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National Dragster - Cantrell follows friends to winner's circle

Last year, Jesse Cantrell cheered on friends Cameron Fulfer and Garrett Speck as they wheeled their Jr. Dragsters to the 11- and 12-year-old crowns, respectively, at the NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals. This year, Cantrell's friends returned the favor, supporting him as he waded through the field to take the Wally for 10-year-olds.

Cantrell opened with a freebie when Ryan Mclntosh redlighted in the first round. He then used starting-line advantages of more than .044-second to beat Brianna Bergh, Elizabeth Halley, and Kyle Cramsey. In the semi's, Alyse Janosko got the slight edge out of the gate, .021 to .029, but Cantrell ran right on his 9.18 dial to take the win.

The final was decided at the Tree when Austin Ostler fouled out. Cantrell would have been tough to beat, however, as he put together the best package of the weekend with a .003-initiated 9.187 (9.18 dial).

"I was surprised we ran as well as we did," said Cantrell. "My car ran pretty good all weekend. It was just running a little slower than it usually does. [When the win light came on], I was kind of screaming the whole way down the track. I was just really excited."

About the champ: Cantrell, who was part of the Texas Raceway team, began racing at the age of 8. In addition to his Western Conference Finals victory, Cantrell has four race wins with his Cantrell Motorsports/Bear Creek Masonry-sponsored '02 Harden dragster. His mom, dad, and sister are his crew, and his other hobbies include playing paintball and participating in the Scouts. Tony Schumacher is his favorite NHRA Pro, and his dad, Mike, is his hero. Cantrell thanked his friends Cameron and Ryan, his parents, McGee Cams, Bad Dawg Motorsports, Mayfield Racing, and Randy Tanksley, whom he "couldn't have done it without."

The runner-up: Rocky Mountain Raceways competitor Ostler began his Jr. drag racing career in May 2003 and finished third in the 2004 points standings at RMR. Sponsors of his Motivational Tubing dragster include No Limit Performance, Kim Brown Amsoil Dist., and his mom and dad. Ostler advanced to the final with wins over Lewis Davis, Heather Hambelton, Lindsie Woolley, Sierra Luna, and Jacob Novacek.

Fast facts: After Cantrell's .01-second package in the final, Cramsey had the next-best run with a .026 light and 8.930 (8.92) in the second round. ... One of the closest matches of the weekend was between Rick Nordness and Scooter Bandimere in round one. Nordness won by .008-second, 9.502 (9.44) to 9.819 (9.75). ... Cantrell's .003 in the final was one of three .00 lights; Christopher Northrup and Kyle Mitchell had the other two.