INDIANAPOLIS (April 23, 2024) — NHRA officials announced today that Summit Racing Equipment will again be the title sponsor of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, a popular racing league for kids ages 5-17, which features a host of special events during the 2024 season.
Summit Racing Equipment has been a longtime supporter of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, which celebrates its 32nd year with a host of thrilling races, providing a memorable platform for young racers to perform at a high level. Back in 2024 are the exciting eight-car shootouts that take place at seven different NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events.
“We’re proud to continue to support the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, which has enjoyed terrific growth and an incredible level of competition. For so many young racers, this is the start of a long career in drag racing and we believe this is a great program to get their start,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports & Events Manager. “Now in its third year, the Summit Racing JDRL National Shootouts have helped create more national exposure to junior drag racing and give the racers an even bigger and well-deserved platform.”
The eight-car shootouts debuted two years ago and will take place sat NHRA national events across all seven divisions, beginning with the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 26-28 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. The final round will take place on Sunday and be included on the television broadcast during eliminations on FS1, with racers running alongside the stars in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
In addition to the exciting television spotlight for the young racers, the event winner will also be included in the parade of championships, giving the rising stars in the sport the chance to be recognized at the track and on NHRA.tv.
“It’s really meaningful to see Summit Racing Equipment’s tremendous support of these talented young racers in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League and provide an even bigger opportunity to shine with these eight-car shootouts,” NHRA Sportsman Racing Manager Sara Walker said. “Our member tracks and partners have been strong supporters of Jr. Drag Racing, which has played a huge role in the growth of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, and we’re excited for further development in 2024.”
The special eight-car shootouts for NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League will also take place at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond on June 21-23, Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk on June 27-30, Pacific Raceway in Seattle on July 19-21, Brainerd International Raceway on Aug. 15-18, Texas Motorplex in Dallas on Oct. 10-13 and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip on Nov. 14-17.
One of the other major highlights this year will be the NHRA Right Trailers Western and Eastern Conference Finals. Texas Motorplex will host its first Western Conference Finals race, welcoming competitors June 8-15, with Capco Contractors coming on board as a presenting sponsor as well. Bristol Dragway will again be the site of the Eastern Conference Finals with racing slated for July 12-20, with Mike Bos serving as the presenting sponsor. Each event’s schedule will include more than a week of racing activities, culminating in the crowning of eight individual champions.
“The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League continues to grow and receive amazing support from so many great partners,” NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer Brad Gerber said. “From the eight-car shootouts to the Right Trailers Western and Eastern Conference Finals, there are so many great opportunities for these young drivers to excel. Having a strong Jr. Drag Racing League is imperative for the future of the sport and we’re excited for a great season.”
The division championship competition is expanding again in 2024, with Division 1 joining Divisions 2, 6 and 7 in contesting season championship points series throughout their season. Complete schedules are available at www.jrdragster.nhra.com.
NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League competitor’s race cars, called Jr. Dragsters, are half-scale versions of the iconic Top Fuel dragsters. They go as fast as 85 mph and as quick as 7.90 seconds in the eighth-mile using a five-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, though younger age groups are restricted to slower times and speeds.
Since its start in 1992, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League has provided a place for young racers to compete and been the start for many top NHRA professional drivers. The list includes world champions like Pro Stock’s Erica Enders and Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon, who won a JDRL national championship in 1997, as well standouts such as Top Fuel’s Leah Pruett; Funny Car driver J.R. Todd; Pro Stock competitors Deric Kramer and Chris McGaha; Pro Stock Motorcycle riders Gaige Herrera, Cory Reed and many more.
For more information on the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, please visit http://jrdragster.nhra.com/.
About Summit Racing Equipment
Summit Racing Equipment has been the World’s Speed Shop® for over 50 years! Summit Racing is the world’s largest e-commerce, mail order, and retailer of performance automotive parts and accessories. Summit Racing offers a huge selection of parts in stock from over 1,500 manufacturers for all forms of racing, street performance, off-roading, restoration, tools, and yes, diesel. It also offers fast ground service shipping to most areas of the country and same-day shipping on in-stock items. Summit Racing has the industry’s top-rated customer service and a full-time technical department to answer your questions. With headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio, Summit operates distribution and retail stores in Tallmadge, Sparks, NV, McDonough, GA, and Arlington, TX.
Summit Racing Equipment
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About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
