Gage Blevens (age 6-9), Morgan Harp (10), Brendan Nuttall (11), Sean Kershner (12), Nathan Tanner (13), Gage Rachford (14), Bryce Buehrer (15), Jesse Marshall (16-17), and Numidia Dragway (Team) took top honors during the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern Conference Finals presented by Huddleston Performance. The event is one of two Conference Finals races in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League.

Blevins, who hails from Louisville, Ky., got off the starting line first in the 6-9 class final then ran right on his 11.96 dial to turn on the win light against Winder, Ga., racer Corey Reed, who broke out with an 11.994 (12.03 dial).

Souderton, Pa., competitor Harp overcame the better reaction time of opponent Stephen Skelton, of Cleveland, Ga., to claim the 10-year-old age-group Wally. Skelton broke out with an 8.887 (8.90 dial) while Harp clocked an 8.930 (8.90) to get the win.

Nuttall scored one for the home team, wheeling his Rutledge, Tenn.-based dragster to victory in the 11-year-old age group. Nuttall powered to an 8.958 (8.93) to defeat 2018 Eastern Conference Finals champion Grant Cook, who broke out with an 8.987 (9.00).

The 12-year-old final was a battle of Pennsylvania racers with Kershner of New Tripoli defeating Hanover’s Jaiman Dietz. Kershner left the starting line first and never trailed, defeating Dietz on an 8.939 (8.91) to 9.346 (9.35) count.

Mechanicsville, Va., driver Tanner got the automatic nod in the 13-year-old final when former NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Western Conference Finals presented by CatSpot champion Jonathan McClain red-lighted by .002-second. Tanner eased his car to a 10.789 (8.07) victory pass.

After coming close to winning the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 when he finished as the runner-up, Rachford, a California, Ky., driver, was able to go the distance this year, defeating Sandusky, Ohio’s Ava Lawson in the final. Rachford got off the starting line first, then eased his car to an 7.896 (7.90) to win the double-breakout match against Lawson, who finished with a 7.883 (7.90).

West Unity, Ohio’s Buehrer led the 15-year-old class final from start to finish, turning a reaction-time edge of nearly four-hundredths into a 7.933 (7.90) to 7.949 (7.90) victory over Sully, Iowa’s Brooke Baarda.

Marshall, who was the 11-year-old runner-up at this event in 2011, scored the 16-17 class Wally, outlasting West Deptford, N.J., racer Patrick Richardson. Richardson got the slight advantage on the Tree, but Marshall, who lives in Langhorne, Pa., was able to drive around him and win, 7.935 (7.91) to 8.092 (8.00).

For the second straight year, Numidia Dragway finished atop the team standings. Led by 12-year-old champ Kershner, Numidia Team 2 tallied 35 points to finish ahead of Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park Team 2, who finished with 32. Atco Raceway Team 1 (31), Virginia Motorsports Park Team 1 (30), and Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park Team 3 (27) rounded out the top five.

Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park won the hotly contested Team Spirit award, besting Music City Raceway for the crown.

RESULTS

6-9
Quarterfinals
Corey Reed	Winder, Ga.	0.253	12.07	12.039	53.44
Jaydan Nance	Noblesville, Ind.	-0.007	12.04	11.998	56.25
Gage Blevens	Louisville, Ky.	-0.074	12.12	12.017	53.70
Tyler Nunez	Meraux, La.	-0.040	12.18	12.204	52.09
Keegan Beverly	Willard, Ohio	-0.025	12.33	12.21	52.77
bye
Semifinals
Gage Blevens	Louisville, Ky.	0.095	12.00	11.993	53.50
Keegan Beverly	Willard, Ohio	-0.054	12.20	12.235	52.62
Corey Reed	Winder, Ga.	-0.002	12.07	12.041	53.01
bye
Final
Gage Blevens	Louisville, Ky.	0.044	11.96	11.965	53.85
Corey Reed	Winder, Ga.	0.130	12.03	11.994	53.42
10
Quarterfinals
Michael Artim	Gilbertsville, Pa.	0.095	8.96	8.956	69.29
Zackary Pearce	Gulfport, Miss.	0.082	9.02	8.991	73.42
Morgan Harp	Souderton, Pa.	0.181	8.97	8.926	71.99
Gavin Hill	Emmans, Pa.	0.001	8.93	8.864	73.49
Stephen Skelton	Cleveland, Ga.	0.032	8.90	8.857	74.13
bye
Semifinals
Morgan Harp	Souderton, Pa.	0.080	8.95	8.912	71.40
Michael Artim	Gilbertsville, Pa.	0.063	8.96	8.915	73.07
Stephen Skelton	Cleveland, Ga.	0.028	8.90	8.905	73.60
bye
Final
Morgan Harp	Souderton, Pa.	0.085	8.90	8.93	69.26
Stephen Skelton	Cleveland, Ga.	0.017	8.90	8.887	72.09
11
Quarterfinals
Grant Cook	Franklin, Ky.	0.011	9.03	9.005	72.72
Julian Gaier	Ft Loramie, Ohio	-0.016	9.23	9.211	71.89
Hayden Wallace	Hawksville, Pa.	0.093	8.92	8.906	73.80
Matthew Williams	Kill Devil Hill, N.C.	0.006	8.91	8.886	72.47
Brendan Nuttall	Rutledge, Tenn.	-0.066	8.94	8.918	73.66
bye
Semifinals
Brendan Nuttall	Rutledge, Tenn.	0.094	8.93	8.945	73.11
Hayden Wallace	Hawksville, Pa.	0.034	8.92	8.916	73.32
Grant Cook	Franklin, Ky.	-0.057	9.03	8.981	72.55
bye
Final
Brendan Nuttall	Rutledge, Tenn.	0.089	8.93	8.958	72.99
Grant Cook	Franklin, Ky.	0.071	9.00	8.987	71.43
12
Quarterfinals
Jaiman Dietz	Hanover, Pa.	0.036	9.35	9.323	67.91
Carson Emmett	Cedar Bluff, Ala.	0.055	9.01	8.95	72.38
Jordan Denny	Manassas, Va.	0.056	8.93	8.902	73.45
Brandon Buchanan	Vickery, Ohio	0.051	9.00	8.96	73.38
Sean Kershner	New Tripoli, Pa.	0.086	8.90	8.922	69.46
Paige Smith	Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.	0.031	8.90	8.885	73.11
Semifinals
Sean Kershner	New Tripoli, Pa.	0.055	8.90	8.909	72.54
Jordan Denny	Manassas, Va.	0.086	8.91	8.881	74.07
Jaiman Dietz	Hanover, Pa.	0.039	9.35	9.341	68.98
bye
Final
Sean Kershner	New Tripoli, Pa.	0.056	8.91	8.939	71.60
Jaiman Dietz	Hanover, Pa.	0.096	9.35	9.346	68.42
13
Quarterfinals
Mikayla Highland	Oswego, Ill.	0.030	7.98	7.948	82.54
Brai Tate	Middlesburg, Pa.	-0.024	7.98	7.934	83.02
Jonathan McClain	Bossier City, La.	0.044	7.90	7.896	82.26
Dawson Guillot	Marrero, La.	0.072	7.95	7.938	84.22
Nathan Tanner	Mechanicsville, Va.	0.000	8.10	8.027	81.18
bye
Semifinals
Nathan Tanner	Mechanicsville, Va.	0.005	8.06	8.135	74.52
Mikayla Highland	Oswego, Va.	0.113	7.98	7.997	78.65
Jonathan McClain	Bossier City, La.	-0.046	7.90	7.913	82.23
bye
Final
Nathan Tanner	Mechanicsville, Va.	0.038	8.07	10.789	44.07
Jonathan McClain	Bossier City, La.	-0.002	7.90	7.887	82.89
14
Quarterfinals
Skyler Bee	Redkey, Ind.	0.034	8.07	8.067	78.34
Antonio Iocangeli	Monroe, Mich.	0.076	7.90	7.859	83.51
Ava Lawson	Sandusky, Ohio	0.053	7.91	8.009	78.65
Cody Hoberg	Newark, Ohio	0.121	7.97	8.067	80.08
Gage Rachford	California, Ky.	0.029	7.90	7.936	79.90
Ryan Leasure	Niles, Ohio	0.014	7.91	7.99	79.00
Sarah Bazell	Lancaster, Ohio	0.068	7.90	7.918	81.59
bye
Semifinals
Ava Lawson	Sandusky, Ohio	0.016	7.92	7.916	80.02
Skyler Bee	Redkey, Ind.	0.061	8.07	8.044	80.57
Gage Rachford	California, Ky.	0.055	7.90	7.901	80.24
Sarah Bazell	Lancaster, Ohio	0.033	7.93	7.926	80.16
Final
Gage Rachford	California, Ky.	0.053	7.90	7.896	81.03
Ava Lawson	Sandusky, Ohio	0.067	7.90	7.883	81.49
15
Quarterfinals
Bryce Buehrer	West Unity, Ohio	0.024	7.90	7.92	81.73
Kyle Genualdo	Sandown, N.H.	0.043	8.07	8.068	78.48
Logan Cook	Pataskala, Ohio	0.029	8.17	8.194	79.48
Allyson Downs	Mansfield, Ohio	no time
Brooke Baarda	Sully, Iowa	0.019	7.90	7.908	82.74
bye
Semifinals
Brooke Baarda	Sully, Iowa	0.036	7.90	7.918	81.74
Logan Cook	Pataskala, Ohio	0.051	8.19	8.184	79.96
Bryce Buehrer	West Unity, Ohio	-0.053	7.90	7.876	82.96
bye
Final
Bryce Buehrer	West Unity, Ohio	0.065	7.90	7.933	80.01
Brooke Baarda	Sully, Iowa	0.102	7.90	7.949	80.84
16-17
Quarterfinals
Jonathan Northrop	Perkasie, Pa.	0.052	8.00	8.256	64.88
Aubrey Collins	Fairview Park, Ohio	-0.002	7.91	7.851	83.90
Patrick Richardson	West Deptford, N.J.	0.039	8.05	8.013	79.69
Mia Schultz	Woodbridge, Va.	0.086	7.90	7.863	82.29
Jesse Marshall	Langhorne, Pa.	0.079	7.95	7.895	82.68
Thomas Oates	Clearbrook, Va.	-0.002	7.90	7.899	79.89
Bethany Fluck	Sellersville, Pa.	-0.043	7.97	7.945	81.44
bye
Semifinals
Jesse Marshall	Langhorne, Pa.	0.012	7.92	7.95	77.25
Bethany Fluck	Sellersville, Pa.	0.048	7.95	7.979	79.93
Patrick Richardson	West Deptford, N.J.	0.003	7.98	8.001	78.31
Jonathan Northrop	Perkasie, Pa.	0.017	8.00	7.971	80.55
Final
Jesse Marshall	Langhorne, Pa.	0.014	7.91	7.935	79.13
Patrick Richardson	West Deptford, N.J.	0.006	8.00	8.092	71.64