Aspiring young racers from Virginia took home the bulk of the hardware Friday and Saturday (Nov. 29-30) before weather issues forced officials to halt racing in the second annual Holiday Junior Jam at North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway without determining a Main Event winner.

The purse for the uncompleted Main Event which featured junior racers from 18 states and Canada was divided among those still in competition when racing was suspended.

Virginia drivers won three of the seven preliminary races including the 10-13 Age Group in which Jorden Denny of Manassas, VA, forced favored Carson “Big Check” Emmett of Cedar Bluff, AL, into a final round breakout foul.

Denny grabbed a narrow .017 of a second advantage at the start and was .044 off his target at the finish.  Meanwhile, Emmett, a two-time winner of the NHRA’s Eastern Conference ET Finals (2015 and 2018) and two-time winner at Rockingham’s 2018 Midwest Super Series event, went under his target time by .010 of a second.

En route to the finals, Emmett beat Shelby Roy of Seward, Alaska, in the fourth round. Roy, Cale Irvine of Anchorage and Braiden Owen of Palmer, Alaska, shared long distance honors, competing in the event for the first time.

In the 14-18 age group, Ben Spotts of Douglassville, PA, beat Jenna Osborne of Fort Wayne, IN, in the final, after Rockingham track champion Connor Caulder of St. Pauls, NC, was ousted in the round of five by Ryan Leasure of Niles, Ohio.

Carter Jackson of Cartersville, VA, won the 6-9 age group title on Friday and a day later Landon Palmer of Scottsville gave Virginia its third title when Gabe Roachford of California, KY, was guilty of a foul start in the 7.90 Index final

Zach Parlett (shown) of Charlotte Hall, MD, forced Brandon Gallderise of Powhatan, VA, into a breakout foul in the 8.90 final.

Jackson Summers of Franklin, KA, got a narrow .017 win over Georgian Corey Reed in 11.90.  (Terry Clark photos)

Zackary Case of Winder, GA, won the other Index when he sped past Kole Paone of Galloway, NJ, in 13.90.   [12/02/19]

From left: Jay Adam (son of posthumous inductee Jim Adam), Tom Craig, Ed DeCooman, Roger Lafontaine, Eric Latino, Joe Van Overbeek, Charles Beatty, George Sitko, Bob Reynolds, Ken Sitko, René Gosselin, Rolly Doucet, Harry Hibbs, Kenny Lang, Ken Reich, Mike Adam (son of son of posthumous inductee Jim Adam). Front: Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame founder John Scotti. (Stacee Richards photo)

The Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame recognized the significant contributions of a select group of Canadians considered by their peers to be legends in the world of competitive drag racing. The induction ceremony was held during a gala on Nov. 16.

Among the 16 Canadian nominees from across Canada and the U.S. inducted this year are four world champions, and—for the first time since the CDRHF was founded—father and son nominees.

The Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame, with new headquarters at 4475 Metropolitan Boulevard in Montreal’s east end, will soon open its museum to the public, allowing fans and participants alike to enjoy the many displays of drag racing paraphernalia—including race cars—donated by some of the sport’s biggest names.

Logan Westmoreland of Greenwood, SC, was the last survivor in the special Golf Cart Race that followed Friday’s regular program and attracted a field of 91 entrants including defending Main Event champion Samuel Peterson of Martin, MI, who finished as the runner-up.   [12/02/19]

The International Hot Rod Association has announced a new Junior ELITE license for the 2020 season. The ELITE license will be exclusive to drivers ages 16-17 with elapsed time restrictions between 7.50 and 7.90 seconds and speeds up to 90 mph.

ELITE license holders that dial between 7.50 and 7.89 must have vehicles meeting all the requirements for Master’s level licensing in addition to the following safety measures:

• The chassis must be constructed of chromoly tubing and incorporate helmet bars with SFI 45.1 or 45.2 padding on the roll cage.
• All competitors must utilize an SFI 38.1 head and neck restraint system
• All ELITE license holders dialing quicker than 7.90 must have a rear wing.
• A driver MUST HAVE a valid state driver’s license in addition to making the required passes prior to being issued an ELITE license.

The Junior ELITE membership/license is $100. A two-year membership is available for $180. New IHRA Junior Dragster members can apply online here . Current IHRA Junior Dragster members can sign up online here.   [12/02/19]

JEGS High Strength Transmission Output Shaft for GM TH400 and THM400 transmissions is rated to over 100 HP. With 32 Splines made of 300M Steel. 9.135-inch overall length with 3.037-inch spline length.   [12/02/19]