The reigning Stock & Super Stock world champ Justin Lamb entered the 2018 season as a 4-time NHRA Lucas Oil World Champion, with little to no plans of pursuing another anytime soon. Instead running his usual national schedule and taking time in-between events to spend with his wife and kids, but his 5^th world title kind of fell into his lap when he won 3 of his first 4 national events giving him a perfect score nationally. In total throughout the year he would land in the final round 7 times and come out on top in 6 of them, and that was just in his Super Stock Cobalt…

Starting the year off with an unusual 1st round exit at Pomona, he then went on to win Phoenix national event 2 weeks later. Following just over a month NHRA break for him was back to back races at Las Vegas, where he would knock down yet another national event. Unfortunately the divisional was a different story when he was loaded up after rd2, still giving him a hot start of 280 points in 4 races with 2 eventual throw away races.

While the circuit made its way towards the east coast, Lamb found himself thinking about another potential championship and what would be needed to land in that spot. 2 months off until he would be back at it in Chicago for the Allstars where, you guessed it Lamb would collect another trophy giving him a picture perfect national event score of 315. After another early exit at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH, it was the time of the year for the western swing. Lamb would elect to skip the 1st race in Denver, after all he does have a perfect national score, and attend the Sonoma divisional the weekend before the national. This turned out to be the clear “ah ha” moment for him when he collected his 4th win on the season, and then the chase was on!

The swing finished in Lamb’s favor after bowing out again rd in Sonoma, going on to win the swing finale in Seattle, for 95 points that could not be used. At this point in the year Lamb has run 7 nationals and only 2 divisionals with a total score of 460 and 5 wins. With no room for improvement nationally, Lamb was forced to make his next 5 outings for little wallys to gain some key points. Starting at the Seattle divisional on 8/19, he would run 3 events in 7 days ending his trip 8/26 in Salt Lake City, UT and get no further than 2nd round at all 3. Having to claim 2 of them because of the late season push, Lamb went on to Woodburn, OR and Great bend, KS in the month of September and only gain 81 points out of those 2.

The final 3 races of his 17 race schedule landed him on his coast at probably his best tracks, Vegas and Pomona. The Vegas double would start with the national event where he would come out victorious, again for no point gain. But Lamb would defend his 2017 title with a runner up (94) finish in the Las Vegas divisional to secure his #1 with 647, while the handful of racers still in the hunt for the championship dropping out 1 by 1, Lamb worked his way through eliminations making to to the finals and ending the chase at LVMS divisional with the Pomona race still to go.

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