Race Track Not Street held its Jr. Dragster Challenge on November 3 at the EPCAL (Enterprise Park at Calverton) drag strip. Thirty-one drivers between the ages of 6 and 17 competed for a grand prize of
$26,000. This $26,000 purse was the biggest amount of money ever paid out at an event in the history of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-sanctioned Junior Dragster racing.
The winners and runners-up were as follows:
Class A (ages 6-10):
- Winner: Kole Paone
- Runner-up: Guilia Held
Class B (ages 11-17):
- Winner: Jordan Michael Denny
- Runner-up: Paul Stalbe
This event was sanctioned by the NHRA. The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League offers children ages 5 to 17 a chance to race half-scale dragsters in a controlled environment at many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks throughout the U.S. and Canada. These five-horsepower vehicles can go as fast as 85 miles per hour within 7.9 seconds.
Each year, the Jr. Dragster Challenge highlights the dedication and engineering skills these young drivers bring to building and fine-tuning their vehicles, blending STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education with the thrill of competitive racing.
The season finale also includes the Eliminator Bracket Class, featuring handicap-style races and index trophies for experienced drivers. The winner of the Little Eliminator Bracket was Bill Staab.
Fans also joined in on the excitement with the “Run What Ya Brung” test-and-tune, allowing them to bring their own street or race cars, while go-kart racing took place on a separate section of the runway.