It will be a minimum of 10 years before he’ll be licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, however, 6-year-old Jacob Hodges has earned his Jr. Drag Racing license
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Jacob Hodges was initiated into the world of drag racing at the recent SCEDA event at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California
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It will be a minimum of 10 years before he’ll be licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, however, 6-year-old Jacob Hodges has earned his Jr. Drag Racing license. During the recent Southern California Drag Racing Association (SCEDA) race weekend at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California Jacob was initiated into the heart pounding world of drag racing. Jacob spent two days on the track running through the paces and earning his stripes. He was taught the rules and basics of drag racing before being towed down the track to practice steering and braking in a moving car.
The next morning Jacob was ready to get live seat time with the engine running in his 2006 Hansen built Jr. Dragster. The drills consisted of practicing staging, accelerating to the 60 foot mark and stopping, followed by a longer 330’ run down the track. After a break Jacob was ready to get back in the car and make his first attempt at a full 1/8 mile run. According to Jacob’s father Travis Hodges, who is K&N’s Race Team Manager, “He did perfect, staged good and ran down the track in 20.36 seconds at 25 mph.” Jacob had two more runs down the 1/8 mile drag strip clocking an elapsed time (E.T.) of 17.40 seconds at 32 mph for his final license earning pass.
Jacob’s dad, Travis, has equipped the Jr. Dragster with K&N clamp-on universal air filter R-1100 to keep the Briggs & Stratton 5 HP “lawnmower” engine running at its peak
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Come Sunday Jacob was ready for some real racing. He took two practice runs in the morning with his first round race scheduled for early in the afternoon. Jacob was pitted against Carlie Ball in the Lil DudeT 7927 Jr. Dragster. Jacob had the better reaction time behind the wheel of the 7290 K&N Motorsports Jr. Dragster at just .041 seconds versus Carlie’s .185. However, at the stripe Jacob ran slower than his dial-in time handing the first round win over to Carlie.
Jacob was pitted against Carlie Ball in the Lil DudeT 7927 Jr. Dragster and Jacob had the better reaction time off the line
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In the end Travis Hodges said “It was a great weekend getting 6 full runs, his license and seat time. Jacob got a lot of compliments on his ability to listen well, stage the car like a pro, and drive the car down the track straight, especially for a 6-year-old.” Jacob’s 2006 Hansen built Jr. Dragster is powered by a 5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton spec engine. The car’s frame has been powder coated tangerine orange and wrapped in K&N graphics. This car wouldn’t be complete without the superior airflow and superior performance of a K&N high-flow air filter. Jacob’s dad, Travis, has equipped the Jr. Dragster with K&N clamp-on universal air filter R-1100 to keep the “lawnmower” engine running at its peak.
Jacob’s next race will be on March 21 and 22 at the NHRA Division 7 drag races at Irwindale Raceway. Jacob and his dad plan to enter 5 to 9 different races and it will be exciting to watch this young driver progress. Travis Hodges said “Thanks to K&N, Raven & Hawk LLC, and Doug Whitten, if it wasn’t for them none of this would be possible.”
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