Few things excite car lovers more than getting a brand-new ride, which is exactly why Pro Stock frontrunner Troy Coughlin Jr. is jazzed up for this weekend’s Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Coughlin recently took possession of a 2022 RJ Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro clad in the legendary yellow-and-black colors of JEGS.com. Rick and Rickie Jones, the owners of RJ Race Cars, relied on a lot of input from Coughlin to build the car to his needs. They have been involved with Elite Motorsports as either crew chiefs or consultants through all of their championship-winning seasons.
“This is one awesome machine,” Coughlin said. “This is actually the first Pro Stock car I’ve driven that was built specifically for me so it’s just about as perfect as you can imagine. Everything feels so natural and the fit is exact. I’ve got all the space I need in the cockpit. I’ve never felt so comfortable behind the wheel.
“RJ Race Cars are known for their incredible fitment and finish work. They truly build masterpieces. Most importantly, they produce super-fast racecars that win races and championships. I couldn’t be more excited. Huge thanks to (longtime Elite Motorsports sponsor) Mark Stockseth for getting us this car.”
Already a finalist this year having raced to a runner-up result at the national event in Phoenix, Coughlin arrives in town with fond memories of The Strip. In 2009, Coughlin captured his first national event trophy during the fall event at this facility, winning the Super Comp class in grand style.
He’s hoping the good karma from 13 years ago, along with the team’s steady start to 2022, will produce another memorable weekend in Sin City.
“We took the new car to Tulsa a few days ago to shake it down and make sure there would be no surprises this weekend,” he said. “It’s definitely ready for battle. Mark Ingersoll, Kyle Bates, Ricky Calloway and Kelly Murphy have been working around the clock to get this car from a bare chassis to race-ready and, of course, they took it all in stride. That’s no small feat, believe me.
“It appears we’ll be running even better than before so there is a lot of optimism on the team. Of course, we’ll stay with our game plan of taking things one round at a time. We’ll do our best to have four solid qualifying runs and then try to turn on three win lights on Sunday.”
The schedule calls for Pro Stock qualifying sessions at 12:30 and 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The first round of four-wide eliminations is slated for 12:45 p.m.
This story was originally published on March 30, 2022. 
