First-time Winners Rule Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol Dragway

Eight first-time champions were crowned during the NHRA Right Trailers Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol Dragway. Kynlee Darr (age 6-9), Garrett Cramer (10), Ethan Russell (11), Connor Hayes (12), Kainen Morgan (13), Kay Goodstein (14), Megan Kassin (15), and Ryan Alexander (16-17) scored Wallys at the second of two national events held for racers in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League. In a tight team competition that was decided by a tiebreaker, Beech Bend Raceway Park came out on top.

Ladoga, Ind., competitor Darr got the automatic nod in the 6-9 age-group final when Newark, Ohio’s Haleigh Brown red-lighted. Darr celebrated with a 12.100 (12.02 dial) victory lap.

Cramer added another Eastern Conference Finals Wally to the family mantle, joining older brother Gavin, who won the event in 2022. In the final, the New Market, Md., racer got a reaction-time advantage of more than .17-second and turned it into a 9.010 (8.90) to 9.062 (8.90) win against Reading, Pa., driver Paige Doney in the 10-year-old bracket.

Walford, Iowa’s Bennett Meier had the starting-line edge in the 11-year-old class title round, but he carried too much momentum on the top end, breaking out with an 8.965 (8.98). That opened the door for Adrian, Mich., runner Russell, who turned on the win light with an 8.938 (8.92).

In the closest final round of the event, Max Meadows, Va., competitor Hayes bested Bastron, La.’s Kendall Stephenson by .003-second to claim the 12-year-old category Wally. Hayes paired a .034 light with an 8.995 (8.98) to best Stephenson’s .042-initiated 8.960 (8.95).

A .008 light helped lift Mooresville, Ind., racer Morgan to victory in the 13-year-old age group. Roy, Wash., driver Zachary Meinert ran right on his 7.95 dial, but it wasn’t enough to get around Morgan, who paired that near-perfect light with an 8.009 (7.97) to win.

The 14-year-old class final was decided at the Tree when reigning Eastern Conference Finals champ James Stack Jr., from Gilbertsville, Pa., fouled by .003-second. That turned on the win light in the lane of Dickson, Tenn.’s Goodstein, who posted a 7.918 (7.90) on her way to victory.

Saint Clair, Mich., runner Kassin had the reaction-time advantage in the 15-year-old bracket final, .029 to .041, and used it to win the double-breakout contest with Bluefield, W.Va., racer Autumn Adkins, 7.906 (7.91) to 8.118 (8.16).

Bay, Ala.’s Alexander made his final trip to the Eastern Conference Finals a memorable one, outlasting Hawkinsville, Ga., competitor Hayden Land to claim the 16-17 class Wally. In the final, Alexander was first off the line, then ran right on his 8.32 dial to best Land, who broke out with an 8.121 (8.14).

The battle for the team championship was an incredibly tight one that ended with three teams tied for first with 30 points apiece, sending it to the tiebreaker. Thanks to the victory by Goodstein, Beech Bend Raceway Park Team 1 won the tiebreaker, giving the Bowling Green, Ky., its second Eastern Conference Finals team championship. New England Dragway Team 1 and Maple Grove Raceway Team 2 also finished with 30 points. Rounding out the top five were Wabash Valley Dragway Team 2 with 29 points and Rockingham Dragway Team 2 with 26.

Beech Bend also earned the Team Spirit award. Other special-awards winners were Pheyton Rawlins (Best Appearing Car), Sedona Gotsis (Best Engineered Car), and Gainesville Raceway (Best Appearing Track).

Results from the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals:

6-9

W: Kynlee Darr (Ladoga, Ind.): .047, 12.100 (12.02 dial)

R/U: Haleigh Brown (Newark, Ohio): -.024, *12.024 (11.98)

Semifinalist: Jack Bogacki (Carterville, Ill.)

Quarterfinalists: Peyton Tanzillo (Etna, Ohio), Jaxson Jensen (Pleasant View, Tenn.)

10

W: Garrett Cramer (New Market, Md.): .019, 9.010 (8.90)

R/U: Paige Doney (Reading, Pa.): .191, 9.062 (8.90)

Semifinalist: Connor Boyd (Bunker Hill, W.Va.)

Quarterfinalists: Malachi Phillips (Buckeye, Ariz.), Kylie Mocny (Venice, Fla.), Hutch Harger (Pace, Fla.)

11

W: Ethan Russell (Adrian, Mich.): .110, 8.938 (8.92)

R/U: Bennett Meier (Walford, Iowa): .053, **8.965 (8.98)

Semifinalists: Kate Ward (Anderson, S.C.), Grayson Herbert (Metairie, La.)

Quarterfinalists: Hunter Ward (Effort, Pa.), Addison Dow (Methuen, Mass.), Tyler Biddle (Swansea, S.C.)

12

W: Connor Hayes (Max Meadows, Va.): .034, 8.995 (8.98)

R/U: Kendall Stephenson (Bastrop, La.): .042, 8.960 (8.95)

Semifinalist: Brett Gonzales (Rosharon, Texas)

Quarterfinalists: Braydon Crayton (Kannapolis, N.C.), Austin Harrald (Piney Flats, Tenn.), Carter Reeves (Augusta, Ky.)

13

W: Kainen Morgan (Mooresville, Ind.): .008, 8.009 (7.97)

R/U: Zachary Meinert (Roy, Wash.): .201, 7.953 (7.95)

Semifinalist: Blake Kirkpatrick (Redkey, Ind.)

Quarterfinalists: Kendall Willard (Leominster, Mass.), John Butler (Odessa, Fla.)

14

W: Kay Goodstein (Dickson, Tenn.): .027, 7.918 (7.90)

R/U: James Stack Jr. (Gilbertsville, Pa.): -.003, *7.844 (7.90)

Semifinalists: Claire Toliver (Climax, Ga.), Brooklynn Collins (Keystone Heights, Fla.)

Quarterfinalists: Rowan Parlett (Mechanicsville, Md.), John Varner (Temple, Ga.), Carter Jackson (Powhatan, Va.), Slade Hess (Ely, Iowa)

15

W: Megan Kassin (Saint Clair, Mich.): .029, 7.906 (7.91)

R/U: Autumn Adkins (Bluefield, W.Va.): .041, **8.118 (8.16)

Semifinalist: Chase Miles (Honeybrook, Pa.)

Quarterfinalists: Mckenzee Hogan (Dudley, N.C.), Ryan Lopez (Caguas, Puerto Rico)

16-17

W: Ryan Alexander (Grand Bay, Ala.): .039, 8.326 (8.32)

R/U: Hayden Land (Hawkinsville, Ga.): .056, **8.121 (8.14)

Semifinalists: Kaden Pruett (Appling, Ga.), Daniel Spotts (Douglassville, Pa.)

Quarterfinalists: Morgan Harp (Souderton, Pa.), Jude Kersnason (Port Charlotte, Fla.), Ava Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.), Phillip Radford (Riner, Va.)

*red-light

**breakout