The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, Nev.) – Oct. 10-13
The JEGS SPORTSnationals will return to the Strip at Las Vegas for the second-straight year. From 2006 through 2011, the event was held at Auto Club Raceway in Fontana, Calif. It is the third of three JEGS SPORTSnationals events held each season.
Several drivers have scored multiple victories at the Pacific SPORTSnationals including Alan Ellis, Justin Lamb, Aaron Kinard, Tibor Kadar, Mark Faul and John Widmann.
The list of past world champions that have also won the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals includes Jeg Coughlin Jr., Ryan McClanahan, Ed DeStaute, Mike Ferderer, and Dean Carter.
The JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals will include several special events including a Gambler’s Race, the Las Vegas Shootouts for competitors in Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street as well as traditional class eliminations for Super Stock and Stock racers.
In seven years, just one woman, current nitro Funny Car racer Alexi DeJoria has won the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals. DeJoria won the Super Comp title at the inaugural event in 2006.
The coveted JEGS Crown trophy will once again be up for grabs at this weekend’s event. The drivers currently eligible for the JEGS Crown Trophy are the Belle Rose champions including Steve Szupka (Comp), Anthony Bertozzi (Super Stock), Greg Brotherton (Super Comp), Ryan Herem (Super Gas), Ray Dew (Super Street), P.J. Vicari (Top Dragster), and Allen Firestone (Top Sportsman). Szupka is also eligible in Stock eliminator since he was a double winner in Belle Rose. JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals champions who are eligible for the award are David Billingsley (Comp), Stephen Belanger (Super Stock), Chuck Beach (Stock), Leo Zynda (Super Comp), Rusty Cook (Super Gas)., Donnie Durenberger (Super Street), Andy Johnson (Top Dragster) and Jeff Sexton (Top Sportsman).
JEGS Crown is a handcrafted trophy that can only be won by winning two of the three JEGS SPORTSnationals events in a calendar year. The winners of the JEGS Cajun SPORTSnationals, held last March in Belle Rose, La., and the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals held last September in Hebron, Ohio are in the running for the trophy this year.
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 only time that NHRA national event titles have been awarded in Top Comp and Super Eliminator was the inaugural Pacific SPORTSnationals race in 2006. Justin Lamb win in Top Comp and Mike Solina won in Super Eliminator. Those categories have since been replaced by Top Dragster and Top Sportsman.
While no driver has doubled at the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals, two have come close. Jeg Coughlin Jr. earned a win in Super Comp and a runner-up in Super Gas at the 2011 event and Mark Faul posted a win in Super Stock and a runner-up in Stock in 2008.
JEGS – By the Numbers (JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals edition)
1 Driver to win the JEGS Crown trophy (Mike Ashley, 2005)
5 Former world champions have won JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals titles
6 Drivers with multiple victories at the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals
58 Individual event champions crowned since the inaugural Pacific SPORTSnationals in 2006