Island Dragway, Joe Morrison To Host Jr. Street Licensing Event

|Thoughts Racing (Wade Productions)|,
  • Legendary New Jersey dragstrip Island Dragway, NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver “Nitro Joe” Morrison to partner for NHRA Jr. Street instructional and licensing event
  • The May 7 event will kick off the 62nd year of service to the local drag-racing community.
  • Parental involvement is key to the NHRA Jr. Street program.
  • Morrison’s mantra is “Share your passion.”

By Susan Wade

The NHRA established its Jr. Street youth racing program for 13-16-year-olds in 2015 as a way for them to transition from Jr. Drag Racing League competition. And Top Fuel driver Joe Morrison is working with New Jersey’s Island Dragway to help 25 more young racers take that step.

Morrison, always looking for a way to help grow the sport, is spearheading an NHRA Jr. Street instructional and licensing event from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at Island Dragway at Great Meadows, N.J. The event is a collaboration between track operator Melissa Milano, EJK Insurance founder Ed Krajewski, and Morrison, of nearby Flemington.

The purpose of the event is to provide a full-scale introduction to NHRA drag racing by guiding the students and their parents through all phases of competing at an NHRA sanctioned racetrack.

The Jr. Street program gives teenage boys and girls the opportunity to race against their peers in full-body street vehicles with an adult co-driver as teammate. It provides aspiring racers with a cost-effective entry point into drag racing, as they compete in daily drivers.

The May 7 “school” will start with a tech inspection to explain to aspiring racers and family members the importance of safety before hitting the racetrack. Instruction then proceeds to the starting line of the racetrack, where Morrison will teach students the basics of bracket racing, track protocol, and etiquette, along with a few tips for concentration skills and consistency.

Everyone who successfully meets the license requirements also will receive an entry to compete in the Jr. Street division at the track’s Summit Racing E.T. Series event later that day.

“As a Jersey guy, I was raised to embrace the importance of never forgetting where you came from and to share your passion with anyone who will listen,” Morrison said.

He cut his teeth in the sport at Island Dragway in the late 1980s and still owns the track’s Alcohol Nostalgia Funny Car speed record at 215 mph.

“The NHRA Jr Street program is the perfect way for parents and kids to enjoy time together while bringing in new drivers to our great sport,” Morrison said. “To run this program at my home track of Island Dragway is just perfect.”

To help offset the expense associated with the Island Dragway Jr. Street instructional event for these 25 families, Morrison has gathered supporting partners EJK Insurance, MyRacePass, Hagerty, Summit Racing Equipment, RacingJunk, PennGrade1 Racing Oil, and AmericanaGlobal.com.

Joe Morrison, a resident of Flemington, N.J., began his racing career at Island Dragway. (Photo courtesy of Joe Morrison)
Joe Morrison, a resident of Flemington, N.J., began his racing career at Island Dragway. (Photo courtesy of Joe Morrison)

“I’m lucky to work with such amazing partners who understand that it takes financial investment to seed an opportunity like this,” Morrison said. “The fact that our partners were immediately on board with this program shows their dedication to the future of our sport. We’ve gathered inspiration from other NHRA tracks, such as Maple Grove, Tucson, and New England Dragway, who have established exceptional grass-roots Jr. Street programs.

“Our goal is to raise the bar for awareness and growth of the NHRA Jr Street program,” he said. Then, with a reference to one of his favorite movies, This is Spinal Tap he said, “In fact, we want to turn the knobs to 11.”

Morrison draws on his own drag-racing connections. Five years before he was born, drag-racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits officially broke the 200-mile-per-hour barrier at Island Dragway Aug. 2, 1964. Morrison, 52, said, “Like any other competitive racer – I’m looking to follow in Big Daddy’s footsteps of breaking barriers here at Island Dragway.”

Event Details

Date: May 7, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for instruction/license passes

Location: Island Dragway – 20 Island Road, Great Meadows, NJ 07838

Entry fee: $50

Link for registration/sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jr-street-licensing-day-tickets-321399312997

Link to NHRA for JR Street program: https://www.nhra.com/jr-street

NOTE: All participants who successfully license at this event will receive entry to Jr. Street class racing the same day, beginning immediately after the class.

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