Nick Megee reflects on the 25 Team Spotlights series and introduces the inaugural JSBR Cup — a perpetual trophy decided by racing and Fan Favorite votes with six boats in a final showdown.
And that's a wrap on our 2026 JSBR Team Spotlight series.
I'm not going to lie. Putting those 25 spotlights together took a lot more digging, a lot more remembering random conversations, and a lot more digging through old photos than I expected. Apparently when I decided we were doing 25 Team Spotlights, I also decided that collecting information from anyone beforehand was unnecessary. Excellent planning.
Most of these were built from what I already knew, what I could dig up, and a healthy amount of "yeah, that sounds right." Somehow, it worked.
The feedback from some of the racers afterward was awesome. A lot of them had absolutely no idea what I was going to write until their post showed up on Facebook, so hearing how much they appreciated it honestly meant a lot. And the feedback from you guys, the fans, was just as awesome.
That was the whole reason for doing this. There is so much more to this sport than what happens between the green flag and the checkered flag. We wanted you to know the racers, the riders, the crews, the families, and the personalities behind the boats you cheer for. I think we may have accidentally started something that's going to be hard not to bring back next year.
It's Your Turn — But now that you know them, it's your turn. Only two races remain, so keep voting for Fan Favorite. Some of those battles are close, and a few boats that might look like they're on the outside are only a handful of votes away from jumping right back into contention.
And yes, for the JSBR historians keeping score at home, Fan Favorite isn't new. We've done versions of it before. What's different is what it's become. We have never had this many fans involved, this many votes coming in, or this much riding on the outcome.
Because this year, Fan Favorite will help decide who gets a shot at the first ever JSBR Cup. That was intentional. We wanted the Cup to involve the people who show up, follow along, cheer for these teams, and support this sport all season long.
The JSBR Cup — When those six boats line up, some of them will be there because you put them there. And if one of those Fan Favorite qualifiers wins the whole thing, you didn't just cheer for the first JSBR Cup champion. You helped put them in the race that made it happen.
With Austin and Never Seas stepping out of contention, we currently have three eligible boats, leaving the door wide open for three more inboards to earn their way in. Six boats. One final showdown. One first ever JSBR Cup champion.
And this isn't another trophy that gets handed out and becomes expensive dust storage. The JSBR Cup is a perpetual award. The winning team holds it for the year, their name becomes a permanent part of it, and next season everybody comes back trying to take it away. Year after year, name after name. But there will only ever be one first. Same tradition, whole different level.
One Last Thing — If Facebook is the only place you follow us, you're only getting one version of JSBR. Facebook is where we generally try to act respectable. Sincere, informative, with a little funny mixed in. Instagram loosens the tie a little. TikTok is where the supervision apparently ends. That account has become completely unhinged, and at this point intervention would probably do more harm than good. So make sure you're following us everywhere. Facebook. Instagram. TikTok. Same boats, same people, very different levels of adult supervision.
Help Write the Ending — Two races left. Fan Favorite is still wide open, and three JSBR Cup spots are still there for the taking. The Team Spotlights introduced you to the people behind the boats. Now you get to help write the ending.
And don't worry. We've got more coming.
