Pacific Division Prevails in Jegs Sportsman Spectacular

With a stellar performance that included wins by Top Alcohol Dragster racer Chris Demke and Super Comp driver Aaron Kinard, the NHRA Pacific Division broke through for its first overall team title in the highly lucrative ($190,000) annual JEGS Allstars competition held last weekend during the NHRA Route 66 Nationals……

Dylan Stott scored a popular win in TS with his ultra cool nitrous injected Mustang

The Pacific Division team scored 1,300 points, ending in a tie with the Southeast Division, which was gunning for a seventh overall title. Per the tie-breaker rules which score additional points for wins, runner-up, and semifinal finishes, the Division7 team was awarded the title, and split a $20,000 bonus from JEGS Mail Order. The Division 5 crew, also seeking their first title, finished a respectable third with 1,100 points.

Demke wounded a blower and slowed to a 7.74, but picked up the dramatic win after Randy Meyer fouled away a 5.30, the quickest run of the event. Kinard also chipped in with three big round wins when he drove his dragster to a narrow 8.911 to 8.915 win over Division 2 racer Sherman Adcock Jr., who was looking to become the first driver to double in in the JEGS Allstars race.

The Division 7 team got off to a fast start by claiming 800 out of a possible 1,000 points in the first round by sending eight of their ten drivers into the semifinals. The Division 7 team was so dominant that the Division 6 team was mathematically eliminated after round one and the Division 1 team was on life support. However, as the battle progressed, the Division 2 and Division 5 teams stay in the hunt until the very end. The final race of the day in Top Alcohol Funny Car decided the championship as Frank Manzo downed Mickey Ferro, who was the last hope for the Southeast Division, 5.58 to 5.61. For Manzo, it was the tenth JEGS Allstar title in his illustrious career.

Frank Manzo won for a record 10th time when he beat Mickey Ferro in the TAFC final

The biggest contributors for the Division 2 team were Adcock, who drove to a close 9.901 to 9.903 win in the Super Gas final over Division 5s Kevin Moore and Dylan Stott, who shook off an early loss in Top Dragster but returned to claim the Top Sportsman title by beating blocker Joe Roubicek in the final. Stott won with a 6.89 on his 6.86 dial while Roubicek trailed with a .05-over 7.05.

Bruno Massel scored his third win in Comp Eliminator when he stopped Division 7’s Justin Lamb and J.R. Lobner won in Top Dragster for the Division 5 team when he defeated Division 3 champ James Monroe. Other winners were Jerry Emmons (Division 4) in Super Stock, Slate Cummings (blocker) in Stock, Randy Shipp (Division 3) inSuper Street.

2012 JEGS Allstars final points standings:

• Division 7          1,300 (wins on tie breaker)
• Division 2          1,300
• Division 5          1,100
• Division 3          900
• Division 4          900
• Division 1          600
• Division 6          300

Posted by:  Scott Woodruff

Event Essentials: 2012 Jegs Allstars – June 30^th, 2012 (Joliet IL)

To view DragRaceCanada’s Jegs Allstars event photo galley click :  HERE

All photos by:  Bruce Biegler

Four Racers “Double Up”  

One day after winning the JEGS Allstar event, four different racers took advantage of the JEGS Double-Up bonus program and doubled their JEGS Allstar purse by winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals on Sunday. 

Ricky Shipp, Needham,Ind., was the first to record the double taking home the trophy in Super Street with his ’70 Nova and was followed by Sherman Adcock out of Fortson,Ga., who won in Super Gas in his ’02 Trans Am for the second day in a row.  Bruno Massel took home the JEGS bonus money winning both events in Comp and Frank Manzo cashed in on the JEGS Double-Up for the fourth year in a row dating back to 2009.  The bonus program brought the overall JEGS Allstar event purse to more than $140,000.  

Bruno Massel was very convincing in Comp eliminator at Joliet winning titles both Saturday and Sunday

The JEGS Double-Up bonus program doubles the JEGS Allstar purse from Saturday of the national event held at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet,Ill., of any of the 10 JEGS Allstar winners that come back the next day to win the NHRA national event in the same eliminator category.  This year’s event set a record with four Double-Up winners.  

The JEGS Allstars event pits the top points earners from NHRA’s seven geographic divisions against each other in the culmination of a year-long points battle.  Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC), Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas andSuper Street, along with competitors in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, vie for team and individual honors and a share of the $119,000 purse.   

Posted by:  Eric Lotz