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With
you and your brother both racing for other teams this year
after being in family-owned rides for so long, does that
mean Jeg’s is cutting back its presence in drag racing?
Coughlin: No, not
at all. Jeggie still runs Super Stock now and then, he’s
got a bracket dragster that he runs sometimes, and now with
his little boy racing Junior Dragsters he’ll be bracket
racing even more this year. And then with Mike and John running
Super Stock and Mike running Super Comp, Team Jeg’s,
the Sportsman cars, we’ve got five of them that will
be going to the major events. So it’s all still out
there.
Has
anything surprised you in making the switch to Pro Mod?
Coughlin: No, not
really, but that’s because me and Mike, we’ve
been working on this deal since probably August or September
last year and he’s kind of trained me on what to expect
and what to do. Mike’s a good teacher and he’s
a good organizer, a good orchestrator for his people. Things
have pretty much gone like clockwork so far.
What
is the atmosphere like for you at the track now? Is it
just as intense as in Pro Stock?
Coughlin: Oh yeah,
it’s no different at all. There’s still the same
nervousness and competitiveness when you go to the line.
You’re still racing against great drivers and fast
cars, and it is tight fields, too. But I love it. I guess
that’s the blood in us from my dad; it’s just
in our genes. We’ve always been into fast cars and
wanting to go fast and be competitive.
Are
you looking forward to a reduced racing schedule this year?
Coughlin: Yeah,
but we’re still going to run about 18 or 19 races.
My wife was teasing me a bit, saying, “I thought you
were going to slow down a bit and spend more time with the
family,” but it’s 18, 19 races versus last year
when I was gone probably 32 weekends between testing, and
sponsor involvements with GM, and the races, so if you look
at it, that’s about a month and a half more time at
home.
How
about Pro Mod fans? Do you see any difference in them compared
to what you were used to in Pro Stock?
Coughlin: A lot more excited.
They seem to be very knowledgeable and very excited to see
you and that’s really cool. I mean, it puts a grin on
your face when people come up just to say thanks for coming
out here. I’m enjoying it. Life is good right now.
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