[h=2]IHRA: Can Nick Ferraro go four-for-four?[/h] Wednesday, 08 February 2017


Steven Cole Smith (words and image)

They call it Junior Dragster, but there's nothing junior about the intensity and emotion that goes into every final round of the IHRA's youngest class of racers.


Last weekend, Nick Ferraro of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, did the double at Immokalee Regional Raceway in southwest Florida, winning the final round of the two complete shows that kicked off the inaugural 2017 season for the brand-new Summit Sportsman National Championship, which features the Juniors along with seven other classes that will be decided by the 15-weekend, 30-race season.
Can Ferraro do it again?
Don't bet against him, as he and his crew will be racing this weekend at his home track, the IHRA flagship Palm Beach International Raceway on the other Florida coast. Nick took out Nathan Lopez of Wellington, Florida, last Saturday, then on Sunday, defeated another Floridian, Gage Burch of Palmetto.
Burch, incidentally, took home the Summit Tournament of Champions crown at Memphis International Raceway last fall, so beating the current World Champion is no small feat.
Anything he can improve upon? "I could probably hit the tree a little better," Ferraro said, but let's face it: The results speak for themselves. Ferraro, 15, has been racing in Junior Dragster pretty much half his life – since he was seven.
"It's a tough class," he said. And he hopes to make it a little tougher on his competition at PBIR.
The IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship action resumes February 10-12at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida. Both days of eliminations will be streamed live on ESPN3. For more information, log onto RacePBIR.com.