Five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will become teammates with 2012 world champion Allen Johnson with a two-car venture in the NHRA Pro Stock category beginning in 2013. Both men will continue to drive Mopar-backed Dodge Avengers powered by Hemi motors, which will originate from Johnson’s J&J Racing shop.
“Allen and I were teammates this year under the Mopar umbrella, so it was a very natural progression to become actual teammates moving forward,” Coughlin said. “Allen and his father, Roy, along with the rest of the guys at J&J Racing, really put on a show this year and proved to everyone that Mopar can compete with and triumph against the best of the best in one of the toughest categories in racing. We’re very excited about joining with them.”
Johnson led Pro Stock with seven victories in 11 final-round showings this year, improving his career record to 16 wins in 36 finals. He also led the field with 10 low-qualifier awards, set low elapsed time of the race nine times, and ran top speed on 10 occasions. The end result was the first Pro Stock title for Mopar since 1994.
Of Coughlin’s five world titles, four have come in Pro Stock; the JEGS.com Pro came out on top in 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2008 (the other is in Super Gas). His 53 national event victories in the class place him fourth on the all-time list.
“The plan is for Allen and me to start a tradition of Mopar winning titles with regularity,” Coughlin said. “They have given both Allen and me all the tools we need to succeed, and I think the first year of the Mello Yello NHRA Drag Racing Series will be a great one for both of us. We hope to get these cars as close to matching clones as possible so we can really work off one another at every race. The multicar team approach works, as we’ve seen in the past, and hopefully it will work for us as well.”
Vincent Nobile, driver of the Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger, who just completed his second year in the category, will continue to use J&J Racing engines. (NHRA)
