Jr. Dragster drivers around the country now have the chance to be a part of JCM Racing, the NHRA Top Fuel team that includes eight-time NHRA world champion Tony Schumacher and 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion turned NHRA rookie Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m. Through the JCM Racing Jr. Dragster Driver Development Program, young drivers receive mentorship from JCM\u2019s drivers, crew chiefs, and marketing and social media experts, as well as monetary and product support. Submissions are accepted now through Sept. 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 2024 JCM Driver Development class was announced<\/a> at the 2023 PRI Show during the\u00a0Drag Illustrated<\/em>\u00a030 Under 30 press conference. The group includes representatives from each of NHRA\u2019s seven divisions: Waylon Bennett (Division 2), Jeffrey Garner (Division 7), Albert Gouveia (Division 1), Katy Gunter (Division 4), Ty Jackson (Division 5), Maleah Mosley (Division 3), and Shadyn Parvati (Division 6). Throughout this season, drivers and their families had the chance to join JCM Racing at NHRA national events to learn more about what it takes to be a professional drag racer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joe E. Maynard with Waylon Bennett<\/p>\n \u201cI think the program went well,\u201d said Joe E. Maynard. \u201cI met with three or four families in the last five or six races when we were in their areas, and 100 percent, families have been most appreciative. The drivers have been appreciative, and not just appreciative of the support we give them, but of the interaction with Ida and Tony and being able to talk to crew chiefs and come into the hospitality area. There\u2019s financial support, there\u2019s tools, there\u2019s uniforms, but the real deal is the mentoring.\u201d<\/p>\n Applicants must plan to compete in the Jr. Dragster category during 2025 season, have an established Jr. Dragster operation in place (no start-ups), have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and have established social media channels.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to be able to represent drag racing the way that the professional drivers do, like the Ida Zetterstr\u00f6ms, the Tony Schumachers, the Ron Capps,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cThat\u2019s the standard we\u2019re trying to influence and teach. We want them to learn about it from people that do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League is celebrated as the launch pad for countless drag racing careers. Hundreds of Jr. Dragster drivers graduate to the NHRA Lucas Oil Series and other sportsman programs, and a select few take the next step to the NHRA Mission Foods Series professional ranks. Maynard\u2019s goal is to help inspire Jr. Dragster drivers and give them some of the tools necessary to make that major leap.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to grow the next generation of top-quality drivers that have the desire to be pros and that will step in if some of our sport\u2019s more mature, or older, drivers reach the ends of their careers,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotta have people coming up that are driven to succeed. We\u2019re trying to build that next generation to keep the sport alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Drivers interested in the opportunity to be a part of the 2025 JCM Racing Driver Development Program can apply here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe welcome drivers and families to submit an application,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cI expect a few of our drivers to stay in the program and I\u2019m sure there will be changes too. I\u2019m looking forward to the next crop of young drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published on September 4, 2024. <\/p>\n The post JCM Racing Opens Submissions for 2025 Jr. Dragster Driver Development Program<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jr. Dragster drivers around the country now have the chance to be a part of JCM Racing, the NHRA Top Fuel team that includes eight-time NHRA world champion Tony Schumacher and 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion turned NHRA rookie Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m. Through the JCM Racing Jr. Dragster Driver Development Program, young drivers receive mentorship […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95791\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}