NHRA GREAT LAKES NATIONALS: TROY COUGHLIN JR. WINS FIRST RACE OF NHRA COUNTDOWN

September 21, 2026 On September 21, 2026

2026

MARTIN, Mich. (Sept. 21, 2026) – After rain postponed eliminations at the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at 131 Motorsports Park to Monday, Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS Pro Stock team earned their first win of the season, fifth for Elite Motorsports in 2026.

Troy Jr. handled the JEGS Pro Stock machine to a 6.515-second pass at 209.69 mph to defeat points leader Matt Hartford’s 6.527 pass at 208.14 for his first win since the NHRA New England Nationals in 2024, 41 races ago. It is Troy Jr.’s sixth professional Pro Stock victory.

“This is extremely exciting. Lots of emotions. I love the history of drag racing, it’s something that’s in my blood and I’ve always been pretty romantic about,” said Troy Jr. who moves to fifth in points. “To celebrate the 75th year of NHRA and get this special diamond Wally is pretty majestic considering all of the legendary names who have earned Wally’s the past 75 years. I’m very humbled.

“Everybody at Elite Motorsports, from top to bottom, they work extremely hard. They work themselves to exhaustion to give us the best that they can be, and the best individuals they can be, and it bleeds into the driver’s seat,” Troy Jr. continued. “I have so much faith and trust in Kyle Bates, Kelly Murphy, Alex Laine, Steven Hurley, Anthony Lum. I don’t even really think about the course of the day. Just my job is to stage shallow, let the clutch out, bang through the gears, keep her in the pipes, and just really stay within my side of the fence. I’m really, really lucky. I’m probably the luckiest driver here to have such a wonderful group of guys.”

The midnight JEGS team started race day from the No. 8 qualifying position to face Matt Latino in round one. Troy Jr. had the win on the starting line when Latino left -.002 seconds early. Troy Jr. had a 6.511-second pass at 210.58 mph to earn lane choice over rival Greg Anderson. The JEGS machine outran Anderson’s 6.530 at 209.59 with a 6.528 pass at 208.62 that landed them a semi-final matchup against an Elite Motorsports teammate.

It was a family affair in the semifinals. Troy Jr. lined up against his uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., in the classic black on yellow JEGS machine. Jeg Jr. had the clutch in early after running into trouble for a 6.594-second pass at only 190.68 mph while Troy Jr. had a clean 6.520 at 210.38 to head to his second final round of the season.

“At Elite Motorsports, like Jordan Vandergriff said of his team, ‘We don’t lose, we learn.’ We learn something every time we let the clutch out, and every dyno pull we learn something. That type of mindset is what Elite Motorsports really possesses, and that’s what’s so contagious. I want to be my best for this team, it’s why I’m in the simulator at home, lifting weights, doing cardio. At Elite we’re constantly working and pushing ourselves for the love of the game and the love of each other.”

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship continues this weekend with the NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina Sept. 25-27.

TROY COUGHLIN JR., JEGS Pro Stock Car

Qualifying: No. 8

6.539 seconds, 208.72 mph

Bonus Qualifying Points: 3

Race Results:

E1: 6.517 at 210.58 def. Matt Latino -.002 red

E2: 6.528 at 208.62 def. Greg Anderson 6.530 at 209.59

Semis: 6.520 at 210.38 def. Jeg Coughlin Jr. 6.594 at 190.68

Finals: 6.515 at 209.69 def. Matt Hartford 6.527 at 208.14

Unofficial Points Position: 5th

Quotes:

“This is extremely exciting. Lots of emotions. I love the history of drag racing, it’s something that’s in my blood and I’ve always been pretty romantic about,” Troy Jr. said. “To celebrate the 75th year of NHRA and get this special diamond Wally is pretty majestic considering all of the legendary names who have earned Wally’s the past 75 years. I’m very humbled.

“Everybody at Elite Motorsports, from top to bottom, they work extremely hard. They work themselves to exhaustion to give us the best that they can be, and the best individuals they can be, and it bleeds into the driver’s seat,” Troy Jr. continued. “I have so much faith and trust in Kyle Bates, Kelly Murphy, Alex Laine, Steven Hurley, Anthony Lum. I don’t even really think about the course of the day. Just my job is to stage shallow, let the clutch out, bang through the gears, keep her in the pipes, and just really stay within my side of the fence. I’m really, really lucky. I’m probably the luckiest driver here to have such a wonderful group of guys.”

“At Elite Motorsports, like Jordan Vandergriff said of his team, ‘We don’t lose, we learn.’ We learn something every time we let the clutch out, and every dyno pull we learn something. That type of mindset is what Elite Motorsports really possesses, and that’s what’s so contagious. I want to be my best for this team, it’s why I’m in the simulator at home, lifting weights, doing cardio. At Elite we’re constantly working and pushing ourselves for the love of the game and the love of each other.”