Jr. Dragster
NHRA SUMMIT RACING JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE RELEASES 2026 SCHEDULE
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA announced the season schedule for the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, featuring a host of special 
events in 2026 as Summit Racing Equipment returns as the title sponsor of the popular racing league for youth ages 5-17.
Now in its 34th year entering the NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League provides an impressive platform for young racers to perform at a high level and will feature eight-car shootouts that take place at eight different NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events, as well as the popular Right Trailers NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals at the Texas Motorplex on June 12-13 and the Right Trailers NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals on July 16-18 at Bristol Dragway. The Jr. Drag Racing League will also compete in the divisional finals across the seven NHRA divisions.
The eight-car shootouts debuted four years ago and the eight races will take place at NHRA national events across all seven divisions, including both stops at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. As part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, winners of the shootout will receive a diamond 75th anniversary Wally.
“NHRA is excited to incorporate the Summit Racing Equipment Jr. Drag Racing league into its 75th anniversary in 2026,” NHRA Sportsman Manager Jason Galvin said. “For as much as this season will be about celebrating where we’ve come from, it is equally important to set the tone for the next 75 years and beyond. The stars of the Jr. Drag Racing league will continue to push the sport to higher levels well into the future. Continue reading
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT EXTENDS TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF NHRA JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA and Summit Racing Equipment teamed up to announce a long-term extension of the title rights sponsorship for the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, a popular racing league for kids ages 5-17.
As a longtime partner of the NHRA, Summit Racing Equipment will continue to be the title sponsor and supporter of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League. As the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League enters its 33rd season this year, young drivers from across the country will once again compete in thrilling eight-car shootouts that will be held at seven NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events.
“Summit Racing Equipment is thrilled to remain the title sponsor of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League. This continues to be an important partnership for our company and this league is such a terrific and vital program for young racers,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports & Events Manager. “There are so many great opportunities for all these talented young competitors to shine and it’s exciting to see such tremendous growth in these areas. We’re looking forward to a great 2025 and beyond as these young drivers look to live out their dreams.”
The eight-car shootouts debuted three years ago and will take place at NHRA national events across all seven divisions, beginning with the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on April 25-27 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. The final round takes place on Sunday and will be included on the television broadcast on FS1, with racers running alongside the stars in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Continue reading
NHRA SUMMIT RACING JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE FEATURES FULL SLATE OF EVENTS DURING 2025 SEASON
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA announced the season schedule for the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, featuring a host of special events in 2025 as Summit Racing Equipment also returns as the title sponsor of the popular racing league for youth ages 5-17.
Celebrating its 33rd year, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League provides a great platform for young racers to perform at a high level and will again feature eight-car shootouts that take place at seven different NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events, as well as the popular Right Trailers NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals at the Texas Motorplex on June 12-14 and the Right Trailers NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals on July 17-19 at Bristol Dragway. The Jr. Drag Racing League will also compete in the divisional finals across the seven NHRA divisions.
Summit Racing Equipment continues to be a longtime supporter of the series, which continues to grow at an impressive rate.
“The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League continues to be an incredible program for young racers and Summit Racing Equipment is proud to continue as the title sponsor of the category,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports & Events Manager. “All of these special events, from the national shootouts to the divisional finals and the conference finals, have created great platforms for these junior drag racing competitors to shine.” Continue reading
The NHRA officially approves the Next Level C7 Left-Hand Steer Jr Corvette Roadster for Jr Dragster Competition
LOCUST GROVE, GA – For the last several years, Billy Herman of Next Level Jr. Dragsters has been working to bring his first of it’s kind C7 
left-hand steer Jr. Corvette Roadster to the Jr. Dragster world. That dream became reality recently when the NHRA officially approved his C7 Jr. Roadster while also adding it to their rule book. With the NHRA approving his chassis and body combination, Herman now has the very first NHRA approved left-hand steer C7 Corvette Jr. Roadster.
The historic combination began with a Cynergy Composites C7 Corvette body that was scaled down to Jr. Dragster dimensions. Dan Page Race Cars took on the challenge of building the chassis and worked meticulously to ensure it would meet NHRA requirements. This required changes to the driver location, roll cage design, and tubing sizes from the first chassis design to meet the strict NHRA guidelines. The finished product is set to hit the track in the coming weeks with exhibition passes set for the NHRA Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol later this season.
RIGHT TRAILERS TO SPONSOR NHRA JUNIOR DRAG RACING LEAGUE EASTERN AND WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
INDIANAPOLIS – For the third straight season, Right Trailers will be the title sponsor of the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western 
Conference Finals, which will take place for the first time at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas, and the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol Dragway during the 2024 season.
The pair of events continue to be two marquee highlights of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, a popular racing league for kids ages 5-17. Hundreds of young drivers participate in both races, which help further growth in drag racing and propel aspiring drivers in the sport.
“Right Trailers is proud to once again be the title sponsor for the Summit Racing Junior Drag Racing League’s Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals in 2024,” Right Trailers President Michael Scott said. “Right Trailers sees tremendous value in the next generation of drag racers. With the number of participants increasing each year, both events are great platforms to promote Right Trailers. Right Trailers will continue to elevate Junior drag racing to provide as many opportunities as possible to these great racers.”
Jr. Racing goes Next Level with Jr. Corvette Roadster
New Jr. Corvette Roadster looks to take Jr. Dragster racing to the Next Level
Locust Grove, GA – Jr. dragsters burst on the scene in the early nineties and have been a fixture in drag racing ever since. While Jr. dragster 
engines, clutches, and chassis’ have continued to evolve, Jr. racing has looked basically the same since their introduction.
All of that is about to change with the introduction of the Next Level Jr. Corvette Roadster. Billy Herman, of Alliance Racewear fame, and Matt Grayson have teamed up to make their vision into a reality. The duo partnered with Travis Colangelo at American Race Cars to build the first of it’s kind Jr. Corvette Roadster.
“Jr. racing needs something new because it’s looked the same since they were introduced,” Herman said when asked why he and Grayson started this project. “This is the first build like this in the world and we are not cutting any corners,” he added.
RIGHT TRAILERS NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF NHRA JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE EASTERN, WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA has announced Right Trailers as the new title rights sponsor of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League 
Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
The Eastern and Western Conference Finals serve as the final events for the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League. Nearly 1,000 kids compete for individual and team honors at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern and Western Conference Finals. Each winner will take home the NHRA Wally champion’s trophy as well as a share of the event purse. Tracks in NHRA’s Divisions 1, 2, and 3 will send teams to the Eastern Conference Finals, and tracks in Divisions 4, 5, 6, and 7 will compete at the Western Conference Finals.
The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Western Conference Finals takes place at the famed Bandimere Speedway June 24-26, while the Eastern Conference Finals will take place July 14-15 at the scenic Bristol Dragway.
“Right Trailers values and admires the hard work and dedication that all the JDRL drivers and parents put into the sport,” said Right Trailers President Michael Scott. “The tens of hours a week in preparing for and traveling to the racetracks requires focus and LOTS of time. All these kids get to race in a safe and controlled environment and make some lifelong friendships along the way, and that we absolutely love. Our sponsorship of both the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals is our way of saying, ‘Thank you parents, thank you drivers, thank you member tracks, and thank you to NHRA for showcasing the next generation of NHRA racers.’”
Winners Crowned at 2nd Annual American Jr. Dragster Challenge
ENNIS, TX – The 2nd annual American Jr. Dragster Challenge presented by Capco Contractors wrapped up Saturday 
with winners in four categories crowned after a grueling day of eliminations. The Texas Motorplex, home of the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in October, once again played host to the event which benefitted Children’s Health hospital in Dallas. During the race Texas Motorplex general manager Andy Carter along with sales director Terry Smith presented Kyra Barnett from Children’s Health a check for $1,500 and a commemorative event racing helmet.
The category winners included Summit Racing Equipment7.90 class Winner Madison Smith and runner-up Conner Rivers. The Lucas Oil 8.90 class winner was Brody Tigue who outlasted Grant Wiley in the final. Tyler Janousek took top honors in the Snap-on Tools 11.90/13.90 class over Caden Keys. Finally in the Valvoline Instant Oil Changer All Run class Trent Augustyn defeated Braden Bettis to get the win and spectacular eagle trophy.
NHRA JR. DRAG RACING EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS BRINGS THE BEST YOUNG DRAG RACERS TO BRISTOL DRAGWAY
2019 NHRA Jr. Eastern Conference Finals Presented By Huddleston Performance
BRISTOL, TN – NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing Eastern Conference Finals presented by Huddleston Performance will take 
place at Thunder Valley Bristol Dragway Thursday through Saturday, July 18-20. The week-long action kicks off with a Huddleston Performance Jr. Dragster event on Saturday, July 13. A 330-foot race, Jr. shootouts, and fun races will fill the subsequent days leading up to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The event will feature more than 500 drivers, from 6-17 years old, in eight racing categories piloting junior sized dragsters powered by custom-built one-cylinder engines and reaching speeds up to 85 mph while covering the eighth-mile track in 7.90 seconds. They will compete for team and individual honors and a share of the event purse. The event is one of two conference finals events in the NHRA Summit Jr. Drag Racing League.
Each of the ten members of the Team Champions at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern Conference Finals event will receive the coveted NHRA Wally trophy. Individual champions will each earn $1,500 along with an NHRA Wally trophy and champions jacket.
NHRA JR. DRAG RACING WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PRESENTED BY CATSPOT BRINGS THE BEST YOUNG DRAG RACERS TO TULSA RACEWAY PARK
2019 NHRA Jr. Western Conference Finals Presented By CatSpot
TULSA, OK – Osage Tulsa Raceway Park will host the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals 
presented by CatSpot June 23-28. NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League racers from across the United States, ages 6 to 17 years, will compete for team and individual honors and a share of the event purse.
Teams of drivers in eight age categories drive half-scale dragsters powered by five-horsepower engines that may reach speeds up to 85 mph. They can cover the eighth-mile track in as quick as 7.90 seconds.
Each of the ten members of the Team Champions at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Western Conference Finals event will receive the coveted NHRA Wally trophy. Individual champions will each earn $1,500 along with a NHRA Wally trophy and champions jacket. Recipients of special awards including Best Appearing Car, Coolest Car, Team Spirit, Best Appearing Theme and Best Appearing Track will take home a custom acrylic “Wally” trophy available only to JDRL participants.
