SIMI TEEN ENJOYS PACE OF JUNIOR DRAG RACING.Byline: Ann-Marie Sanchez Daily News Staff Writer Russ Macomber remembers tossing and turning with excitement the night his dad brought home his dream machine. Macomber, who was 13 at the time, had long anticipated the thrill of settling into the driver's seat driv·er's seat n. A position of control or authority. of a custom-built junior dragster The Junior Dragster is a half-scaled version of the top fuel dragster. Also known as the halfscale or jr dragster, it reaches speeds of up to 85 mph. There is a league called the JDRL (Junior Dragster Racing League). The JDRL is a division of the NHRA. and revving up the mega-horsepower engine. But when that moment came the next morning, it proved bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. . ``I got the basic lecture,'' said Macomber, who had turned in a bad report card earlier that day. `` `Bring your grades up or you won't get to race' is what my dad told me.'' That warning, however, coupled with the enticement of being a young drag racer, was enough to change Macomber's attitude toward school for good. Five weeks after bringing his grades up from a D to B average, Macomber was behind the wheel of his Mac Maniac, in which he won the 1993 Pacific Coast Junior Nationals. As one of the area's budding young racers, Macomber, now 17, has found a sport he loves and a lifestyle he can share with his family. ``It was cheaper than a lawyer,'' said his father and mechanic, Gary, laughing. ``I figured it (drag racing drag racing Form of motor racing in which two contestants race side by side from a standing start over a straight quarter-mile strip of pavement. Winners go on to compete against others in their class until only one is left undefeated. ) would keep him out of trouble.'' Now, Russ Macomber, with the help of his parents, travels throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, on most weekends, competing against other drag racers. ``I didn't really know about racing but just decided to try it,'' said Macomber, who attends Royal High School. ``The first time I drove it was up the street and back. It was pretty fun 'cause I never had the chance to drive anything like that.'' Junior drag racing took off in 1992, after East Coast raceway owner Vince Napp built a half-scale dragster drag·ster n. 1. An automobile specially built or modified for drag racing. 2. A person who races such an automobile. so his kids could experience the thrill of racing, according to the National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) . The circuit has swelled to more than 6,000 members between the ages of 8 and 17. ``When we first started, it was every weekend,'' said Linda Macomber, who catches all her son's races on videotape. ``For three years it was a constant go.'' The hectic pace slowed some after Russ Macomber blew the engine of his 1965 Ford Falcon in his last race, back in April. However, Gary Macomber plans to have his son racing again by next month. Last weekend, the family spent Saturday at the Pomona Fairplex watching dragsters growl down the track in triple-digit temperatures. ``We have similar interest in the cars now,'' Russ Macomber said. ``I think the whole family is closer because we're always together. It's a family outing.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color in SIMI SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative ) Russ Macomber, 17, and his parents,Linda and Gary, spend time together on the drag racing circuit. Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News |
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