The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals started on Thursday at Bristol Dragway with more than 600 racers, ages 8 to 17, and finished today with champions in eight age categories and the squad from National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, taking the team championship.  Competitors from NHRA member tracks across the eastern United States were running for a share of the purse worth nearly $100,000 in savings bonds.

The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals started on Thursday at Bristol Dragway with more than 600 racers, ages 8 to 17, and finished today with champions in eight age categories and the squad from National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, taking the team championship.  Competitors from NHRA member tracks across the eastern United States were running for a share of the purse worth nearly $100,000 in savings bonds.

National Trail Raceway Team 2 racers posted a total of 30 points which was just enough to put them ahead of Summit Motorsports Park Team 1 from Norwalk, Ohio, and Virginia Motorsports Park Team 2 from Richmond, Va., each of whom scored 29 points.  Summit Motorsports Park’s team was awarded second place on a tiebreaker, putting last year’s winning track in third.  Each of the top 10 teams were within six points of National Trail Raceway.

In the battle for individual titles, Darian Bocsch of Kenner, La., beat Samuel Hickey III, Ponchatoula, La., in the 8-9 Year Old category final.  In the 10 Year Old group, Newark, Ohio’s Cardino Fornataro beat Dillan Kyle of Gay, Ga., and in the 11 Year Old group the win went to Morgan Keyser, Marion, Ill., who ousted Eric Bowman, Palm Coast, Fla., in the final.  Twelve-year-old Jennifer Rice, Springfield, Tenn., beat Mason Gross of Fairmont, W.V., to grab the win while Winter Haven, Fla., racer Brian Miller ousted Heather Saalmon, Kansas, Ohio, for the win in the 13 Year Old class.  Alexandra Guido, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., earned the win in the 14 Year Old group, beating out J.C. Gloyd, Mt. Airy, Md.  Indianapolis’s Cody Knott scored the win over Jonathan Hill, Roan Mountain, Tenn., in the 15 Year Old class and Lauren Dadas, Vermillion, Ohio, won in the 16-17 Year Old category after beating Shelby Latino, Belle Rose, La.

In other action, the contingent from Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., took home the coveted Team Spirit award.

 
Following are the final results for the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol Dragway:

8-9 Year Old
Darian Boesch, Kenner, La., 13.071 seconds, 49.12 mph def. Samuel Hickey III, Ponchatoula, La., 12.963, 50.89

10 Year Old
Cardino Fornataro, Newark, Ohio, 8.871, 72.25 def. Dillan Kyle, Gay, Ga., 9.014, 71.59

11 Year Old
Morgan Keyser, Marion, Ill., 8.965, 74.51 def. Eric Bowman, Palm Coast, Fla., 8.911, 72.98

12 Year Old
Jennifer Rice, Springfield, Tenn., 9.118, 71.27 def. Mason Gross, Fairmont, W.V., 8.933, 73.65

13 Year Old
Brian Miller, Winter Haven, Fla., 8.099, 76.34 def. Heather Saalmon, Kansas, Ohio, 8.447, 74.55

14 Year Old
Alexandra Guido, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., 7.925, 84.44 def. J.C. Gloyd, Mt. Airy, Md., 7.937, 80.89

15 Year Old
Cody Knott, Indianapolis, 7.941, 79.03 def. Jonathan Hill, Roan Mountain, Tenn., 8.012, 82.18

16-17 Year Old
Lauren Dadas, Vermillion, Ohio, 8.152, 80.25 def. Shelby Lantino, Belle Rose, La., 7.927, 82.38 mph 

Advertisement