Shift Up Now Athlete Melanie Johnson earned a victory in her very first appearance at NHRA JEGS Allstars at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX, on October 16-18, 2026.
Driving the Speedster McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster, Johnson earned the win with a a 5.218 ET at 278.90 mph and holeshot over Jackie Fricke in the finals.
The NHRA JEGS Allstars program allows the best racers in ten categories from each of NHRA’s three geographic regions (East, Central and West) to compete for individual honors and share of the $124,000 purse. Racers accumulate points for the event at NHRA Lucas Oil divisional races prior to the competition.
Johnson represented the Central Region in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, awarding the Central Region the team win for the JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol classes.
In addition, she earned the No. 1 qualifying position in Q1 on Friday, with a 5.236 ET at 275.97 mph. She then secured the No. 2 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Johnson ran a 5.274 ET at 277.42 mph.
She advanced to the JEGS Allstars Finals on Saturday, where she defeated Joey Severance in round one with a 5.230 ET at 278.14 mph. In the semifinals, she defeated Jamie Noonan with a 5.174 ET at 277.35 mph before her victory in the finals.
“It’s unbelievable to be here,” said Johnson. “The JEGS Allstars program is awesome to be a part of. Texas Motorplex is an incredible place to race and I’m out here with a ton of great racers. It feels like such a huge accomplishment to come out with my team and do so well.
“We pretty much dominated last weekend in the regional race and lost in a close final. We lost another close race in first round this weekend, so to come out and win this race, it means everything.
“I’m so proud of my guys. They’ve had this hot rod running quick all weekend. This win goes to them. Thank you to McPhillips Racing, Speedmaster, and AJPE (Alan Johnson Performance Engineering) for powering this car. We got a new bullet put in last week and it’s hauling.”
Next up, Johnson will be back behind the wheel of the Speedmaster McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals October 30-November 1, 2026 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
