Six-Time World Champ Justin Lamb Named Among NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman Racers

Friday night at the 38th DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Justin Lamb is named among NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman Racers during a ceremony honoring the sport’s most accomplished competitors.

The six-time Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series champion campaigns the RAD Torque Systems Super Stock Camaro and the LIUNA Camaro in Stock, underlining a career built on versatility and execution.

Lamb appears with five-time champion Jimmy DeFrank and the family of the late Kyle Seipel, receiving commemorative coins as part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary recognition program.

A peer panel of decorated champions selects the Top 50, aiming to capture 75 years of Sportsman excellence with a methodology rooted in experience rather than external perception.

Lamb serves alongside Dan Fletcher, David Rampy, Peter Biondo, and Gary Stinnett. Each voter submits independent rankings, with aggregated ballots producing the final list.

He describes the honor as unexpected, recalling a start in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League at eight before progressing into Sportsman dragsters and door cars.

Peer validation resonates most for Lamb, who calls it “super cool” to earn recognition from racers like Stinnett and Fletcher who set performance standards in the categories he contests.

Lamb’s record is substantial: four Super Stock and two Stock world titles, nine NHRA Pacific Division crowns, and an NHRA Summit Racing Series ET championship.

Across 75 combined wins, 36 come at national level and 39 at divisional events. The 2017 season stands out for a rare double national championship and dual Las Vegas titles.

He caps last season by clinching the Super Stock world championship following a double victory at the fall division event in Las Vegas, reinforcing sustained competitiveness.

Few NHRA drivers claim national-event wins across six categories; Lamb sits within that select group, reflecting adaptability and repeatable decision-making under pressure.

He says populating the top 25 to 30 names is straightforward from memory, but separating the remaining contenders demands fine judgement and appreciation of eras.

The final product carries authority because it originates with racers, not outsiders, preserving context that statistics alone can obscure.

Sonoma adds emotional weight. Seipel’s parents and son join proceedings, recognizing a family intertwined with the venue, which also recently celebrated Cruz Pedregon.

Ted Seipel pioneers Super Gas here, while Kyle manages the track until 2018, building programs that shape regional participation and professional standards.

Lamb attends with his wife, Jeanine, their two children, and his parents, underscoring the family dimension behind sustained execution and travel.

The wider Sonoma weekend showcases NHRA depth, from Maddi Gordon’s recent triumph to momentum within Team Kalitta’s Sonoma campaign, reinforcing competitive breadth.

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Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.