Submitted photos – Grant Williamson is the 2025 Samoa Drag Strip Junior Dragster champion.

An exciting race for the 2025 Junior Dragster championship at the Samoa Drag Strip went right down to the final day of action.

The season runs from April to September and recently concluded, with three drivers in contention for the title going into the final event of the year.

Arcata High junior Grant Williamson won the final race to secure the season crown, barely edging last year’s champion, St. Bernard’s junior Isabella Fuentes-Zittel, for the title.

Third Place went to Robert Boynton, with Jeremy Johnson rounding out the top four.

The junior drag racing league normally attracts around 15 to 18 cars for each event, including the popular Big Buck drag race, which is held every summer and attracts several young drivers from out of the area.

As well as racing at the Samoa Drag Strip, many of the local drivers also compete in NHRA Division 7 and travel for events all around the Western United States.

In addition to his local championship, Williamson has also placed in the top 10 in NHRA Division 7 in back-to-back years.

In early September, he traveled to Las Vegas for the division championship race and advanced all the way to the semifinal round.