At only 8 years old kids are eligible to race in the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League. Following in the footsteps of a family full of drag racers, as soon as Bre and Blake Johnson celebrated their eighth birthday the racing began. Now 13 and 10 years old, the pair are thrilled to be racing and quite good at it to boot.
You might assume that junior series racers drive cars that would make an adult yawn - not so. At 10 years old the rules permit Blake to race a car with a 12.9 second 1/8 mile time, reaching a top speed of 50 mph. And at just 13, Bre is clicking off 7.9 second times with a top speed over 80 mph. When these kids get a state driver’s license the speed limit will be the real yawn. Father Steve has a plan for that, adopted from his own father. At age 17 the NHRA would allow the kids to race either his 1941 Willy’s Coupe or 6.8 second quarter mile dragster, but Steve will only allow the kids entry in the cars if they have kept their grades up and haven’t collected any traffic tickets.
With four racers in the family - yes, mom races too! - keeping a fleet of drag cars prepped and running perfectly is a huge undertaking. Both Bre and Blake have assigned maintenance tasks - like fueling for each session and keeping things clean - and both plan to learn a bit about wrenching as they get older. It doesn’t hurt to have sponsors like JR Race Car and Fineline Graphics supporting the family either. These kids are getting a real taste of what it takes to operate a first class racing team.
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