Five-time Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champion Justin Lamb secured his 32nd national event win by triumphing in Stock Eliminator at the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals. Driving the RAD Torque Systems COPO Camaro, Lamb’s victory came in the 48th final round of his nearly 30-year career.
“This was our first NHRA race of the year, and we were looking forward to starting off on the right foot,” Lamb said. He added that a recent race in Las Vegas helped build momentum for the Phoenix event.
After two rounds of qualifying at Firebird Motorsports Park, Lamb’s COPO Camaro recorded a best time of 9.515 seconds, while the team’s Super Stocker finished at 8.792 seconds. Lamb faced Shelby Williams in the opening round of Stock, gaining the advantage at the starting line and claiming victory with a time of 9.630 seconds.
In Super Stock, Lamb achieved a perfect reaction time of .000, winning his first round against Kathy Poitra. Although he was eliminated in the second round, he continued to progress in Stock Eliminator, defeating Ethan Heil and Darin Grossi in subsequent rounds.
Lamb advanced to the semifinals after defeating CW Hoefer, setting the stage for a heads-up matchup against Jeff Adkinson. “The RAD Torque Systems Stocker is a really fast car with a really fast motor built by Aaron Stanfield,” Lamb said, expressing confidence in his chances against Adkinson.
In the heads-up race, Lamb launched with a quick .007 light and clocked a time of 9.314 seconds to defeat Adkinson. To claim his national event win, Lamb had to beat Jody Lang, which he accomplished with a near-perfect run of 9.618 seconds.
This victory marked the first time Lamb had beaten Lang in a money round and added to his impressive history at the Phoenix event. Lamb now has five national event wins in Phoenix, spanning four racing categories.
“Dan Provost and Tammy from RAD Torque Systems are here, and it’s just really awesome to be able to win with them,” said Lamb from the winner’s stage. He expressed his hopes for future victories, mentioning the support of his family.
