To help meet the demand for teenagers wanting to drive fast, the NHRA announced Mar. 19, a new racing program for 13- to 16-year olds that combines drag racing and car safety.
NHRA Youth Racing will give teenage boys and girls the opportunity to race against their peers in full-bodied street vehicles with an adult co-driver as their teammate.
Competitors will go through an orientation/licensing procedure on an eighth-mile drag strip in their vehicles, which must meet program requirements. Approved vehicles must be registered, insured, street-legal vehicles with mufflers and street tires and limited to 10 seconds and slower.
“This is an inexpensive program but, best of all, it’s a way for families to use drag racing as a learning tool and a conduit for family bonding,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA vice president of racing administration.
All of NHRA’s member tracks are eligible to conduct NHRA Youth Racing activities at their tracks. Those interested in competing should contact a member track by using the Member Track Locator at NHRA.com. Program rules can be found at NHRARacer.com.
NHRA Youth Racing is the latest program in NHRA’s youth racing segment that also includes the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA and the NHRA Summit Racing Series.
(Photo by Ian Tocher)
This story was originally published on March 22, 2014. 
