PAIGE COUGHLIN

was thriving in Pro Mod . It ’ s No Prep-style now , but it ’ s all fit together almost perfectly for Coughlin .

“ When I first sat in that Camaro , I felt completely comfortable . It ’ s just a perfect fit and I think it ’ s going to be a great combination ,” Coughlin says . “ My dad ’ s been super proactive in all of this planning and collaboration , too . We ’ ve always talked about when I grow older , it ’ ll be your turn . Now it ’ s finally my turn and I think he ’ s living in the moment again , but he ’ s excited to be a part of the crew instead of the driver this time .”

It ’ s a chance for the historic JEGS brand to reach a new crowd , too , which also puts a lot on Coughlin ’ s plate as a young driver entering a new realm .

But she ’ s accepting it all with open arms , fully realizing the challenges but also wholly embracing the possibilities and potential that comes with an exciting , new opportunity .

It ’ s up to Coughlin to prove her worth in the “ Future Class ,” where her performance , showmanship , and intangibles could lead to earning a spot in the 32-car invitational for the television broadcast , where many a star has been born in recent years .

“ To be able to have the chance to just go No

Prep racing , or even have a door car is beyond my ability to comprehend because it ’ s just so great ,” Coughlin insists . “ Everyone is talking about this scene , it ’ s on TV , it has massive coverage . I think taking that energy and putting it towards furthering myself and the company of JEGS hopefully will bring us a lot of success .

“ If you want to be on the show , you ’ ve got to earn it . We ’ re going to work as hard as we can to prove our worth and then hopefully we ’ ll get invited to race our way in to the main event . That ’ s the ultimate goal to be a part of that . It ’ s our turn to work hard and if you want it bad enough you go out and get it . So I ’ ll try to take that mindset with us this year .” DI

32 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 174