2026 competition
Nissan S14
The green-and-orange S14 is back in battle as JNR’s current Catch My Drift competition car.
Driver · veteran · champion
From Navy service to drift champion.
Meet the Concord, North Carolina driver whose path runs from U.S. Navy service in Japan to championships, Formula Drift, and the Shelby American drift program.
Origin
Jonathan discovered drifting while serving in Japan.
Jonathan Nerren was born and raised in Concord, North Carolina. He was introduced to drifting while serving in Japan with the U.S. Navy, then began competitive drifting stateside in 2010 with Streetwise Drift.
He worked through US Drift, Streetwise Drift, and Midwest Drift Union competition, finished runner-up on NBC’s Octane Academy, and broke through in 2015 with a US Drift championship and Formula Drift Pro 2 eligibility.
During those early seasons, Throttle Junkie Speed Shop housed and built the JNR cars, with shop owner Nic Snyder serving as crew chief. That foundation helped turn a new stateside program into a championship contender.
Career
Career milestones
2010
First stateside competition
Began competing with Streetwise Drift after returning from Navy service in Japan.
2015
US Drift Champion
Won the US Drift title, finished second in Streetwise Drift, and earned Formula Drift Pro 2 eligibility.
2016
Turismo Drift Series Champion
Won the Turismo Drift Series championship while competing in Formula Drift Canada.
2017
FD Canada runner-up
Finished second overall, secured a Pro 1 license, and began the Shelby American relationship.
2020
Formula Drift Pro 1 debut
Debuted with teammate Tyler Nelson as the Shelby American Drift Team; finished 16th overall with two Great 8 appearances.
2022
Holley LS Fest winner
Qualified second and won the Drift Challenge in a 45-plus-driver field.
2024–25
Runner-up to champion
Finished second in CMD for 2024, then converted the following season into the 2025 championship.
The cars
Different builds. Different jobs.
2025 championship car
XComp S197 Mustang
The team’s XComp-liveried S197 carried Jonathan through the 2025 Catch My Drift Unlimited championship, including the title-deciding November finale.
Read the finale report →
Exhibitions & fan ride-alongs
2026 Shelby SS‑R Drift
Unveiled with Shelby American at SEMA for exhibitions, demonstrations, and fan ride-alongs.
Competition evolution
Shelby Super Snake S550
The original Coyote Aluminator and 2.9L Whipple package later evolved into an LS-stroker, Whipple, and Haltech Nexus R3 combination.
2017 GT-based tribute car
Carroll Shelby Tribute Mustang
A distinct Ingot Silver Mustang GT with a Super Snake widebody and weathered tribute livery. It is not the same car as the later competition Super Snake.
Built together
Meet the program partners.
See the current supporters behind JNR’s Mustang and S14 programs, organized by the cars they help keep on track.