Fifteen 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 US$125,000 “Search for a Champion” racing sponsorship contest. Each finalist will receive a US$5,000 Champion sponsorship for the 2014 racing season and advance to the US$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 US$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 percent 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 US$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 US$500 Search for a Champion Honorable Mention awards:

            Name                                      Location                                  Vehicle Class/Type

            James and Josh Rice           Verona, Ky.                             Dirt Late Model/Dirt Modified

            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                             Niagara Falls, Ont., Can.        Dirt

            Jason Alder                           Cooksville, Md.                       Go Kart

To learn more about Search for a Champion “Performance Driven” Champion products, please visit www.AlwaysaChampion.com. Like Champion on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChampionSparkPlugs, and follow the brand on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ChampionPlugs.