NHRA Team News - Team JEGS Pre-race Notes For JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals

Fontana, May 9, 2011: The defending event champions at the 2010 JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals are Alan Ellis (Comp), Ryan McClanahan (Super Stock), John Schloe (Stock), Andrew Madrid (Super Comp), Dana Keniry (Super Gas), Nik Downing (Super Street), Kevin Kleineweber (Top Sportsman), Tony Jardina (Top Dragster), and Aaron Pine (Sportsman Motorcycle).

The battle for the coveted JEGS Crown trophy will begin at this weekend’s event. The JEGS Crown is a handcrafted trophy that can only be won by winning two of the three JEGS SPORTSnationals events in a calendar year. Should any of the champions from the recent JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Belle Rose, La., also win the Fontana race, they would win the trophy, which was handcrafted by Dan Driesbach of Naked Sculpture.

Since its inception, the JEGS Crown has been awarded just once, to Pro Mod competitor Mike Ashley, who won the Pro Mod class in Belle Rose and Columbus in 2005.

The JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals is one of only two events, along with the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals, where racers in the NHRA Sportsman Motorcycle series presented by Harley-Davidson can win an NHRA national event title. Last year’s Sportsman Motorcycle winner, Aaron Pine, went on to make his professional debut in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in November, 2010.

The first NHRA SPORTSnationals event was held in Bowling Green, Ky., in 1974. Since then, SPORTSnationals races have been held in Houston, Texas, Indianapolis, Ind., Columbus, Ohio, Belle Rose, La., and Fontana, Calif.

Five-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr will make his first appearance at the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals behind the wheel of his JEGS.com Super Comp and Super Gas entries. Jeg Jr is the winner of 66 NHRA national event titles.

Jeg Jr and Mike Coughlin are both prior winners of the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals. Jeg Jr won the Top Dragster title at the 2006 event while Mike won the Super Comp title in 2005 and also claimed a runner-up finish in Top Sportsman in 2009. Mike is also a two-time winner of the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, claiming back-to-back Top Sportsman titles in 2006 and 2007.

The JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals has been held in Fontana each year since 2006. In that time, three drivers have recorded multiple victories. Justin Lamb claimed the Super Stock title in 2007 and the Top Comp title in 2006. Tibor Kadar won back-to-back Stock titles in 2006 and 2007 and Mark Faul claimed back-to-back Super Stock wins in 2008 and 2009. Faul also has a runner-up finish to his credit in Stock at the 2008 event.

Current Top Alcohol Funny Car racer and future nitro Funny Car drive Alexis DeJoria won her first drag racing event at the 2006 JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals when she drover her Tequila Patron dragster to the Super Comp win.