15 Finalists Selected In Champion Spark Plug Brand’s $125,000 ‘Search For A Champion’ Contest

A field of nearly 400 talented grassroots racers has been pared down to 15 finalists in the Champion Spark Plug brand’s $125,000 “Search for a Champion” racing sponsorship contest. Each finalist will receive a $5,000 Champion sponsorship for the 2014 racing season and advance to the $50,000 grand-prize round of voting, which begins Friday, February 21, at www.AlwaysaChampion.com.

The annual Search for a Champion contest enables grassroots racers to battle for $125,000 in sponsorship packages by creating videos that demonstrate their commitment to winning a racing championship in virtually any form of engine-driven competition. This year’s contest attracted a record 391 participants, and first-round votes rose by more than 150% to over 208,000.

“Search for a Champion gets bigger and more competitive every year,” said Jessica Wynn, global digital marketing manager for Champion Spark Plug manufacturer Federal-Mogul Corporation. “The quality of our video entries has never been better, and each of our 15 finalists will be an excellent representative of ‘Performance Driven’ Champion technology throughout 2014.”

This year’s Search for a Champion finalists are:

      Name                                Location                                         Vehicle Class/Type

      Amber Balcaen               Winnipeg, Man., Can.                   Sprint Car

      Daniel Burkett                  Winnipeg, Man., Can.                   USF2000

      Trevor Collver                   Lucan, Ont., Can.                           Late Model Truck

      Teri Cummings               Sequim, Wash.                              Sprint Boat

      Jeff Curl                             Forest, Ill.                                        Dirt Late Model

      Daniel Daughenbaugh  Avondale, Pa.                                  Vintage Bike

      Jordan Ives                       Gladstone, Mich.                            Super Late Model

      Nick Lascuola                  Abington, Mass.                              Late Model

      Haley Moody                     Kinston, N.C.                                   Limited Late Model     

      Gauge Rees                     Roy, Utah                                         Superbike

      Alex Rogeo                       Santa Clarita, Calif.                        Drag

      Bradley Sterrett                Bloomington, Ind.                           Non-Wing Sprint Car

      Tina Stull                          Boerne, Texas                                 Rail Dragster

      Marco Tellez                    Orlando, Fla.                                     Drift

      Caley Weese                   Carrying Place, Ont., Can.             Dirt Late Model

Final-round voting will take place February 21 through March 23, and the Search for a Champion $50,000 grand-prize winner will be announced Monday, March 31, at 9 a.m. E.T. To review the 15 finalist videos and cast your free vote, simply visit www.AlwaysaChampion.

In addition to the 15 finalists, Federal-Mogul has selected 12 contest participants who will receive $500 Search for a Champion Honorable Mention awards:

      Name                                  Location                           Vehicle Class/Type

      James and Josh Rice     Verona, Ky.                        Dirt Late Mode

      Cole Glasson                    Corinth, Texas                  Dirt

      Joey Prusak                       Minnetonka, Minn.            Late Model

      Brittney Olsen                    Aberdeen, S.D.                  Vintage Motorcycle

      Kodie Conner                    Kannapolis, N.C.               Late Model

      Alex Cognac                       Marvin, N.C.                        Sprint Car

      Monty Mandros                   Magna, Utah                      Super Late Model

      Kevin Belanger                   Washington, N.H.             Go Kart

      Cole Peschang                  South Beloit, Ill.                  Go Kart

      Jackson Lee                       Avon, Ind.                             Quarter Midget

      Bob Bauer     &nbsp
;                     Niagara Falls, Ont., Can.   Dirt

      Jason Alder                        Cooksville, Md.                     Go Kart

To learn more about Search for a Champion “Performance Driven” Champion products visit www.AlwaysaChampion.com.