Maple Grove Raceway encourages children and young adults to participate in the sport of drag racing. Maple Grove Raceway offers several programs and events geared toward young racers, including the NHRA Youth Racing program which includes Junior Street, Junior Dragster competition and Junior Drag Racing League Challenge.
Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster Challenge
Junior Dragster and Junior Street Class Winners for this event will each receive a special NHRA Trophy for winning their respective class on Sunday, June 5, 2022. There will be five (5) classes running during the Junior Dragster Challenge. Junior Dragster will be broken down into four (4) age brackets for the day. Those age brackets are: 6-7 years; 8-9 years; 10-12 years; and 13-18 years. All Junior Street racers will compete in one (1) class.
Sunoco Race Fuels ET Series
Jr. Dragster and Jr. Street racers have eleven (11) points earning races. Juniors are encouraged to join the bracket program. Sunoco Race Fuels ET Series dates can be found on our schedule.
NHRA recently introduced their new youth racing program for 13–16 year old’s that 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 that combines racing and car safety.
Through the NHRA JDRL Facebook page, an online poll was introduced to select a fitting name for the program. After several weeks and hundreds of votes, one name stood out above the rest, NHRA Jr. Street.
This is an inexpensive program to help meet the demand for teenagers wanting to drive fast 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.
Competitors in the NHRA Jr. Street program will go through an orientation/licensing procedure on an eighth-mile dragstrip 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 9 seconds and slower.
NHRA Jr. Street is the latest program in NHRA’s youth racing segment that also includes the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Youth and Education Services, NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA and the NHRA Summit Racing Series.
1/8-mile race, all run field
- 500 Full Tree
- Full bodied street legal cars and light trucks only. This vehicle must be the vehicle in which racer obtained licensure.
- Car and Driver must meet NHRA and track safety rules.
If you haven’t seen a Jr. Dragster, then you haven’t seen the future of NHRA Drag Racing.
The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League offers kids ages 5-17 a chance to race half-scale dragsters in a controlled environment at many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks throughout the United States and in Canada long before they can obtain a state driver’s license. Membership in the Jr. Drag Racing League is required for competition.
The cars that Jr. Drag Racing League competitors’ race are called Jr. Dragsters and are half-scale versions of Top Fuel dragsters. Using a five-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, a Jr. Dragster can go as fast as 85 mph and as quick as 7.90 seconds in an eighth-mile, though younger age groups are restricted to slower times/speeds.
Many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks offer weekly Jr. Drag Racing League programs where kids can race to earn points toward track championships in their age group. The points leaders in each class are then chosen to represent their track at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western or Eastern Conference Finals depending on the location of the track.
The starting cost of a new basic Jr. Dragster is about $5,000. Though it may not go from 0 to 85 right away, investing in a basic Jr. Dragster is a great way to get started. You’ll learn the basics of the sport and still get moving right along at about 45 mph.
In addition to having the parts and pieces needed to make a Jr. Dragster run, NHRA requires that racers be licensed members of the JDRL and have necessary items such as an approved helmet, jacket, neck collar, and gloves. All drivers must also wear long pants and arm restraints while behind the wheel of their Jr. Dragster. Depending on the style of the items you choose, these items will cost about $500.
1/8 mile race, all run field
- 500 Full tree
- 13.90 or slower: 6-7 years old
- 11.90 or slower: 8-9 years old
- 8.90 or slower: 10-12 years old
- 7.90 or slower: 13-18 years old
- No pullbacks
- Eliminations will be run based on an NHRA ladder.
- Car & Driver must meet NHRA and track safety rules.
Join the Jr. Drag Racing LeagueJr. Dragster Parts & EquipmentNHRA Member Track Locator
