Young Jacob Hodges Scores First NHRA JDRL Wally at Wild Horse Pass Drag Strip
- 5 Feb 2016
It was roughly a year ago when K&N Filters sponsored drag racer Jacob Hodges hit a milestone in his budding career. At a minimum of 10 years before he was eligible to be licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Jacob Hodges, just 6-years-old at the time, earned his Jr. Drag Racing license. During the Southern California Drag Racing Association (SCEDA) race weekend at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California, Jacob spent two days on the track running through the paces and earning his stripes. Now, young Master Hodges is a whopping 7 years old and winning races. Recently Jake scored his first Wally at the Wild Horse Pass Drag Strip for the NHRA JDRL Division seven races. It was a double header weekend for Jake out in Chandler, Arizona. Jake’s first race on Saturday started out well with a first round win, however, he was eliminated in the second round in a double break out race. Breaking out is when a racer manages to cross the finish line in less time than the predicted elapsed time he dialed-in beforehand. While both drivers broke out, Jake Hodges broke out more.
The next day is when things began to go in Jake’s favor. His first round on Sunday was extremely close, but Jake got the win light by a mere .009 of a second. Jake played a game of strategy in round two of eliminations to get the win. Playing it smart, Jake realized his opponent was going too fast, so Jake hit the brakes and let his opponent break out. Round three was an easy win for Jake as he had a bye run on his side of the eliminations ladder and simply had to cross the finish line to advance. Jake put on his race face going into the final round and kept his winning strategy in the back of his mind. It must be hard for extremely young racers to avoid the temptation to drive as fast as possible every time they leave the starting line, however this perseverance paid off for Jake Hodges. His reaction time was a bit slow, so as Jacob neared the finish line he hit the brakes to avoid breaking out of his dial-in. Jacob dialed in a 13.90 elapsed time (ET) and crossed the line with a 13.977. His opponent, however, had a 13.86 dial in but overshot it running a 13.292. This handed the final round win over to Jake Hodges and earned him his first Wally.
This is Jacob Hodges’ second year racing Junior Drags. At an age when most kids would be filled with adrenaline as they ride a bicycle downhill, Jacob Hodges is approved to race as fast as a 13.90 dial in at 45 MPH. In July, when Jacob turns 8, he can run up to 11.90 at around 55 MPH. That’s pretty fast for a kid who probably still has most of his baby teeth. Jacob Hodges and his car will be on display at the NHRA Winter Nationals in Pomona, California on February 13-14, 2016. Jake’s next race will be the Southern California Drag Racing Association (SCEDA) race weekend at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California on April 23-24, 2016. Jacob’s father Travis Hodges, who is K&N’s Race Team Manager, has equipped Jake’s Briggs & Stratton Racing L0206 engine with K&N clamp-on air filter R-1100 to provide superior airflow and superior performance. Travis said “Need to thank K&N, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Tire (first race on Hoosier’s & won), Simpson Safety, & car owner Doug Whitten (K&N employee) who will be starting a Jr drag racing school. Find K&N performance upgrades for your daily driver using the Search By Vehicle tool. Or explore a huge assortment of K&N Clamp-On Universal Air Filters for your racing efforts, whether it's Jr Drags, Drifting, or Off-Road racing. |
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