps or have a sore throat, but as soon as you put your helmet on and shut the door, it’s no pain, no nothing. That’s how intense drag racing is. It’s awesome.”

It probably takes a special person to do a job that is part responsibility and part thrill, but the proficient racers seem to adapt well.

Fourteen–time Funny Car champion and drag racing icon John Force, who routinely guides an uncooperative drag car at 300-plus miles per hour, describes his take on excitement.

“Adventure is doing something you don’t ordinarily do on a typical day—something new, exciting, scary. Like chasing twisters or swimming with great white sharks. So is driving a fuel Funny Car, like trying to ride a Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

Dinosaurs may not be on Team JEGS’ agenda, but performing and winning rank high. 

Photo credit: Gary Larsen @ Racetake.com