Englishtown event to field top Pro Mod racers

DELAWARE, Ohio (May 30) -- Twenty of the top Pro Mod racers in the world will battle for points and prestige at the JEGS ProMod Challenge presented by Lend America, to be held June 19-22 at the 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals in New Jersey.

Points leader Tony Pontieri will look to extend his championship lead and hold off the likes of Steve Engel, Josh Hernandez, Eddie Ware, and Joe Baker -- all winners on this year's JEGS tour.

That front-running group is sure to get a challenge from two-time series champion Mike Ashley, who hails from New York, and Jay Payne, another former champ. Canadian racer Raymond Commisso also considers Old Bridge Township Raceway Park to be home turf, while Danny Rowe and Kirk Kuhns look to solidify their top-10 rankings.

Also in the mix are Roger Burgess, Troy Coughlin, Mike Knowles, Harold Laird, Taylor Lastor, Shelly Payne, Scott Ray, John Russo and Tim Tindle.

"It's going to be intense," said Coughlin, the series organizer who returns to action with a new car after a nasty accident in Atlanta. "There is no clear-cut favorite in the class this year. There are just too many great teams and that makes it very exciting for the racers and the fans.

"It's worth noting that the response to the series since we took it over has been much more than we expected. We have a list of 19 alternates for this race alone. I think the word has gotten out that we're doing some big things over here and that's very cool."

Lend America, the presenting sponsor of the JEGS ProMod Challenge at this event, is based in Melville, N.Y., and runs under the direction of Ashley, who won the series title in 2004-2005.