Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Ill.) June, 28, 2014
Now celebrating its 30th 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 14 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, Byron Worner, Ray Sawyer, Davie Rampy, Sherman Adcock Jr., Ray Connolly, Gary Stinnett, Alan Ellis, Justin Lamb, Rick Beckstrom and Jimmy Lewis.
There are two women in this year’s JEGS Allstars field. Recent Englishtown winner Katie Sepanek will represent the Northeast Division in Stock Eliminator while Mera Silva will represent the Pacific Division in Top Dragster.
Last year, the team from the North Central Division (Division 3) claimed the overall championship for the seventh time since the inception of the program with a dominating victory over the Southeast Division (Division 2) team. The North Central Division team accumulated 1,300 points, to 1,000 for the Southeast Division team.
For the third-straight year, South Central Division race Slate Cummings has qualified for the JEGS Allstars in two classes. Cummings will once again represent his team in Stock and Super Stock.
The team from the West Central Division (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 33 U.S. states and two Canadian Provinces. There are seven drivers from California, six from Ohio and six 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 Women in the JEGS Allstar field. (Katie Sepanek and Mera Silva)
7 JEGS Allstars Team Championships for Divisions 1 and 3
6 JEGS Allstars Team Championships for Division 2
33 Different U.S. States represented by the 2012 JEGS Allstar team
79 Different drivers qualified for this year’s JEGS Allstars event