NHRA Jr. Drag Racer Dies in Crash at Orlando

A seven-year-old driving an NHRA Junior Dragster has reportedly died from injuries sustained in an on-track incident at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida on Sunday.

Elienisse Zoe Diaz, whom reports say was in the first grade, was making one of her first passes in the junior dragster when the incident happened. No further details have been released.

“It is with immense sadness and devastation that I share the passing of our sweet girl, Elienisse Zoe Diaz last night—Tuesday, February 4 at 10:54pm,” read a social media post from her family. “She was called home and entered the gates of heaven—fully healed from her earthly injuries.”

Orlando Speed World Dragway released the following statement:

“We are deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident that took place at OSW on Sunday. Our thoughts and prayers are with Elienisse’s family, and all those affected, including our racing community.”

The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League (JDRL) launched in 1992 as a division of the National Hot Rod Association. NHRA unveiled the first Jr. Dragsters on July 9, 1992, during the 23rd annual Mopar Parts Nationals at Napp’s Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

NHRA’s website offers details about the class:

“The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League offers kids ages 5-17 the opportunity to experience the thrill of racing half-scale dragsters in a controlled racing environment at many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks across the United States and Canada.

“The cars that Jr. Drag Racing League competitors race are called Jr. Dragsters and are half-scale versions of Top Fuel dragsters. Using a five-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, a Jr. Dragster can go as fast as 85 mph and as quick as 7.90 seconds in an eighth-mile, though younger competitors are restricted to slower times/speeds. Just like their full-size Top Fuel counterparts, Jr. Dragsters must meet NHRA’s stringent technical specifications. NHRA also places speed and elapsed-time restrictions on competitors based on their age and experience.”