Racers in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, a popular racing league for kids ages 5-17, will have the opportunity to compete in an exciting eight-car shootout that will be held at seven different NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national events during the 2022 season.
Young racers in each of the seven NHRA divisions will have the chance to race on the national stage, beginning with Division 2 drivers at the upcoming NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 29-May 1 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
These eight-car shootouts will put a major spotlight on competitors in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, which is celebrating its 30th season in 2022. The final round will take place on Sunday and be featured on the television broadcast during eliminations on either the FOX broadcast network or Fox Sports 1 (FS1), with racers running alongside the stars in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Along with the exciting television spotlight for drivers in the final round, the event winner will also be included in the parade of champions at each national event, giving the driver the chance to be recognized in front of the crowd and on NHRA.tv.
“This is such an exciting development for the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, and these shootouts will give these young racers such a wonderful chance to perform in front of a national stage,” NHRA Sportsman Racing Manager Sara Walker said. “We’re extremely thankful for all our member tracks and partners that worked together on this plan to create even more excitement for the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League and help showcase all the great young people involved in the sport.”
These special NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League events will also take place at Norwalk on June 23-26 for Division 3 competitors, Denver on July 15-17 for racers in Division 5, Seattle on July 29-31 for competitors in Division 6, Reading on Sept. 15-18 for Division 1 drivers, Dallas on Oct. 13-16 for Division 4 drivers and Pomona at the season-finale for competitors in Division 7 on Nov. 10-13.
Full qualifications for competitors, which varies by division, have been posted by each NHRA division director and can be viewed at http://jrdragster.nhra.com/schedules/2022-national-shootouts/.
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 1993, 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, Chris McGaha and Vincent Nobile; Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Cory Reed and many more.
Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League National Shootout Schedule
– April 29-May 1 (Division 2): NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, zMAX Dragway
– June 23-26 (Division 3): Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
– July 15-17 (Division 5): Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals, Bandimere Speedway
– July 29-31 (Division 6): Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals, Pacific Raceways
– Sept. 15-18 (Division 1): Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Maple Grove Raceway
– Oct. 13-16 (Division 4): Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex
– Nov. 10-13 (Division 7): Auto Club NHRA Finals, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
This story was originally published on March 15, 2022. 
