74 CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE II OCTOBER 2019
Growing up Coughlin
JUST SAYIN
BY: Jeg Coughlin Jr.CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE (ISSN:1062-192X), October 2019; Vol. 34, No. 10. Copyright 2019 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Published monthly by TEN: Publishing
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AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Chevy High Performance, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.✶We’ve always been a racing family. Having a dad that raced as much as ours and then being one of
four brothers and watching them grow into the sport ahead of me, it was very natural for me to fall right
in line.
I can actually remember being as young as 3 years old and being excited about the weekend ahead
because we’d have a race to attend. My excitement would usually start the night before we’d leave
because our mom would be packing things up and I could look out the windows of the house and see the
ramp truck with the race car loaded up out in the street. I knew we’d be up bright and early heading to
another race as a family. Those are such wonderful memories.Many times during the week,
as soon as we’d finish up our
schoolwork, which was always a
requirement, we’d usually find our
way over to the race shop. There
were countless nights and weekends
spent in that shop working on
stuff and just hanging out, talking
about racing, being together. We
always managed to get dirty doing
something.
You can imagine four brothers in a
race shop. We’d jump at the chance
to wash parts, wipe the car down,
clean stuff. Being the smallest, there
were more than a few occasions
when I was rolled around the shop
inside one of those big Goodyear
slicks off dad’s car.
My father was a great pioneer,
engineer, and innovator in his own
right. He was also a wonderful
businessman, promotor, and idea
guy. He’s my hero in so many ways.
Growing up in this family, I
developed a love for this sport that
has turned into such a wonderful
career. We’ve been fortunate to have
enjoyed so much success as a team,
dating all the way back to when dad
was racing and now even with the
third-generation of Coughlins out
there tearing it up. It’s a great legacy.
When we were younger, dad kept
us busy and was always challenging
us. There was always something to
do and he’d make sure to let us see
a path to success in whatever he
had us working on. He had a great
ability to give us tasks that were
appropriate for our age. At 3, 4, 5
years old we’d be wiping stuff down.At 8 or 9, we’d be dropping the
pan off the bottom end. He allowed
us to be hands-on and that was
so helpful when we started driving
ourselves. We’d know what we were
experiencing through the feedback
the car gives you because we knew
what each part is supposed to do.
When we did start driving, he
pushed us to be better. He showed
us there was something to be learned
in every run and how important the
details were on your timeslip. He
wanted us to know the car from front
to back and figure out why it was
doing what it was doing.
Racing pretty much extended intoevery part of our lives. Dinner time
conversations with four boys that
were crazy about racing and a dad in
the high-performance parts business
inevitably involved racing.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have
grown up as a Coughlin with such
loving and caring parents. I can’t
imagine a better life.
Just Sayin’Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a six-time NHRA
champion (five Pro Stock and one Super
Gas) and is co-owner of Jegs Automotive
Inc., with his three older brothers. He
currently drives a 2019 NHRA Pro Stock
Camaro owned by Elite Motorsports.