Drag racing is in Paige Coughlin’s DNA.
For much of the first 18 years of Paige Coughlin’s life, every day was “take your daughter to work day” for her father, Troy, and the 2018 Worthington Christian graduate.
Coughlin is a third-generation drag racer. She spent much of her formative years following her father, Coughlin Sr., a three-time Pro Modified world champion, around the country.
Apparently, the need for speed and the pressure of being under pressure at the racetrack are dominant family traits.
Although she has split from the Coughlin racing team, Coughlin has started to make her name on the Street Outlaw driving circuit, racing her “Golden Child” Camaro for J&J Racing.
“I was raised at National Trail Raceway (in Hebron),” said Coughlin, a featured player on The Discovery Channel series Street Outlaw/No Prep Kings television show. “I was there almost every weekend I wasn’t traveling with my dad. I was trying to learn everything I could.”
The advice Coughlin Sr. gave his daughter sank in. Before competing in the Street Outlaw circuit, she was the runner-up in the super comp class in 2019. She represented the Midwest division at the JEGS Allstars race during the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
After graduating from Miami (Ohio) University in the spring of 2022, Coughlin made the jump over to the Street Outlaw circuit. She created Team Golden Child with her fiancée, Johnny Tolisano, a fellow driver and engine builder with J&J Racing.
Coughlin and Tolisano were both named to Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 Under 30 list for 2024.
In an interview in a Drag Illustrated feature, Coughlin said she needed “to branch out” from her family’s legacy.
“I’m still a Coughlin, but I get to do it my own way and make a name for Paige instead of being ‘Troy’s daughter’ or ‘TJ’s little sister,’” she told the magazine.
Coughlin wasn’t sure how her father would react when she headed over to Outlaw Street Racing and with a different team.
“My dad is my best friend. We are two peas in a pod, and I couldn’t imagine racing without him,” she said. “When I told my dad I was ready to build this Camaro, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.”
After she made the switch, Coughlin and her father flipped roles.
“It’s such a surreal feeling,” she said. “I remember going to his races and helping out in any way I possibly could. Now I’m the one who’s driving, and he’s helping out in any way possible.”
Coughlin captured the $40,000 prize at a drag racing event Sept. 26 at the Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.
“We might not be the biggest star of the track, and my car is definitely not the fastest,” Coughlin said. “We’ve overcome trials and tribulations with this car. We’ve tailored my car to make it as competitive as possible against these guys.”
Coughlin may seem at home on the racetrack, but it wasn’t always this way. Her father introduced her to drag racing when she was eight, but Coughlin decided it wasn’t her thing.
Coughlin was still interested in racing, but her arena was the one with four hooves instead of four tires. She opted to compete in horseback riding in elementary school.
“I chose a different form of horsepower,” said Coughlin, who competed with the Miami equestrian team while attending college. “Horsepower runs in my veins, but horseback riding will always have a special place in my heart.
“You would think it’s completely different, but it’s actually not. I have the same mindset with drag racing as I did with horses. I’m extremely dedicated to it, and I absolutely love it.”
Coughlin began to take drag racing more seriously when she was 14.
Technically, Coughlin was an expert behind the wheel about eight years before she took her in-car driving lessons at Worthington Christian. She was her driver instructor’s third Coughlin, having taught her older brother, Troy Jr., and sister, Meghan, how to drive.
“Driver’s Ed was a breeze, but I’ll admit my driving record before I turned 18 was not pretty,” she said with a laugh. “I definitely have that speed demon in me, so that didn’t help.”
Driving classes aside, Coughlin credits Worthington Christian for shaping her into “the person I am today” academically and spiritually.
“I look back at it now, and I think, ‘You complained so much about doing homework, but you’re using those skills now,’” she said. “I remember writing all those different essays for Bible classes and having to do those deep dives for history, things that went totally over my head. Now I go, ‘Wow, that all makes sense now.’
She waited a beat and then added, “Just don’t tell my parents.”
Coughlin’s best takeaway from her time at Worthington Christian was the development of her faith.
“I don’t think I would have such a strong relationship with the Lord if I didn’t have Worthington Christian in my past,” the driver said.
“(When I’m racing), I know the Lord’s sitting next to me … even though there’s only one seat in my car. I always say He’s sitting on my nitrous oxide bottles.”
Three generations in, Coughlin’s proving her family name isn’t just a legacy — it’s a launchpad.