Six-time World Champion Justin Lamb Honored as One of NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman Racers

Friday evening’s festivities at the 38th annual DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals put a spotlight on some of the greatest racers of all time, including six-time Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champion Justin Lamb, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Super Stock Chevrolet Camaro and the LIUNA Camaro that he campaigns in Stock Eliminator. Lamb was joined by good friend and five-time champion Jimmy DeFrank, as well as the family of another good friend, the late great Sportsman ace Kyle Seipel, in receiving commemorative coins acknowledging their inclusion on the prestigious list of NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman Racers.

As part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration, a panel of champion racers were assembled to select the Top 50 Sportsman Racers from NHRA’s first 75 years. Lamb, whose national and divisional event victories combine for a monumental 75 wins, was elected to the elite panel alongside some of the best racers in the country, each multi-time world champions: Dan Fletcher, David Rampy, Peter Biondo, Luke Bogacki, Gary Stinnett, Jeff Taylor, and Austin Williams. Each driver was asked to compile a list of the 50 Sportsman racers they consider the greatest of all time, and the votes were combined to determine the official NHRA Top 50 Sportsman Racers.

“When I first started out, I never dreamed I would be on a list like this,” said Lamb, who started in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League in a half-scale dragster at the age of eight, then moved up to the Sportsman series racing dragsters and door cars. “Being part of the panel and going through the process of comparing [career] statistics, I felt like I had a chance, at least statistically, to make the list, but you still had to be picked by guys like Stinnett, Fletcher, Biondo – that’s what made this a huge honor. My peers chose me, some of the best racers of all time, and I think that’s just super cool.”

In addition to six world championships — four in Super Stock and two in Stock — Lamb has nine NHRA Pacific Division titles and an NHRA Summit Racing Series ET championship. His 75 wins —36 national and 39 divisional — include a double-up Stock and Super Stock victory in 2017 in Las Vegas, the same season he became one of just three drivers to win two national championships in one season, and a double at the fall division race in Las Vegas last year to solidify the Super Stock world championship. Lamb is also one of just a handful of drivers in NHRA history to have won national events in six categories.

Lamb, who races with the support of LIUNA Laborers Local 872, RAD Torque Systems, Stone Chevrolet, Goodyear Racing Tires, Redback Boots, Team Acme, Palmer Electric, LIQUI MOLY, Moser Engineering, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Lafferty Drilling and Blasting, was honored to have been part of the panel that ultimately selected NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman Racers, and he took the honor to heart.

“When I was initially asked, I had no idea it would be so hard,” said Lamb. “When you really start to look at it, there have been a ton of Sportsman racers, and you could only pick 50. The first 25 or 30 I could almost do off the top of my head – but those last 20-25 were very difficult. There were probably 40 drivers that were all right there, but I only had 20 spots left to fill. I do think that we got it right, and I was proud that the Top 50 Sportsman list was picked by the racers. Who knows the racers better than the people who race against them? This list is from the perspective of eight people with experience in a variety of classes over many years.”

Lamb, DeFrank, and Seipel’s family – parents Georgia and Ted along with Seipel’s son, Hudson – were presented with large commemorative Top 50 Sportsman Racer coins by NHRA Vice President of National and Field Operations Rob Park. To receive the recognition at Sonoma Raceway was particularly meaningful for Lamb, who raced with Seipel for years. The Seipel family have long been part of Sonoma Raceway. Ted, a Super Gas pioneer, was a regular racer at the facility, and Georgia was the drag strip’s longtime manager before turning over the reins to son Kyle in 2018.

“This is my favorite track, and it means a lot to me to receive the recognition here at the same time that Kyle is being honored. We raced here together a lot,” said Lamb, who was supported by his family, including parents Chris and Carole, wife Jeanine, and children Jayce and Jovi. “The whole experience of selecting the Top 50 Sportsman was very cool, and I feel very fortunate to have been part of this.”

This story was originally published on July 18, 2026. Drag Illustrated