NHRA JEGS AllStars Series - Fast Fasts At Route 66 Raceway

Norwalk, July 6, 2011: Now celebrating its 27th 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.

This year there are four drivers who have qualified for the JEGS Allstar event in two separate classes. Jason Kenny will represent Division 1 in Super comp and Super Gas. Slate Cummings will represent Division 4 in Super Stock and Stock. Tommy Phillips will represent Division 4 in Super Comp and Super Gas and Michael Miller will represent Division 5 in Super Comp and Super Street.

In addition to his 14 Top Alcohol Funny Car national championships, Frank Manzo is also an eight time winner of the JEGS Allstars event, more than any other competitor. Manzo has also won five of the last six JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Funny Car titles.

Defending JEGS Allstars Comp champ Bruno Massel will return to this year’s event as a blocker. His father, Bruno, won the JEGS Allstars Super Comp title in 1989.

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

At the age of 20, Ray Miller III is the youngest competitor in this year’s JEGS Allstars field. Last year, Miller, who represents the Southeast Division, won the inaugural JEGS Allstars Top Dragster title.

There are nine former or current NHRA national champions racing in this year’s JEGS Allstars event. They are Bill Reichert, Randy Meyer, Frank Manzo, Tony Bartone, Frank Aragona, Bruno Massel, Gary Stinnett, Sherman Adcock and David Tatum III.

The only woman in this year’s JEGS Allstars field is Lauren Freer, who will be representing the Southeast Division as a blocker in Top Dragster.

Last year, the team from the Division 1 claimed the overall championship for the third time in the last four years and the seventh since the start of the program.

The Division 6 team won their first JEGS Allstars overall team title in 1998 and did not win again until 2005.

Divisions 5 and 7 have never won the JEGS Allstars overall title since the inception of the program in 1985

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

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.

The drivers in this year’s JEGS Allstars will represent 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Included among them is division 6 Top Sportsman racer Ray Martin who hails from Anchorage, Alaska.