Following this past weekend’s Nitro Jam and Summit Tournament of Champions qualifier at the Grand Bend Motorplex, a grand total of 62 drivers have already clinched a spot in the year-end Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL to be held at Memphis International Raceway in October.  

A total of seven Nitro Jam events, two standalone TOC qualifiers and two Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL events have contributed to the count, with dozens more to be added to the Tournament of Champions field over the next three months, including two more qualifiers in the next three weeks.  

Following the Summit Pro-Am and TOC qualifier in at Farmington Dragway and the CarSafe Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, both the weekend of August 10-12, the rest of the tournament field will be filled via the remaining Summit Sportsman Spectacular to be held the day before the World Finals and the Summit Pro-Am Tour as the top three finishers in each IHRA division will move on to the championship showdown in October.  

One of the six divisions has already finished their season and the rest will wrap up over the next few months.  

Among the big winners so far is Jacob Elrod who just this past weekend claimed victories in Quick Rod and Hot Rod at the Grand Bend Motorplex to punch two tickets to the TOC. Elrod is also in the hunt for a Top Dragster title in Division 3 giving Elrod a bevy of opportunities to make his mark on this year’s field.  

Unlike last year where dozens of drivers qualified in multiple classes, only Elrod has done it so far in 2012. And only two drivers have won more than one TOC qualifier and both reside in Super Stock. Pete D’Agnolo won at the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam and Maryland Sportsman Spectacular and Pete Peery won the San Antonio Nitro Jam and San Antonio Sportsman Spectacular.  

The complete list of drivers currently locked in to the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions are:  

TOP SPORTSMAN: Bob Bauer Jr., Al Burkett, Kenneth Covington, Russell Marr, Randy Modersohn, Mike Thompson, Donny Urban, Scott Wasko, Glenn Wright, Ricky Vedros.  

TOP DRAGSTER: Cindy Hawk, Chase Murray, Brett Nesbitt, Donna Patterson, Todd Robinson, Kevin Romeo, Paul Snell, Joseph Tinsley, Jamie Tupper, Jeremy West.  

SUPER STOCK: Art Congdon, Pete D’Agnolo, Jory Elliott, David Latino, Pete Peery, Marion Stephenson, Mark Young.  

STOCK: Michael Beard, Mark Faul, Matt Hawk, Jimmy Hidalgo, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Myron Piatek, Anthony Platania, Jesse Sanderson, Joel Warren.  

QUICK ROD: Scotty Campbell, Jacob Elrod, Eric Goulden, Corey Manuel, Steve Mikus, Jake Milstead, Michael Pennington, Vernon Rowland, Russ Stevenson.  

SUPER ROD: Joe Collier, Tommy Corbett, Joe Ferrari, Steve Furr, Will Hinkson, Ed Olpin, Mick Rice, Floyd Russo, Dave Stobbe.  

HOT ROD: David Bills, Ray Dew, Chad Duke, Steve Dweck, Jacob Elrod, Bart Nelson, Casey Plaizier, Skip Saddler, Doug Wood.