NHRA Top Fuel Driver ‘Nitro’ Joe Morrison kicks off new Jr Street Instructional & Licensing program at Island Dragway
Great Meadows, NJ – NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver is a man who wears many hats. Whether serving as the CEO of his non-profit organization Right2Breathe.org, playing guitar during a weekend gig, or driving the Leverich Racing Top Fuel Dragster, Morrison is always looking to improve his skillset. After a successful debut of a new Jr Street Instructional & Licensing program held at Island Dragway on May 21st, 2022 – you can add ‘drag racing instructor’ to his diverse and impressive hat collection.
A class of seven teenagers and their parents were able to attend the rain-delayed make-up event at Island Dragway. The program began with Morrison discussing the importance of safety, drag racing procedures and guiding them through the entire process – from tech inspection to exiting the racetrack.
Once the parents and teens were 100 percent comfortable, they hit the track for personal instruction on racing procedures, rules, and the importance of maintaining concentration while driving. Eventually, the Jr Street racers made their first run to 100-feet, then 330-feet, and the remaining four runs to the 1/8 mile. Morrison rode with each student during one of their 1/8th passes to provide additional instruction and eventually signed off on their NHRA competition licenses.
“I’m impressed by how quickly these new drivers learned,” noted Morrison, making his 2022 NHRA debut this weekend in Epping, NH. “There were some “nerves” early on, but once they had their first experience launching the car, everything started coming together. All in all, it was an encouraging environment that allowed these kids to learn with no pressure. One of the coolest things to see was the kids and their parent co-drivers having fun and experiencing the thrill of drag racing together.”
The National Hot Rod Association launched its Jr. Street youth racing program for 13-16-year-olds in 2015. Following the momentum established by their Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA’s Jr. Street program gives teenage boys and girls the opportunity to race against their peers in full-body street vehicles with an adult co-driver as their teammate. NHRA Jr. Street provides aspiring racers with an economical entry point into drag racing – as they compete in daily drivers.
This Jr. Street instructional and licensing event at Island Dragway was created by the collaboration between facility owner Melissa Milano, Morrison (who hails from nearby Flemington, NJ), and EJK Insurance founder Ed Krajewski. The Island Dragway Jr. Street event intends to provide a full-scale introduction to NHRA Drag Racing by guiding the students and their parents through all phases of completing at an NHRA sanctioned racetrack.
The success of this first event and multiple inquiries from other East Coast NHRA sanctioned tracks convinced Morrison to extend the program. Additional dates and locations of Jr Street Instructional and Licensing events will be published soon.
In addition, my friends at Media X Marketing put together a 2 minute video – you can find here: https://vimeo.com/714257391
All the best,
Joe Morrison
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