Westcott rolls to Belle Rose Hemi Challenge title (NHRA/JEGS)
Westcott rolls to Belle Rose Hemi Challenge title BELLE ROSE, La. (April 5) – Charlie Westcott Jr. hails from Parma, Mich., but there is something about Cajun Country that brings out the best in him. The Super Stock racer and engine builder raced to his fifth-straight Mopar Hemi Challenge title Saturday at the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Belle Rose, La. Westcott drove to an 8.51 in the final round to stop John Rains of Santa Paula, Calif., who red-lighted. Westcott also set the national record for the SS/AH class. Said Westcott, “We’ve been working hard on our engine program for the past few months and all that hard work is really starting to pay off now. I had a few problems with my car but we managed to get them straightened out before the final. This is five wins in five years at this race and I’m pretty proud of that. I’m also happy about the record. That’s a nice bonus.�?? In addition to the Mopar Hemi Challenge, was qualifying was completed for JEGS Cajun SPORTSnationals contestants in preparation for final eliminations, which are scheduled to begin on Sunday, April 6 at 10 a.m. Keith Raferty of Lake Charles, La., earned the No. 1 spot in Top Sportsman with a 6.51 elapsed time while Joey Marcotte of Denham Springs, La., captured the No. 1 qualifying spot in Top Dragster with a 6.22-second best. Marcotte went on to win the Vicari/Undercover Chassis Top Dragster Shootout over Michael Kile while Mike Manners claimed the Top Sportsman Shootout with a final round win over Raferty. Team JEGS driver Mike Coughlin drove his Chevy Cobalt to a career-best run of 6.762-seconds to qualify fifth in the Top Sportsman class. In Comp Eliminator, Adam Hickey of Hammond, La., continued to hold on the top qualifying spot after posting a slight improvement yesterday. Hickey, driving a C/SMA Chevy Cobalt, improved from an 8.15 to an 8.14. With 25 cars in the Comp field, Hickey will have a bye run in tomorrow’s opening round. Following the completion of class eliminations, the fields are set in Super Stock and Stock Eliminators. Bob Dennis of Shorter, Ala., remained the leader in Super Stock. Likewise, George Roussel of Thibodaux, La., held on to the top spot in Stock. Tomorrow, champions will be crowned in Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super comp, Super Gas, Super Street, and Sportsman Motorcycle. If any of the champions from the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals should also win one of the other JEGS SPORTSnationals events, they will claim the coveted JEGS Crown trophy. The JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals is one of three national events that are designed to showcase NHRA’s best sportsman drag racers. The others are the JEGS.com NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Ohio (Sept. 19-21) and the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif. (Oct. 3-5). Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at _www.jegs.com_ (http://www.jegs.com) and for media/fan resources check out _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com) . Media Contact: Scott "Woody" Woodruff JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports Office: 800.345.4545 (3.412) Mobile: 614.595.1820 Fax: 740.362.4385 Email: _jegspr@aol.com_ (mailto:jegspr@aol.com) -or- _scott.woodruff@jegs.com_ (mailto:scott.woodruff@jegs.com) **************Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides. (http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000016)