JEG'S CROWN WINDING DOWN
Thu, 2007-08-02 10:32
For the third-straight year, the racers who claimed victories at the Jegs.com
NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals last April will have the opportunity to claim the
coveted JEGS Crown trophy during the upcoming JEGS NHRA Northern
SPORTSnationals, September 28-30 at National Trail Raceway.
If any of the eight champions from the Belle Rose event can duplicate their
feat in Columbus, they will receive the beautifully handcrafted JEGS Crown
trophy, which was designed and created by Dan Dreisbach, the head fabricator at
Rahal Racing. The JEGS Crown trophy might be one of the most difficult awards in
all of drag racing to earn. In three seasons, only one driver, former Pro Mod
champion Mike Ashley has earned the JEGS Crown trophy. Ashley, who currently
races a nitro Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Series, won both events
SPORTSnationals events in 2005 while racing in the AMS Pro Mod Series.
For the third-straight year, the racers who claimed victories at the Jegs.com
NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals last April will have the opportunity to claim the
coveted JEGS Crown trophy during the upcoming JEGS NHRA Northern
SPORTSnationals, September 28-30 at National Trail Raceway.
If any of the eight champions from the Belle Rose event can duplicate their
feat in Columbus, they will receive the beautifully handcrafted JEGS Crown
trophy, which was designed and created by Dan Dreisbach, the head fabricator at
Rahal Racing. The JEGS Crown trophy might be one of the most difficult awards in
all of drag racing to earn. In three seasons, only one driver, former Pro Mod
champion Mike Ashley has earned the JEGS Crown trophy. Ashley, who currently
races a nitro Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Series, won both events
SPORTSnationals events in 2005 while racing in the AMS Pro Mod Series.
Those who are eligible for the JEGS Crown are Craig Bourgeois (Comp), Brad
Zaskowski (Super Stock), Gary Emmons (Stock), Britt Cummings (Super Comp), David
Tatum III (Super Gas), Kevin Edmonds (Super Street), T.J. Tracey (Top Sportsman)
and David Strain (Top Dragster). Bourgeois, of Metairie, La., will have a second
chance to win the trophy as he was also the winner of the Comp title at the 2006
Jegs.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals.
The following is a list of who is eligible for the 2007 JEGS
Crown:
COMP
Driver: Craig Bourgeois
Age: 46
Hometown: Metairie, La.
Car: A/Nostalgia Dragster
Age: 46
Hometown: Metairie, La.
Car: A/Nostalgia Dragster
Belle Rose Review: For the second-consecutive year, Louisiana racer Craig
Bourgeois claimed the Comp title at the Jegs.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals.
After qualifying eighth, Bourgeois made his way to the final round where he
defeated David Rampy, the most successful NHRA sportsman racer in history. The
front-engine A/Nostalgia Dragster that Bourgeois drives is capable of six-second
performances, making it one of the most feared race cars in all of Comp
Eliminator.
SUPER STOCK
Driver: Brad Zaskowski
Age: 26
Hometown: Belmont, Mich.
Car: GT/G ’87 Camaro
Age: 26
Hometown: Belmont, Mich.
Car: GT/G ’87 Camaro
Belle Rose review: One of the few drivers in Super Stock who still prefers
to race a manually-shifted vehicle, Michigan-based home builder Brad Zaskowski
is also one of the most successful. Zaskowski won his second-career NHRA
national event title in Belle Rose by beating hometown favorite Joe Teuton of
Houma, La., in the final round. En route to the Belle Rose win, Zaskowski also
beat former national champion Sammy Pizzolato and past U.S. Nationals champion
Joe LoCicero.
STOCK
Driver: Gary Emmons
Age: 34
Hometown: Friendswood, Texas.
Car: C/FIA ’98 Firebird
Age: 34
Hometown: Friendswood, Texas.
Car: C/FIA ’98 Firebird
Belle Rose Review: To anyone who follows NHRA Sportsman racing, the
Texas-based Emmons brothers need no introduction. One of three identical
triplets, along with brothers Jerry and Terry, Gary Emmons is currently
contending for the national championship in Super Stock and he’s won two events
this season in Stock, including the Jegs.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals.
Following the semifinal round in Bell Rose, at least one member of the Emmons
family was guaranteed to be a contender for the JEGS Crown trophy as Gary raced
his brother Jerry in the final round.
SUPER COMP
Driver: Britt Cummings
Age: 37
Hometown: Hammond, La.
Car: dragster
Age: 37
Hometown: Hammond, La.
Car: dragster
Belle Rose Review: Britt Cummings’ Super Comp win in Belle Rose was the
first NHRA national event title of his career, but it was far from his first
victory. Cummings, whose father Larry is a former racer, has won nearly 20
events and a championship while racing on the IHRA circuit. Cummings, who is
joined on the Moser Engineering team by his brother Slate, has also had plenty
of success racing in big bracket events all over the country. In Belle Rose,
Cummings defeated Canadian Al Kenny to win the race and earn a chance to compete
for the JEGS Crown in Columbus.
SUPER GAS
Driver: David Tatum III
Age: 40
Hometown: Palmetto, Ga.
Car: ’04 Cavalier
Age: 40
Hometown: Palmetto, Ga.
Car: ’04 Cavalier
Belle Rose Review: Most racers love the JEGS SPORTSnationals events that
are contested in Belle Rose and Columbus but few love them more than David
Tatum. A former U.S. Nationals champion, Tatum won the Super Comp title at last
year’s JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus and then won the Super Gas
title at this year’s Belle Rose event. Unfortunately for Tatum, a driver must
win two events in the same class in the same year to be eligible for the JEGS
Crown trophy. Tatum’s Belle Rose win came after a narrow 9.91 to 9.92 victory
against Mark Skipper.
SUPER STREET
Driver: Kevin Edmonds
Age: 36
Hometown: LaPlace, La.
Car:’70 Camaro
Age: 36
Hometown: LaPlace, La.
Car:’70 Camaro
Belle Rose Review: When Kevin Edmonds drove his ’70 Camaro to a final round
victory over Jim Cappiello’s ’68 Camaro in Belle Rose, it marked his first NHRA
national event victory, but it was certainly not his first race win. Edmonds, of
LaPlace, La., has been a successful E.T. racer for the better part of the last
decade. After several more late round finishes, Edmonds is currently in the
thick of the battle for the Division 4 Super Street championship.
TOP DRAGSTER
Driver: David Strain
Age: 47
Hometown: LaPlace, La.
Car: dragster
Age: 47
Hometown: LaPlace, La.
Car: dragster
Belle Rose Review: David Strain, who works as a utilities supervisor at
Tulane University, missed much of the 2006 racing season due to Hurricane
Katrina, but he’s made up for lost time in 2007 by driving his supercharged
dragster to the Top Dragster title in Belle Rose. The tenth-quickest qualifier
with a 6.95, Strain defeated John Brimer in the final to win his first NHRA
national event. Strain is currently a contender for the Division 4 Top Dragster
championship.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Driver: T.J. Tracey
Age: 39
Hometown: Eads, Tenn.
Car: ’63 Corvette
Age: 39
Hometown: Eads, Tenn.
Car: ’63 Corvette
Belle Rose Review: As the winner of the inaugural Million Dollar Drag Race
in Huntsville, Ala., and a number of other big bracket racing titles, T.J.
Tracey has plenty of experience dealing with high pressure final rounds.
Tracey’s performance in Belle Rose was solid, as he drove his Motorvation ’63
Corvette through five tough rounds of competition to claim his first NHRA
national event title. A few weeks after winning the Top Sportsman title in Belle
Rose, Tracey struck paydirt again, winning the Super Comp category at the
O’Reilly Mid-West Nationals at Gateway Int’l Raceway just outside of St. Louis,
Mo.
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