08/29/2026
ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE 🙏💪💪💪❤️❤️❤️
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Quarter Mile Inc. Launches 501(c)(3) Nonprofit to Educate, Strengthen and Grow Youth Drag Racing at Rockingham Dragway
Organization will focus on education, financial assistance and creating new opportunities for young racers and families to enter the sport
Contact:
[email protected]
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — August 29, 2026 — The future of drag racing starts with its next generation.
Quarter Mile Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, strengthening and growing youth drag racing programs at Rockingham Dragway, has officially launched with a mission to make the sport more accessible to young people and families — including those with no previous connection to motorsports.
Operating under the message “Fueling Youth Drag Racing at The Rock,” Quarter Mile Inc. will focus on education and outreach, financial assistance for selected youth racers, support for existing youth racing programs and, ultimately, providing opportunities for families to experience Junior Dragster competition without first having to purchase a race car.
The organization begins with a simple belief: Every racer has a first pass. Every racing family has a first day at the track. Quarter Mile Inc. wants to make that first day easier to reach.
MAKING YOUTH DRAG RACING MORE ACCESSIBLE
For families outside the racing community, entering motorsports can seem overwhelming. Understanding the different classes, licensing requirements, safety equipment, race cars, costs and procedures can become a barrier before a child ever reaches the starting line.
Quarter Mile Inc. was created to help eliminate those barriers. Families do not need to come from a racing background, already own a Junior Dragster or understand every aspect of the sport before becoming involved. The organization wants to provide them with a place to start, learn and ask questions.
One of the organization's first initiatives is a comprehensive Youth Drag Racing FAQ and Getting Started Guide covering Junior Dragster and Jr. Street racing at Rockingham Dragway.
The educational effort is intentionally designed to come before the purchase of racing equipment. Quarter Mile Inc. encourages families to understand the program and determine what is appropriate for their child before purchasing a Junior Dragster, which can prevent unnecessary expense and help families enter the sport correctly.
INTEREST → LEARN → VISIT THE TRACK → CHOOSE A PROGRAM → LICENSING → EQUIPMENT → FIRST PASS → FIRST RACE
MORE THAN LEARNING HOW TO GO FAST
Youth drag racing provides young people an opportunity to develop skills and responsibilities that extend beyond competition.
Junior Dragster racing introduces participants to vehicle control, staging procedures, starting-line awareness, reaction time, consistency, sportsmanship, track safety, following officials' instructions and responsibility for racing equipment.
At Rockingham Dragway, that opportunity can begin at an early age. Junior Dragster's noncompetitive Trainee program begins at age five, while competitive Junior Dragster racing begins at age six. Jr. Street provides another pathway for eligible teenagers ages 13–16 to learn drag racing in an approved full-size street vehicle with an approved supervising adult.
The objective is not simply to develop faster race cars. It is to develop racers.
HELPING OFFSET THE COST OF RACING
Education is only one part of Quarter Mile Inc.'s mission.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Quarter Mile Inc. will also work to generate charitable support that can be directed toward programs designed to strengthen youth drag racing and create opportunities for the next generation of racers.
The organization recognizes that even after a family understands how to enter the sport, the financial commitment associated with racing can prevent some young people from having the opportunity to participate.
Quarter Mile Inc. plans to establish a youth racing grant program through which selected applicants can receive financial assistance intended to offset some of the costs associated with participating in youth drag racing.
Youth racers and families will be selected through an application process, with program criteria, available funding and additional details to be announced as the initiative develops.
The purpose is not to remove the commitment required to race, but to provide meaningful assistance that can help deserving young racers and families continue moving forward.
AN EVENTUAL JUNIOR DRAGSTER PROGRAM FOR SELECTED FAMILIES
One of Quarter Mile Inc.'s most ambitious long-term goals is to address perhaps the largest initial financial barrier to Junior Dragster racing: the race car itself.
The organization intends to work toward acquiring, preparing and maintaining a Quarter Mile Inc. Junior Dragster for use at Rockingham Dragway bracket racing events.
Once that program is established, selected families would be given an opportunity through an application process to use the Junior Dragster at designated Rockingham Dragway bracket events each year.
The goal is to create a pathway for a young person to move beyond watching from the grandstands and experience what it means to become a racer — without requiring their family to immediately purchase a Junior Dragster.
A family could learn about the sport, visit the track, complete the appropriate requirements and potentially have an opportunity to experience Junior Dragster racing before deciding whether purchasing their own equipment is the right next step.
INTEREST → EDUCATION → OPPORTUNITY → FIRST EXPERIENCE → LICENSING → FIRST RACE → LONG-TERM PARTICIPATION
STRENGTHENING WHAT ALREADY EXISTS
Quarter Mile Inc. is not being created to replace the racers, families or programs that have already built youth racing at Rockingham Dragway. It is being created to strengthen them.
Experienced Junior Dragster families represent one of the sport's greatest resources. Quarter Mile Inc. wants to connect those families with newcomers who need guidance, while also creating opportunities for additional young people to enter the racing community.
A first-time family should not have to already know a racer to understand how youth drag racing works. The organization's goal is to connect newcomers with experienced racers, reliable information and resources that can help them enter the sport correctly.
That means building a stronger bridge between the children who are already racing and those standing on the other side of the fence wondering how they can participate.
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF DRAG RACING
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Quarter Mile Inc. creates an opportunity for businesses, racers, sponsors and supporters of motorsports to invest directly in the next generation of drag racing.
Charitable contributions, partnerships and future fundraising efforts can help support educational programs, youth racing grants, equipment and the eventual Quarter Mile Inc. Junior Dragster initiative.
The return on that investment cannot be measured solely by the number of cars that enter the next race.
Success will be measured by how many new young racers and families discover drag racing, become part of the racing community and remain involved in motorsports for years to come.
Today's five-year-old making a first Trainee pass could become tomorrow's Junior Dragster champion, bracket racer, sportsman competitor, professional driver, crew member, fabricator, mechanic, engineer or track official.
Youth racing isn't only about the next race. It's about the future of the sport.
COME LEARN. COME PARTICIPATE. COME RACE.
Quarter Mile Inc. encourages families with children interested in drag racing to start by simply becoming involved.
Come to Rockingham Dragway. Meet Junior Dragster racers and their families. Look at the cars. Watch teams prepare in the pits. Ask questions. Learn about the different programs.
You don't need a racing background. You don't need to already own a Junior Dragster. You don't need to have all the answers. You just need somewhere to start.
That's why Quarter Mile Inc. is here.
Junior Dragster — Ages 5–18
Jr. Street — Ages 13–16
Rockingham Dragway — Rockingham, North Carolina
QUARTER MILE INC.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Fueling Youth Drag Racing at The Rock
The Future of Drag Racing Starts at the Quarter Mile.
