During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, families were struck with financial battles and the absence of income from jobs being shut down. People weren’t allowed to leave their homes, weren’t allowed to go to school, and weren’t allowed to see each other for weeks on end. During this time, participating in the junior drag racing league was impossible for me. Racetracks weren’t allowed to continue their seasons, let alone operate during the mandated shutdown, leaving many racers without an outlet to participate in the sport for nearly two and a half years.
Before 2020, junior dragster racing was meant to be accessible to everyone regardless of financial status, gender, race, or political background. Drag racing stands on the ideology that if you have a passion, you can race. Except, this idea was challenged with the newest National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) rulebook amendment that states, “Beginning June 1, 2020, a head and neck restraint device/system meeting SFI 38.1 is mandatory and must display a valid SFI label. At all times that the driver is in the race vehicle, from the ready line until the vehicle is on the return road, the driver must properly utilize an SFI 38.1 head and neck restraint device/system, including connecting the helmet as required for full functionality of the device.”
This rule amendment requires drivers to wear a new type of restraint allowing for less head and neck movement than the previous neck collars, allowing full head rotation ability. These devices, however, cost upwards of $499 for a single harness. The cost of racing began to steadily increase following the implementation of this new rule. Drivers were faced with the decision of investing in the expensive device for safety reasons or potentially risking their ability to compete. Some drivers struggled to afford the new safety equipment, leading to concerns about the future of their racing careers.
Following the modification requiring all drivers of vehicles in the junior dragster class of NHRA to wear these devices, the cost of yearly or bi-yearly equipment for a growing child almost doubled, from around $500 to $1000 at the lowest. Watching as fellow racers and their families quit the sport because of the rise in financial demand, I felt dejected that motorsports were not truly accessible enough. It became evident that the safety of young drivers was being prioritized but at a significant financial obligation to many families. Following a large economic blow from the global pandemic, adding on another facet of expensive equipment for drivers only caused families to decide to quit racing completely. As a driver whose family was highly impacted by this decision from the NHRA, I decided that there had to be a better resolution to the funding issue in youth motorsports than relying on parents’ allocation and sponsorship opportunities from local businesses. There had to be a better solution to ensure that young drivers could continue pursuing their passion for racing.
In 2022, following a short break to pursue a job and focus on my academics, I rejoined the world of drag racing. Following my decision to commit to the sport full-time, I once again found myself enamored with the culture surrounding drag racing. Not only does the sport provide kids with the opportunity to compete and pursue motorsports, but it also provides kids with the fundamental life skills they need to succeed in life, such as advanced math, physics, science, engineering, teamwork, and driving skills. Essential skills are being taught through programs like junior dragster racing to kids as early as the age of five, giving an opening for the growth of development in the early stages of learning through an expressive outlet like drag racing. Additionally, a junior dragster is significantly safer than driving a car on a highway, as the safety, speed, and power restrictions are closely monitored by officials and kept within safe limits.
What dispirited me the most about rejoining the sport was that the cost had nearly doubled since I’d last raced. Equipment costs were rising due to the demand for bigger and better safety equipment, and the number of racers was decreasing steadily following the economic hit of the 2020 pandemic. What was once a blooming generation of young racers turned into a monetary contest of who could afford to spend the most money on the latest and greatest gear. The focus shifted from skill and passion to financial resources, making it problematic for talented individuals without significant financial backing to compete. This change in the racing culture made me question if I wanted to continue pursuing a sport that had become more about money than talent.
As a second-generation drag racer and a second-generation University of Massachusetts Amherst student, finding the balance between my pursuit of academics and my pursuit of my passion for drag racing was important to me. Drag racing has always been a part of my life and has steadily become one of my biggest passions. For ten years of my life, I spent nearly every weekend of my summers at New England Dragway, where my dad won multiple championships before me. His passion for motorsports bled into my life and fostered my passion for drag racing, guiding me to compete for ten years of my life, closing out my junior dragster career as a winner.
When I first looked at universities in 2022, I felt frustrated by the lack of options given to students who wanted to make real economic changes in the motorsports industry. Many schools don’t offer any major related to sports besides sports management and sports economics. I grew increasingly disheartened that college was an option I wanted to pursue due to the limitations of my aspirations and conforming them into an already existing major.
My outlook on continuing my education became the same for every university I looked at with my guidance counselor: I was always going to have to settle for a major that I didn’t feel passionate about or connected to if I wanted to attend university. And this was a very discouraging outlook to have on my education, as I’ve always been an academically driven and passionate student. It felt like I had dreamed of going to college my entire sophomore and junior year of high school, only to face challenge after challenge during my decision process at the beginning of my senior year.
Following my decision to tour UMass Amherst because of the advice of my alumni mom, I found myself being drawn more and more to campus life and student socialization when living on campus. It wasn’t until my first official tour of the university that I discovered the Bachelor’s Degree with Individualized Concentration (BDIC) program, which enables students to construct their own bachelor’s degree with an individualized concentration, pulling from the university’s extensive selection of classes to build their own curriculum. I discovered that there was a university that allowed me to not only pursue my dream of creating my own specialization to support future generations of racers to get the financial backing they need to participate in the sport, but I would also be able to do it at the university that I fell in love with for every other facet of campus life.
After my admission to the university, I commenced my mission to develop sports funding for motorsports. Taking what I’ve learned through the business schools’ sports management classes, I have applied my knowledge of sports sociology and economics to my own experience as a drag racer, fostering opportunities for the generations that follow me. With UMass’ BDIC program, I am hopeful that I can continue to combine my passion for motorsports with my academic studies to expand opportunities for future participants of youth motorsports. Through the process of creating my own degree, I seek to expand the accessibility of funding to youth motorsports programs such as junior dragster racing. I strive to bridge the gap between passionate, talented racers and financial constraints that may prevent them from fully pursuing their dreams in the sport. By merging my academic background with my hands-on experience in drag racing, I hope to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for young athletes looking to excel in motorsports.
My goal is to pave the way for young racers to pursue their dreams without financial barriers, ensuring that talent and passion are the main factors in their success. By combining my academic understanding with my personal experience, I hope to make a lasting impact on the motorsports community and inspire others to do the same. I believe that by securing more funding for youth motorsports, we can create a more inclusive and diverse community within the racing industry.
