NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Led by victories by reigning division champ Trevor Larson in Super Comp, Kristopher Thies in Super Street, and Allen Firestone in Top Sportsman, Division 5 claimed its third JEGS Allstars team championship during competition held Friday in conjunction with the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals.

The East Region dominated the Alcohol-class competition on the strength of Jackie Fricke’s victory in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car runner-up by Dan Pomponio.

Division 4 fell just short of what would have been a ninth team title, finishing second thanks to wins in Comp by Craig Bourgeois and Slate Cummings in Stock. Division 7 also charted a pair of winners in Kyle Rizzoli (Super Stock) and Cody Webber (Top Dragster) en route to a third-place finish. Division 3’s Jeremy Mason was the winner in Super Gas

Larson, the only driver in Allstars competition to double, winning in Super Comp and Super Gas in 2016, won his fourth Allstars title when he defeated Division4 blocker Christopher Dodd, the defending event champ. Larson put together a tremendous package consisting of a .001 reaction time and an 8.909 that forced Dodd into an 8.87 breakout.

Thies won a double-breakout Super Street clash with Division 3’s Kevin MacNicol, 10.877 to 10.874 while Firestone grabbed the Top Sportsman crown over Division 3 blocker and defending champ Kynon Dinkel with a near-perfect 6.561 on his 6.56 dial to Dinkel’s game 6.275 on a 6.27 dial.

Bourgeois collected his first Allstars crown when three-time and defending Allstars champ Frank Aragona Jr. fouled by .004-second in the final round. Cummings scored his fifth Allstars trophy and his third in Stock when Division 5’s Tyler Wudarczyk’s car jumped the start and fouled.

Webber’s Top Dragster victory came against reigning Division 5 champ Victoria Johnson thanks to a .006 light that allowed him the win with a 6.38 on his 6.36 dial against her 6.56 breakout run on a 6.59 dial.

Rizzoli, whose father, Jim, won the Allstars Top Alcohol Dragster title in 1992, joined him as a winner, taking the Super Stock title when Division 2’s Mike Crutchfield broke out with a 8.981 on his 9.00 dial and Rizzoli was safe with a 9.474 on his 9.45 assignment.

Mason, the defending Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas world champ, gave Division 3 its lone win after Division 4’s Vernon Rowland fouled by two-hundredths in the final round.

For all intents and purposes, the East Region wrapped up its first Regional championship in round one when all four of its representatives -- Fricke and Josh Hart in Top Alcohol Dragster and Pomponio and D.J. Cox Jr. in Top Alcohol Funny Car -- advanced to the second round to collect 400 points. The Central Division only had two drivers in contention and the North Central and West just only apiece.

Fricke and Hart assured the victory when they both advanced to the final and Pomponio continued the assault by reaching the Alcohol Funny Car final, where he faced off with the North Central Region’s Ray Drew. Fricke scored the dragster win, 5.29 to 5.40, to become just the second female winner in Allstars alcohol-class competition (Shelly Howard, 2004) while Drew collected his second straight Allstars crown on a 5.50 to 5.59 decision over Pomponio.