C.J. JENKINS BIG WINNER AT ROCK’S FOURTH HOLIDAY JR. JAM Claims 10-13 Age Group Title Before Beating Pumphrey in Final Round of Main Event ROCKINGHAM, N.C. –A steady, methodical C.J. Jenkins waded through a field of 126 of the nation’s best Jr. Dragster racers Saturday, beating Hailey Pumphrey of Waldorf, Md., in the final round to win the Main Event in the fourth annual Holiday Jr. Jam at Rockingham Dragway. In an event showcasing the future stars of the NHRA series, Jenkins was in a class by himself. Locked ontoa 7.90 target, the Jamestown sharpshooterused a Beeline ZR4 engine to put up times that didn’t vary by more than .052 of a second – from 7.895 to 7.947. A three-time track champion who won this year’s Jr. championship at Coastal Plains Dragway in Jacksonville, “The Executer” was as good in the cockpit as his car jjof .037. Over the course of the weekend, the 14-year-old phenom, whose goal is to one day compete in the Top Fuel class, won 18 racing rounds on the way to claiming his 13th and 14th winners’ trophies of the 2021 season. In addition to the Main Event, he also won the 10-13 age group title on Friday. Not a bad weekend’s work for someone who was introduced to the sport through television coverage of the NHRA pro tour. Other winners included Louis Crockett of Hopewell, Va., who won the always entertaining golf cart race before losing to Jenkins in round six of the Main Event. In the Index classes, Kaiden Groves of Mechanicsville, Md., hoisted the trophy in 7.90; Anthony Magliocco of Erial N.J., beat Ava Ward of Anderson, S.C., daughter of reigning Rockingham Dragway track champ Matt Ward in the 8.90 final; Rebekah Peterson of Martin, Mich., claimed the11.90 Index champ trophy to join her brother, Samuel, as a Holiday Jr. Jam champion; and Mason Maddox of Northboro, Mass., outran Andy Anderson of York, Pa., in an all-Northeast final in 13.90. Other performances of note were those of Kole Paone of Galloway, N.J., and Danika Cox of Bronson, Mich. The latter was runner-up to Groves in the 7.90 Index class before advancing to the round of six in the Main Event where she lost to Mocksville’s Noah Cornatzer, a 2017 runner-up in The Rock’s old Southeaster nJr. Spring Nationals. As for Paone, he reached the final round for the third straight year in the Thanksgiving weekend classic. The 13.90 Index winner in 2020 and the 13.90 runner-up the year before, he advanced to the 6-9 age group final this year before losing to Michael Groves Jr. of Mechanicsville, Md., on a foul start. ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Results from the fourth annual Holiday Jr. Jam at Rockingham Dragway. Hometowns are North Carolina unless otherwise indicated. Results include reaction time, track time in relation to target time and finish line speed: MAIN EVENT Round 5 – Ethan Locklear, Pembroke, .073, 8.017 on a 7.990, 81.12 mph, def. Zach Parlett, Charlotte Hall, Md., foul; C.J. Jenkins, Jamesville, .020, 7.937 on a 7.900, 81.62 mph, def. Mia Rybarski, Tinley Park, Ill., .126, 8.834 breakout on an 8.880, 76.42 mph; Lukas Clark, Chapin, S.C., .053, 8.932 on an 8.900, 74.07 mph, def. McKenzee Hogan, Youngsville, .101, 8.906 on an 8.890, 73.42 mph; Ayden Christain, Henrico, Va., .056, 8.503 on an 8.490, 74.71 mph, def. Channing Fernell, Lexington, S.C., .130, 8.950 breakout on an 8.980, 72.97 mph; Abby Normel, .060, 8.636 on an 8.620, 74.98 mph, def. Bayleigh Robinson, Wilmington, .143, 8.908 breakout on an 8.960, 72.25 mph; Louis Crockett, Hopewell, Va., NA, 7.956 on a 7.930, 82.20 mph, def. Avery Hicks, Pageland, S.C., NA, 8.894 breakout on an 8.900, 71.42 mph; Hailey Pumphrey, Waldorf, Md., .010, 7.891 on a 7.900, 81.18 mph, def. Travis Paquin, Kingston, N.H., .023, 7.987 breakout on an 8.010, 81.42 mph; David Tedder, Bishopville, S.C., .020, 7.883 on a 7.900, 81.28 mph, def. Brandon Deal, Canfield, Ohio, .054, 9.102 breakout on a 9.140, 70.27 mph; Kyle Penn, Tarentum, Pa., .046, 7.975 on a 7.930, 75.18 mph, def. Brooke Harper, Bridgewater, Va., .105, 7.921 on a 7.910, 84.41 mph; Noah Cornatzer, Mocksville, .074, 8.019 in an 8.000, 81.07 mph, def. Jaiman Dietz, Hanover, Pa., .089, 7.918 on a 7.910, 80.48 mph; Danika Cox, Bronson, Mich., .018, 7.889 on a 7.900, 81.41 mph, def. Nathan Mendenhall, Parkesburg, Pa., .031, 7.883 breakout on a 7.910, 80.58 mph; Jeylee D. Soully, Monmouth, Maine, .005, 7.899 on a 7.900, 81.58 mph, def. Jacob Nahory, Pasadena, Md., .060, 7.965 breakout on a 7.990, 82.17 mph. Round 6 –Jenkins, .015, 7.897 on a 7.900, 83.44 mph, def. Crockett, foul; Locklear, .163, 8.009 on a 7.990, 81.34 mph, def. Christain, foul; Normel, .029, 8.628 on an 8.620, 75.41 mph, def. Clark, foul; Tedder, .027, 7.892 on a 7.900, 82.27 mph, def. Penn, foul; Cornatzer, .021, 8.005 on an 8.000, 80.80 mph, def. Cox, .024, 7.877 breakout on a 7.900, 81.84 mph; Pumphrey, .002, 7.876 on a 7.900, 83.11 mph, def., Soully, foul; Groves, bye. Round 7 – Locklear, .062, 8.023 on an 8.000, 81.08 mph, def. Cornatzer, foul; Tedder, .033, 7.926 on a 7.900, 78.71 mph, def. Normel, .111, 8.640 on an 8.620, 75.22 mph; Jenkins, .047, 7.936 on a 7.900, 79.32 mph, def. Groves, .136, 12.353 breakout on a 12.380, 51.82 mph; Pumphrey, bye. Semifinals – Pumphrey, .047, 7.912 on a 7.900, 81.72 mph, def. Tedder, .011, 7.888 breakout on a 7.900, 81.92 mph; Jenkins, .051, 7.927 on a 7.900, 79.83 mph, def. Locklear, .087, 8.016 on an 8.000, 81.45 mph. FINAL – C.J. Jenkins, Jamesville, .043, 7.913 on a 7.900, 81.48 mph, def. Hailey Pumphrey, Waldorf, Md., .079, 7.920 on a 7.900, 81.31 mph. * * * * PRO TREE SHOOTOUTS 7.90 – Kaiden Groves, Mechanicsville, Md., .113, 7.907, 83.67 mph, def. Danika Cox, Bronson, Mich., foul. 8.90 – Anthony Magliocco, Erial, N.J., .083, 8.936, 69.56 mph, def. Ava Ward, Anderson, S.C., .107, 8.930, 72.69 mph. 11.90 – Rebekah Peterson, Martin, Mich., .172, 12.06, 49.34 mph, def. Camden Berry, Prince Frederick, Md., .366, 12.085, 54.31 mph. 13.90 – Mason Maddox, Northboro, Mass., .301, 14.03, 43.36 mph, def. Andy Anderson, York, Pa., NA, 14.07, 45.45 mph. * * * * 6-9 AGE GROUP Round 4–Kole Paone, Galloway, N.J., .085, 11.888 on an 11.900, 53.31 mph, def. Rudin Cook, Orange Park, Fla., .144, 11.877 breakout on an 11.900, 53.74 mph; Connor Boyd, Bunker Hill, West Va., .081, 12.053 on an 11.980, 52.81 mph, def. Christan Brashier, Piedmont, S.C., .112, 12.066 on a 12.020, 52.58 mph; Michael Groves Jr., Mechanicsville, Md., .017, 12.538 on a 12.340, 51.14 mph, def. Mandrel Refour, Virginia Beach, Va., .214, 11.951 breakout on a 12.000, 53.21 mph; Makenna Mason, Northboro, Mass., bye. Semifinals – Paone, .076, 12.055 on an 11.900, 49.53 mph, def. Boyd, .021, 11.803 breakout on an 11.980, 53.37 mph; Groves, .078, 12.535 on a 12.450, 51.27 mph, def. Mason, foul. FINAL – Michael Groves Jr., Mechanicsville, Md., .230, 12.470 on a 12.520, 51.42 mph, def. Kole Paone, Galloway, N.J., foul. * * * * 14-18 GAMBLERS RACE Round 6 – Brandon Sullivan, Radford, Va., .039, 7.911 on a 7.930, 82.54 mph, def. Kamryn Majors, Evans, Ga., foul; Aaron Verner, Carleton, Mich., .068, 7.881 on a 7.900, 83.15 mph, def. Ryan Roberts, Akron, Ohio, foul; Blaine Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, .067, 7.926 on a 7.960, 82.02 mph, def. Brandon Matter, Waldorf, Md., foul; Wesley Clark, Chapin, S.C., bye. Semifinals – Bazell, .088, 7.962 on a 7.940, 78.72 mph, def. Verner, .121, 7.916 on a 7.900, 82.69 mph; Clark, .000, 7.907 on a 7.900, 82.58 mph, def. Sullivan, foul. FINAL – Blaine Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, .050, 8.052 on a 7.940, 71.89 mph, def. Wesley Clark, Chapin, S.C., foul. (Photo: Terry Clark) SPECIAL AWARDS Long Distance Winners 3 separate racers, 3 separate rigs drove over 1,000 each way Jaylee Soucy - Monmouth, Maine Tyler Beaulieu - Saco, Maine Haylee Clough - Thomaston, Maine Ugly Sweater Contest (top 3 won an "Ugly Sweater Trophy") Lavar Lewis - Mechanicsville, VA Andy Anderson - York, PA Shaun Croteau - Pelham, NH Best Decorated Pit (top 5 won gift card & trophy) Hogan Family - Youngsvile, NC Croteau Family - Pelham, NH Ward Family - Anderson, SC Jackson Family - Powhatan, VA Parlett Family - Mechanicsville, MD Best Appearing Car each won a trophy Antonio Thompson (6-9 y/o) - Waldorf, MD Katelyn Page (10-13 y/o) - Forest, VA Erika Mast (14-18 y/o) - Massillon, OH