Four finalists named for JEGS ProMod Rookie of the Year
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/JEGS_Pro_Mod_08.jpg" alt="JEGS_Pro_Mod_08" align="left"borders="0"/>
DELAWARE, Ohio (Oct. 22) -- First-year racers Joe Baker, Roger Burgess, Taylor Lastor, and Brad Personett have been selected as finalists for the 2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge Rookie of the Year award. The winner will be announced Sunday, Nov. 2, at the year-ending "Crowning of the King" ceremony at Christian Audigier The Nightclub at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip.
"All four of these finalists should be extremely proud of their accomplishments this year," said series director Troy Coughlin. "I congratulate them on being nominated for this award and I can say we look forward to honoring the winner in Vegas. I'm also excited about having all four of these great racers competing with us on the JEGS ProMod Challenge for many years to come."
A last-minute replacement at the first race of the season in Gainesville, Fla., Baker stunned the Pro Mod world by driving his '41 Willys from the No. 16 qualifying position to the winner's circle in his first start in the JEGS ProMod Challenge.
Baker followed up that improbable victory with a much more convincing win in Houston behind the wheel of fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Burgess' ProCare Rx 1963 Corvette, running his first few five second passes along the way.
In all, Baker led the JEGS points for three races this season and has attended all 10 events on the 2008 schedule. He's currently ranked seventh in the standings.
Know as much for his generous sponsorship of other drivers as he is for his own driving exploits, ProCare Rx CEO and founder Burgess has shown well in the six races he's attended. Most notably, Burgess came within a whisker of capturing his first career victory at his home track of Atlanta Dragway, where he ended up bowing to fellow Georgian Eddie Ware.
If not for various business commitments that occasionally prevent him from competing, Burgess would certainly be ranked higher than his current perch of 16th place.
An engine builder by trade, Lastor has pulled double-duty all season, building the same horsepower he muscles down the racetrack each weekend. His hard work is paying off handsomely as he not only received a nomination for JEGS ProMod Rookie of the Year, but is knocking on the door of a top-10 finish.
All Lastor needs to do is earn 33 points in his TRE Racing Engines Camaro at the eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals to earn a top10 ranking. Coming off a batch of five-second runs, Lastor could easily get the job done.
Personett blazed a trail of his own in 2008, pounding on his turbo-charged Marx Motorsports Big Stuff '53 Corvette in an attempt to make it competitive. His reward came in the form of qualifying for the national events in St. Louis and Englishtown, N.J. Personett has a new car coming in 2009 and should continue to improve with his unique combination.
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/JEGS_Pro_Mod_08.jpg" alt="JEGS_Pro_Mod_08" align="left"borders="0"/>
DELAWARE, Ohio (Oct. 22) -- First-year racers Joe Baker, Roger Burgess, Taylor Lastor, and Brad Personett have been selected as finalists for the 2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge Rookie of the Year award. The winner will be announced Sunday, Nov. 2, at the year-ending "Crowning of the King" ceremony at Christian Audigier The Nightclub at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip.
"All four of these finalists should be extremely proud of their accomplishments this year," said series director Troy Coughlin. "I congratulate them on being nominated for this award and I can say we look forward to honoring the winner in Vegas. I'm also excited about having all four of these great racers competing with us on the JEGS ProMod Challenge for many years to come."
A last-minute replacement at the first race of the season in Gainesville, Fla., Baker stunned the Pro Mod world by driving his '41 Willys from the No. 16 qualifying position to the winner's circle in his first start in the JEGS ProMod Challenge.
Baker followed up that improbable victory with a much more convincing win in Houston behind the wheel of fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Burgess' ProCare Rx 1963 Corvette, running his first few five second passes along the way.
In all, Baker led the JEGS points for three races this season and has attended all 10 events on the 2008 schedule. He's currently ranked seventh in the standings.
Know as much for his generous sponsorship of other drivers as he is for his own driving exploits, ProCare Rx CEO and founder Burgess has shown well in the six races he's attended. Most notably, Burgess came within a whisker of capturing his first career victory at his home track of Atlanta Dragway, where he ended up bowing to fellow Georgian Eddie Ware.
If not for various business commitments that occasionally prevent him from competing, Burgess would certainly be ranked higher than his current perch of 16th place.
An engine builder by trade, Lastor has pulled double-duty all season, building the same horsepower he muscles down the racetrack each weekend. His hard work is paying off handsomely as he not only received a nomination for JEGS ProMod Rookie of the Year, but is knocking on the door of a top-10 finish.
All Lastor needs to do is earn 33 points in his TRE Racing Engines Camaro at the eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals to earn a top10 ranking. Coming off a batch of five-second runs, Lastor could easily get the job done.
Personett blazed a trail of his own in 2008, pounding on his turbo-charged Marx Motorsports Big Stuff '53 Corvette in an attempt to make it competitive. His reward came in the form of qualifying for the national events in St. Louis and Englishtown, N.J. Personett has a new car coming in 2009 and should continue to improve with his unique combination.
