Dirt
JEGS Crowns
SPORTSnationals Champions
Anthony Bertozzi becomes event’s
most successful driver with fifth title
By Rob Geiger
Anthony Bertozzi, one of NHRA’s
most decorated sportsman drag racers,
passed another milestone Monday
when he drove to the Top Dragster
title during the rain-delayed final rounds at the
JEGS SPORTSnationals. Bertozzi is now the most
successful driver in the history of the event with
five titles.
A total of 11 champions were crowned out of
a starting field of more than 600 drivers who attended
JEGS Speedweek at historic National Trail
Raceway. In addition to Bertozzi, Chad Voges
(Comp), Jeff Dona (Super Stock), Eric Campolito
(Stock), Phillip Oakley (Super Comp), Dwight
Nuest (Super Gas), Mark Smith (Super Street),
John Benoit (Top Sportsman), and Bruce Sauer
(Sportsman Motorcycle) all racked up wins.
Earlier in the weekend, Megan Meyer and D.J.
Cox each earned titles in Top Alcohol Dragster
and Top Alcohol Funny Car, respectively. All of the
SPORTSnationals champions received a coveted
copper NHRA Wally trophy.
Bertozzi earned his 24th NHRA national
event title when he defeated Team JEGS driver
Mike Coughlin in the final round. Like Bertozzi,
Coughlin also has experienced a tremendous
amount of success in SPORTSnationals races
with four previous victories. In one of the best
side-by-side races of the weekend, both drivers
were nearly perfect off the starting line, but the
win light shone in Bertozzi’s lane after Coughlin
broke out with a 6.16 on his 6.18-second prediction.
Despite the loss, it was hard for Coughlin to
call the weekend anything other than a success.
“We had a darn good time but we just came up
a little short in the final,” said Coughlin, a five-time
national event winner at National Trail Raceway.
“I just took a little more than I wanted at the finish
line but when you race a guy like Anthony, he’s one
of the best, so you have to be on your game. It was
close but I’m not disappointed one bit.
“This was my first national event of the year
and my car was awesome,” Coughlin continued.
“It was a good start to the season and if I had a
chance to go back and re-run the final, I don’t
think I’d change a thing.
“As a whole, JEGS Speedweek was great. This
is the best turnout they’ve had in many years and
the new management has done a great job with
National Trail Raceway. They understand what
it takes to succeed, and I was happy to see them
have such a successful event.”
Meyer and Cox earned their titles in the North
Central Regional event that was the first part
of JEGS Speedweek. The reigning NHRA Top
Alcohol Dragster world champion, Meyer was
the low qualifier and reached the final where
she defeated Mike Bucher with a run of 5.260
seconds. Cox also was the top qualifier in his
Chevy Camaro-bodied Top Alcohol Funny Car
and defeated two-time and reigning class champion
Sean Bellemeur in the trophy round with a
5.468-second elapsed time.
Voges earned the fourth national event title
of his career, and his first since 2007, when he
stopped Greg Kamplain in the final of Comp
Eliminator. Driving his ‘32 Bantam roadster,
Voges was first off the starting line in his final
against low qualifier Greg Kamplain and held
on for the win with a 7.613, his quickest run of
the weekend.
Dona is now a three-time winner in national
event competition after claiming the Super Stock
title over Todd Frantz. Dona, racing in his eighth
national event final, was able to cruise to the victory
after Frantz fouled at the start. The final
was a rematch of the 2013 NHRA U.S. Nationals,
which was won by Frantz, a two-time JEGS
SPORTSnationals champion.
The Stock Eliminator class featured a first-time
winner after Campolito outlasted a field of 140 en-
PHOTO: ALEX OWENS
26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 159