Racing fans witnessed a junior drag racing tournament with the largest prize pool in the history of the National Hot Rod Association on Sunday at the Race Track, Not Street drag racing event at Calverton Enterprise Park, the event’s promoter said.
The tournament drew junior drag racers from all over the East Coast – and even one from Ohio, organizers said. A $26,000 prize pool was generated from donations collected by Bill Madden, an East Islip drag racer who wanted to raise money for the event in which his grandson was participating. Madden ended up collecting more than he expected from local businesses and others who supported drag racing, earning him and his son an initial contribution of $1,000.
“We thought, Jesus, if we could double that and get $2,000, how cool would that be?” Madden said. “And it just took off like wildfire. So many people couldn’t wait to take action to help these children.”
“It raised $26,000, which was the largest junior drag racing purse in the history of the National Hot Rod Association,” said promoter Pete Scalzo. “We had it here, on our little track.”
A total of 31 licensed junior drag racers, ages 6 to 17, participated in the event, Scalzo said. Each racer received $100 for their participation, and the top racers in the two age classes took home thousands of dollars. More than $5,000 was given out in gift cards and door prizes at the event, Scalzo said.
The winners of the event were:
Class A:
1st Place: Kole Paone, 11, of Williamstown, New Jersey, won $7,000
2nd Place: Giulia Held, 10, from Massapequa, New York, won $2,000
Class B:
1st Place: Jordan Michael Denny, 17, of Manassas, Virginia, won $7,000
2nd Place: Paul Stalba, 17, Williamstown, New Jersey, won $2,000
Madden said families watching the event were excited about their involvement in junior drag racing. He said he and Scalzo have already started planning a junior dragster event for events next year. Madden said drag racing is another attraction to bring families to Riverhead, similar to the Long Island Aquarium and Splish Splash water park.
“Some kids play football, some kids play baseball, some kids drag race. That is our sport. That’s what we do,” Madden said. “And the fact that we can do it again on Long Island is fantastic. And the city of Riverhead really opened its doors to us to make this happen.”
Sunday’s event concluded the third consecutive year of Race Track, Not Street drag racing at EPCAL. In addition to drag racing, the event has been expanded this year to include kart racing and drifting.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.
drag racing
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