TROY COUGHLIN TRADES PRO STOCK FOR
PRO MOD

Veteran Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin will return to competition in 2005 in a 1967 Shelby G.T. 500E sponsored by Jeg’s Mail Order. The 40-year-old older brother of three-time series champion Jeg Coughlin will be competing on the 12-race NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge tour.

Troy will race under the successful Gotham City Racing umbrella and will begin a rigorous off-season testing regimen beginning in December to help him make the transition from driving a car with a 500-inch motor and carburetors to a 526-inch, supercharged Hemi prepared by veteran engine builder Chuck Ford.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I have wanted to do this for quite some time and this is great for Jeg’s,” Troy said. “Mike Ashley is providing me with the opportunity to do it. What a thrill this is going to be. They are 30 to 40 miles per hour faster than Pro Stock cars. It throws you back in the seat and it keeps you there. There’s nothing that compares to driving one.”

Troy already has participated in several private test sessions during the spring and it didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the 2,000-plus horsepower machine.

“The 500-inch, five-speed cars can be violent in their own way and eventually it settles down and you feel somewhat free in the car,” Coughlin said. “But these cars won’t turn you loose. You don’t come out of that seat until you pull the parachutes. I like that.

“This program is exciting to me and everyone here at Jeg’s. I wish March was here now. But, I have to wait.”

A big factor in Troy making the switch to Pro Mod is the 12-race Pro Mod schedule, which allows him to devote more time to his family. Yet, the alliance with Gotham City Racing enables Troy to compete in a car that will contend for the championship.

Ashley, the current point leader of the 2004 NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge and a two-time winner on the tour, is quick to point out adding Troy to the team adds a strong measure of credibility to the class.

“The Coughlin name is synonymous with professionalism,” Ashley said. “We are excited to have Troy as part of our team. Troy is a naturally talented driver and I guarantee that he will make an impact on the class the first time he fires the car. We are certainly committed to winning on this team and there’s no doubt that Troy is too. Bringing Jeg’s on board makes a huge credibility statement to Corporate America. It says this is a class with direction.”  [10-28-2004]