Siblings have qualified No. 1 together in the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series’ Jr. Dragsters classes before – multiple times, in fact – but siblings qualifying No. 1 with “perfect” passes was unheard of until McKenzee and Jayden Hogan accomplished the feat at the recent Summit Racing Equipment East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC.
In PDRA Pro Jr. Dragster, drivers qualify against the 7.90 index. Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster, the younger division, sets the qualifying order based on reaction time. At the East Coast Nationals, McKenzee ran a 7.900-second pass to qualify No. 1 out of 44 drivers attempting to make the 32-car field. Five other drivers ran 7.90s behind her. Brother Jayden then cut a .000-second reaction time to lead Top Jr. Dragster, where two drivers went .00 behind him.
“PDRA races always have our hearts pounding,” said their father, Skip Hogan. “All three qualifiers normally have our stomachs in our throats. During the PDRA race at Darana Motorsports Park was the first time we had both kids in their respective classes solidly. Friday during the second qualifier when we saw Jayden put a .000 on the board we were beyond thrilled. And then during the very same qualifying round, Kenzee put a 7.900 and we were beside ourselves, grinning from ear to ear. We were so proud of both of them. We knew there was still a chance that Kenzee could lose her spot if someone went faster, but we were hopeful. Saturday morning’s qualifier came and went. We couldn’t believe it. They did it.”
PDRA records suggest siblings have qualified No. 1 together three times in series history, but using “perfect” performances of a 7.900 E.T. and a .000 reaction time to do so hadn’t occurred until the Hogans did it. The siblings took home $100 low qualifier bonuses from Classic Graphix, as well as custom No. 1 qualifier Victus baseball bats.
“I was so excited,” McKenzee said. “I saw that 7.90 come up and couldn’t believe it.”
“I have been working really hard on my lights and was excited I got No. 1 with my sister,” Jayden added.
The PDRA’s Jr. Dragster classes, especially Pro Jr., have become increasingly competitive over the last several years as second- and third-generation young drivers hone their skills with hopes of someday moving up to “big cars,” whether that means a bracket dragster or a 3.50-second Pro Mod. Graduates of the PDRA Jr. Dragster program include two-time PDRA Pro Street world champion turned Pro Boost contender Ethan Steding, two-time PDRA Pro 632 world champion turned Pro Nitrous standout Amber Denton, and NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle star Brayden Davis.
“Qualifying for Pro Junior is extremely difficult,” McKenzee said. “Everyone is always on their game.”
With the No. 1 qualifier double-up checked off, the Hogan family now hopes to put both cars in the winner’s circle together someday soon.
“We would like to thank our sponsors: O’Meara Realty, Red Line Oil, WO3, Thornton Motorsports for our horsepower, Computech for our weather station, and all our friends and family who support us,” Skip said. “We would also like to thank PDRA for allowing us to have a place to race and Classic Graphix for sponsoring the Jr. classes.”
This story was originally published on May 7, 2026.
The post Perfect Performance: Hogan Siblings Talk PDRA Jr. Dragster No. 1 Qualifying Double-Up first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
