JEGS.com jumps on board with Stremme for Daytona 500

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Squarely in the Daytona 500 field, David Stremme and Inception Motorsports now have a partner. JEGS.com, the leader in delivering high performance parts, announced today it will sponsor Stremme's No. 30 Toyota in the Great American Race at famed Daytona International Speedway.

The sponsorship is an extension of Stremme's relationship with JEGS through Cody Coughlin, grandson of JEGS founder Jeg Coughlin Sr. Cody, 16, is racing late model stock cars, and the veteran Stremme is helping the younger Coughlin work through the short-track ranks.

"I like Cody," Stremme said. "I met his mom (Di) and dad (John) at the Snowball Derby and we hit it off. Cody is very well-rounded, and he's got great teachers in Gary St. Amant and Butch VanDoorn. Gary helped me a lot in my career, and we've already seen what Butch can do with Cody during this year's Speedweeks with a couple of poles and some top-five finishes at the 46th World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. I'm also trying to help Cody in any way I can."

Stremme made it in the Daytona 500 field via last Sunday's qualifying, turning a lap of 191.963 mph. He'll start the race from the 42nd position, flying JEGS.com colors.

"We have a really good shot at running well," Stremme said. "We're kind of underdogs in a way (but) we were able to out-qualify some really big teams. We had to have a different agenda leading up to the 500 than other teams but come Sunday, I think we'll be able to show how hard my team has worked and hopefully get a really good result to start the season off."

Stremme and JEGS have a lot in common. JEGS is a family-owned business, as founder Jeg Coughlin Sr. and sons John, Troy, Mike and Jeg Jr., have built the company into an industry leader. The Coughlin family has a long history in racing, too, competing successfully in drag racing for years.

The Stremme family also has a racing background as David's father, mother and brother have all competed in stock-car racing.

"It's really neat, especially knowing Cody and getting to meet John," Stremme said. "We get parts from JEGS for our cars so we're very familiar with them. They have a grassroots thing going with asphalt and dirt cars. It's just really neat, especially with my background in short-track racing. For them to come on board with this team, I think it's very cool."

The 34-year-old Stremme is from the Midwest, just like Ohio-based JEGS. Stremme was born in South Bend, Ind., and grew up racing the short tracks in the area. He was named the American Speed Association Rookie of the Year in 2002 before heading South to chase his dream of racing in NASCAR.

He raced in NASCAR's Nationwide Series for three seasons, winning Rookie of the Year in 2003, before moving to Sprint Cup with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2006. He has a best finish of eighth, at Talladega, in 2007.

Stremme has competed in 137 Sprint Cup and 146 Nationwide Series races in his NASCAR career.

Inception Motorsports, based in Mooresville, N.C., switched to Toyota for 2012 and began using Triad Racing Development engines this season. Steven Lane serves as the team's crew chief.

VIDEO: Kenny Wallace on Dirt Racing, the Daytona 500, and Kissing Danica

WWE® Superstar John Cena® Serves As Honorary Starter For The 54th Annual Daytona 500

WWE Superstar John Cena will wave the green flag as Honorary Starter of the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 26 at historic Daytona International Speedway (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).

Cena was invited to participate in this year’s big race by 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series runner-up Carl Edwards last night on WWE’s Monday Night Raw®. Edwards got out of his official No. 99 Fastenal Ford and told Cena, “NASCAR asked me to come to Monday Night Raw and personally invite you to drop the green flag and officially start the Daytona 500 on February 26.” An appreciative John Cena enthusiastically accepted with an emphatic “Yes!”

“John Cena is the greatest Superstar in WWE today,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “We look forward to seeing him on the flag stand waving the green flag to start ‘The Great American Race’ and kick off the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.”

Cena, who made his WWE debut in 2002, is a ten-time World Champion. He can be seen each week on the hit cable series Monday Night Raw on USA Network. The avid NASCAR fan will headline WrestleMania against The Rock® at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Sunday, April 1, 2012.

Cena’s success has led to starring roles in various Hollywood films. He recently starred in The Reunion from WWE Studios and alongside Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover in the family drama Legendary. His first theatrical film was the 2006 action-thriller The Marine from Twentieth Century Fox. Always a fan favorite with kids, Cena played himself in Nickelodeon’s popular teen comedies Fred: The Movie and Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred. A popular talk show guest, Cena has appeared on The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Talk and many more.

Cena, like many NASCAR drivers, has a long standing relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is on pace to grant his 300th wish, making him the first celebrity wish granter ever to reach that lofty goal. The Make-A-Wish Foundation recently dedicated a room to WWE at the foundation’s headquarters in Phoenix, AZ, in honor of Cena’s unwavering dedication to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Past Honorary Starters for the Daytona 500 include NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, actor Ashton Kutcher, comedian Whoopi Goldberg and singer Mariah Carey.

Dale Jr. Earns Daytona 500 Pole

(Former Gateway International Raceway winner and two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the pole position for next Sunday's Daytona 500. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 winner, earned the pole position for next Sunday's Great American Race. It will be the tenth anniversary of the death of his father, Dale Earnhardt, in a last-lap crash during the 2001 race. This year's Daytona 500 will be Junior's 400th start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. For the full story, visit the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner.

Steve Wallace to Make Cup Series Debut at Daytona

(Steve Wallace, seen here at the 2009 Gateway International Raceway NASCAR Nationwide Series Media Day at Tri-City Speedway, will race in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. Photo by Leah Vaughn.)

Steve Wallace, son of St. Louis native and 1989 NASCAR Sprint (then Winston) Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace, is making his Cup Series debut Feb. 20 in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. He is locked in for the event, using the points the No. 77 team earned last year. That team was piloted by former IndyCar champ and Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. It appears Hornish will not race the full Cup Series season in 2011 and will run a limited NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

Steve joins his father and uncles Mike and Kenny as the fourth member of the Wallace family to run the Great American Race. For the full release, click HERE.

STL Motorsports Examiner: Drew Blickensderfer

(Drew Blickensderfer, seen here with Carl Edwards after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at The Milwaukee Mile in 2008, heads to Daytona for pre-season testing this week. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Just finished up a new article on Mt. Zion, Ill., native Drew Blickensderfer and his quest to win a second Daytona 500, this time with David Ragan. You can check it out by clicking HERE.

If you don't remember, Drew was also Carl's crew chief for Carl's second NNS win at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway in 2008.