Jegs Allstars Event Enters 29th Year

Courtesy of Scott Woodruff/JEGS

Now celebrating its 29th year, the JEGS Allstars competition is one of the most highly anticipated events of the season for racers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Racers can only qualify for one of the coveted spots on the JEGS Allstar team by winning a year-long competition within each of NHRA’s seven geographic divisions.

The racers in the JEGS Allstars event will be competing for a share of more than $120,000 in cash awards posted by JEGS Mail Order. The overall team champions will split a $20,000 bonus.

Any driver who can win the JEGS Allstars on Saturday and then return to win the NHRA O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals title the following day will automatically be eligible for a “double-up” bonus from JEGS Mail Order.

Current NHRA pros Jeg Coughlin Jr., Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, and Spencer Massey are all former winners of the JEGS Allstars race.

There are 11 former or current NHRA national champions racing in this year’s JEGS Allstars event. They are Bill Reichert, Randy Meyer, Frank Aragona Jr., Bruno Massel, Joe Santangelo, Jackie Alley, Jeff Taylor, Brad Burton, Al Kenny, Sherman Adcock Jr., and Jeff Lopez.

There are three women in this year’s JEGS Allstars field. Former NHRA world champion Jackie Alley will represent the Northwest Division in Super Stock while Lauren Freer will represent the Southeast Division in the Top Dragster class. Annie Whiteley will also compete for the Top Alcohol Funny Car title.

After winning ten JEGS Allstars titles in his career, Frank Manzo is not participating in this year’s JEGS Allstars event. As a result, the Top Alcohol Funny Car class will have a first-time winner this weekend.

Last year, the team from the Pacific Division (Division 7) team claimed the overall championship for the first time since the inception of the program with a thrilling victory over the Southeast Division (Division 2) team. Both teams finished with 1,300 points and the Pacific Division squad earned the title via a tie-breaker.

This year there are two drivers who have qualified for the JEGS Allstar event in two separate classes. Sherman Adcock will represent Division 2 in Super Comp and Super Gas and Slate Cummings will represent Division 4 in Super Stock and as the Stock blocker. Adcock and Cummings also pulled double-duty at the 2012 JEGS Allstars race.

Following the overall team victory by Division 7 last year, the team from Division 5 remains the only one of NHRA’s seven divisions that has never won the overall team title at the JEGS Allstars.

The drivers in this year’s JEGS Allstars will represent 30 U.S. states and two Canadian Provinces. There are nine from California, six from Washington and five from Texas.

Former JEGS Allstars Comp champ Bruno Massel will return to this year’s event as a member of the Division 5 team. His father, Bruno, won the JEGS Allstars Super Comp title in 1989.

Since 1985, the JEGS Allstars has been contested in four locations; Bowling Green, Ky., Indianapolis, Ind., Columbus, Ohio, and Joliet, Ill.

By The Numbers - JEGS Allstars Edition

2          Drivers in this year’s field who are qualified in two classes (Sherman Adcock Jr. and Slate Cummings)

7          JEGS Allstars Team Championships for Division 1

6          JEGS Allstars Team Championships for Divisions 2, and 3

30         Different U.S. States represented by the 2012 JEGS Allstar team

78         Different drivers qualified for this year’s JEGS Allstars event