Samantha Coughlin

Samantha Coughlin is a proven national event winner in NHRA Super Comp and Super Gas racing, known for her lethal precision behind the wheel of her yellow-and-black JEGS.com dragster—and for being married to five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.

EARLY YEARS

Before she ever strapped into a dragster, Samantha was a competitive figure skater—proof that she’s always had a thing for speed, precision, and looking good under pressure. Racing was in her blood long before she traded blades for slicks. Her father is Al Kenny, a former NHRA world champion and Canadian drag racing legend with over a dozen national event wins spanning five decades. Her brother, Jason Kenny, is a multi-time NHRA Divisional champion. The Kenny family garage in Delaware, Ohio, was essentially a racing compound where podium finishes were the baseline expectation.

Samantha grew up watching her dad and brother dominate the sportsman ranks, absorbing the nuances of bracket racing, reaction times, and the mental chess match that separates winners from also-rans. It wasn’t long before she decided that watching from the sidelines wasn’t enough.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not at the track, Samantha is a full-time mom to daughter Carly and stepson Jeg III. She and Jeg Jr. live in Ohio, where he also dabbles in real estate when he’s not chasing Pro Stock championships. The Coughlin-Kenny clan remains deeply embedded in Ohio’s racing culture, and family race weekends often involve multiple generations and multiple classes—because why race in just one category when you can dominate several?

EARLY SUCCESS

Samantha started making noise in NHRA sportsman categories early, cutting her teeth in the ultra-competitive Super Comp class where races are won and lost by thousandths of a second. In 2009, racing under her maiden name Samantha Kenny, she claimed her first NHRA national event win in Super Comp at Norwalk, Ohio—a hometown triumph that put the rest of the field on notice. She reached the fifth round at the NHRA season finale in Pomona that same year, proving her Norwalk win was no fluke.

Her ability to dial in reaction times and drive the stripe with surgical precision quickly earned her a reputation as someone you didn’t want to see in your lane. She had the pedigree, the coaching, and the killer instinct—a combination that made her dangerous at any event she entered.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2009: Won NHRA national event in Super Comp at Norwalk, Ohio[1].
• 2009: Advanced to fifth round in Super Comp at NHRA season finale in Pomona[2].
• 2017: Runner-up finish in Super Gas at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, racing her JEGS.com Chevrolet Roadster to the final round at drag racing’s most prestigious event[3].
• Competed in semi-finals at Indianapolis in Super Comp, piloting her JEGS.com dragster through multiple rounds including wins over Ron Finney and Dave Dahlem[4].

INSPIRATIONS

Samantha’s father, Al Kenny, is her most obvious inspiration—a world champion who’s still winning national events well into his 70s. Her brother Jason has been both competitor and collaborator, and her husband Jeg Jr. is a living legend with 88 NHRA national event wins across seven different categories. It’s the kind of family tree that either crushes you or makes you better. For Samantha, it’s been the latter.

During her semi-final run at Indy, her brother T.J. Coughlin served as her “game day consultant,” studying the other racers and feeding her intel between rounds. Her parents Al and Carol Kenny, along with Jason, provided support and crew help. Racing, for the Kennys and Coughlins, is a family operation—and Samantha thrives in that environment.

REPUTATION

“I love to win; it’s why we race,” Samantha has said, and that mentality shows every time she fires up her dragster. But she’s also quick to point out that for her, NHRA racing is about more than trophies—it’s about the community, the competition, and the chance to race alongside (and against) the people she loves most.

She’s described as “absolutely lethal on the racetrack,” a racer who combines natural talent with the kind of coaching and insight that only comes from growing up in a championship-level racing family. Whether she’s racing Super Comp or Super Gas, she’s consistently a threat to go deep into eliminations. And she does it all while balancing the chaos of being a race mom—her daughter Carly has been spotted driving the golf cart in the pits, already learning the ropes.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Samantha continues to compete in NHRA sportsman events, representing Team JEGS alongside her husband, brother-in-law Troy Coughlin Jr., and sister-in-law Paige Coughlin. She’s been prepping for events like the Gainesville race, shaking off the rust with bracket races in Valdosta, Georgia, to get her racing legs back before tackling the national circuit. With a family legacy to uphold and a competitive fire that hasn’t dimmed, expect to see her yellow-and-black dragster in winner’s circles for years to come.

REFERENCES

[1] Samantha Coughlin living the sportsman racer dream in Gainesville – Team JEGS
[2] Samantha Coughlin Livin’ the Dream in Gainesville – DragStory.com
[3] Samantha Coughlin posts runner-up finish in Indy – DragStory.com
[4] Samantha Coughlin beats Stinnett, races to Indy semis – DragStory.com
[5] Love in the fast lane: Coughlin’s husband-wife team makes Jeg’s formidable racing team – ABC6
[6] Can-Am Couple Hit The Track – DragRaceCanada.com
[7] Samantha Kenny Makes Strides Towards Successful Career in NHRA Super Comp Class – K&N
[8] Jeg Coughlin Jr. – NHRA Driver Profile
[9] Samantha Coughlin Races To Semi Final Finish – DragRaceResults.com