FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, THE RED LINE OIL PDRA DRAG RACING SERIES HAS MADE DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RACERS A CORNERSTONE OF ITS MISSION. TWO OF THE ALL-EIGHTH-MILE SERIES’ MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENTS IN THAT FUTURE ARE ITS JR. DRAGSTER CATEGORIES – PDRA PRO JR. DRAGSTER AND TOP JR. DRAGSTER PRESENTED BY CLASSIC GRAPHIX – WHICH GIVE YOUNG DRIVERS A PROVING GROUND TO SHARPEN THEIR SKILLS WELL BEFORE THEY REACH THE PROFESSIONAL OR SPORTSMAN RANKS. ¶ EACH SPRING, THAT PIPELINE DELIVERS ANOTHER MILESTONE WORTH CELEBRATING AS A GROUP OF PDRA JR. DRAGSTER RACERS AND ALUMNI GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL. KEEPING WITH A BELOVED TRADI- TION, THE SERIES RECOGNIZED THIS YEAR’ S GRADUATES DURING A SPECIAL PRE-RACE CEREMONY ON JUNE 27 AT THE HOOSIER TIRE NORTH VS. SOUTH SHOOTOUT PRESENTED BY CALLIES PERFORMANCE AT MARYLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY. MEET THE PDRA CLASS OF 2026.
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1 SAMANTHA CLAUSS
Samantha Clauss, who serves as crew chief on the Pro 632 entry driven by her father, Brian Clauss, graduated from Chesapeake High School in Pasadena, Maryland. She has spent the past five years crewing on her dad’ s car, a tenure that included a victory at the PDRA Carolina Nationals at Darlington in 2023. A magna cum laude graduate, Clauss was an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society and the AVID program. She plans to attend college to pursue studies in diagnostic medical sonography.
2 SOFIE COOPER
Sofie Cooper, a Pro Jr. Dragster driver who also crews for her grandfather, Ronnie Proctor, graduated from Washington High School in Charles Town, West Virginia. On track, Cooper picked up a win at the 2024 World Finals and a ProStars victory in 2025. Off track, her résumé is just as full: she served as Student Government Association president, Pep Club president, and a two-year editor-in-chief of the yearbook, while also belonging to the National Honor Society, the National Technical Honor Society, and FCCLA. She also spent two years as media personnel and photographer
58 PDRA660. com