As a seasoned racer at only sixteen years old, Kane Kern has skillfully stacked numerous accolades throughout his ten years of driving experience. Equipped with an instinctual talent, eagerness to learn, and a work ethic for success, it was only a matter of time before the Louisiana native etched his name into the history books. During the 2025 WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance, the soft-spoken teenager would cross two items off his junior dragster career checklist: becoming a World Champion and winning a $10,000 purse.
Similar to many others in the sport, Kern was introduced to drag racing by his father, Coty, and the father-son duo won their first track championships the same year. Eventually, the focus of the racing program shifted to Kane, who now handles all the driving duties. The pair meticulously tracks their racing program, and the data reveal that Kern has earned final-round appearances in 74% of the events he has entered and has amassed 99 wins out of 246 events. Before the WDRA World Championship, his impressive racing resume includes eight track championships, five series championships, one Louisiana state championship, one NHRA Division 4 championship, one IHRA Division 4 championship, and one NHRA Western Conference championship.
Kern and his father have traveled to thirty-three tracks and have met a lot of people in a relatively short time. Kane sees this as an opportunity to grow and fills his spare time with bench racing. “I run into a lot of racers, and I’m pretty friendly, so I like to talk strategies with a bunch of different racers. Every single person has their own little strategy that I’ve never heard of before, and it’s always cool to hear.” He laughs while adding, “I’ve stolen some strategies before and used them.”
After a late start and a mind-numbing traffic jam, the Kerns rolled into Montgomery International Dragway Friday morning just in time for the time runs. The Diablo junior dragster had a new engine and continued to gain speed, regardless of the added weight. A third round exit allowed the pair to catch up on some much-needed sleep before enjoying the free steak at the racer appreciation dinner.
Saturday was a new day, and the car cooperated better, yet the driver was still a bit sluggish on the starting line. Luckily, there are two ends to the racetrack, and Kern has a natural ability to make the best decisions before the 660-foot mark. He explains, “Finish line driving was always my thing. I’m decent on the tree, and I feel that over the years I’ve gotten better. But ever since 11.90 [elapsed time] that’s kind of when I popped off and learned it way faster than the other kids. The way my dad taught me was very easy for me to understand.”
His father, Coty adds, “Our 11.90 car was so bad that he had to learn to drive the finish line, or we were just going to be done after the first round. We spent a lot of time at the back end of the track. I would take off on a dirt bike and flag him when I was out far enough for him to drive up on me and wheel me, and we did that for months.”
Practice paired with intuition paid off as Kern predominantly overcame reaction time disadvantages to edge out the 45-car field of junior dragsters. On his way to the winner’s circle, he defeated Layne Lewis (Gulfport Dragway), Beau Sims (Greer Dragway), Haven Moberly (Mid America Dragway), Ryan Alexander (Atmore DragStrip), and Autumn Jones (Coastal Plains Dragway).
In the final, Kern launched first and knew he had a little work to do beside Ella Parsley (Southside Dragway) as he eased on the brakes to break out .014 less than his opponent for the win. He walked away with the WDRA Summit Junior Dragster World Champion title, $10,000 cash, WDRA Champion Card, and billet WDRA Rod trophy.
The general consensus after an outstanding achievement, especially one that has been long sought after, is typically a surreal feeling. It isn’t easy to put into words or honestly believe what just happened. Now imagine how you would feel at only sixteen years old, and you will understand why Kern is still relatively speechless about the entire experience. He did offer some words of encouragement for those behind the wheel by saying, “All you can do whenever you lose is just learn from it. You don’t lose, you learn.”
When it came to those who stand behind him, Kern mentioned, “My family definitely. First, my dad, because the car was saving me a little bit along with my finish line driving. I’d like to thank my mom, stepmom, stepdad, and girlfriend for supporting me. And I told my girlfriend, Bella, before the race that I was going to win, so it was cool that I did.”
Coty adds, “It’s a group effort for sure, everyone just sees me at the track, but we couldn’t even pull out of the driveway without the rest of them.”
Various companies also contribute to the Kane Kern Racing program’s success: FTI Farm Team, FTI Performance, S&W Powersports, Jr Dragster Parts, Templet’s Printing, Daytona 1, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Air Art Customs, Cleanshot Intakes, ThisIsBracketRacing Jr, and Hoosier Racing Tire.
Kern isn’t ready to close the chapter on his junior dragster days just yet. He said, “I plan on staying in juniors until I age out. I’ve already created such a big career and name for myself that I don’t know why I’d get out so early.” His name has become synonymous with trophies; however, the checklist mentioned above still includes a Christmas on the Coast victory, winning a $20,000 race, and leaving the NHRA Eastern Conference Finals with a main event win.
Once his junior days are over, Kern looks forward to competing in the square body S-10 that is currently in the chassis shop. In fact, like most of his winnings, that $10,000 payout will be reinvested into the racing program. No matter what vehicle, class, or facility he’s part of, Kern will undoubtedly be turning on win lights and running out of space in the trophy room.
This story was originally published on November 8, 2025.
The post Kane Kern Claims 2025 WDRA Summit Jr. Dragster World Championship first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
