01/01/2026
Tabor, Foley, Peek, Wanamaker, Troupe, Earwood, and Adkins II score victories at 11th Annual New Year Nationals presented by Gaspar Body & Paint LLC!
After three great days of racing, the 11th Annual New Year Nationals presented by Gaspar Body and Paint wrapped up on Monday afternoon, crowning winners in Box, No-Box and Junior Dragster at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
The New Year Nationals annually marks the last chance for hundreds of racers to get some racing in on a calendar year, but also, the final shot for Junior Dragster racers that are aging out of eligibility.
The racing got started with Christmas music still dancing in some people’s minds, as the gates swung open on December 26th for test and tune runs. RT Promotions added a bonus race, a no-cost Junior Dragster Final Ride Shootout for the 32 drivers aging out after the event. Luke Tabor would survive four rounds of competition to battle Kade Renoll in the fifth and final round, and Tabor took the win, $1000, and a unique grandfather clock for his efforts.
The landscape changed a bit on the Box and No-Box racing for the New Year Nationals in 2025, as No-Box became a part of the Box class, but as a 42-car max field. They would run separate, with the winner receiving a bonus $1000 in payout before joining the Box class in round seven.
Right Trailers Saturday action found Curtis Peek taking the win in the No-Box category over Maryland racer James Paylor, joining the Box side of the racing action for $10K to win in round seven. Peek wheeled the GMC pick-up to a win over Edwin Garcia to earn his final round slot to face Joe Foley, who dispatched the final dragster of the day in Ricky Whiting.
Peek and Foley would stage up an all-door car final, with the red-hot Joe Foley racing in his fifth final round in five weeks. Ruby would notch the final win light, using a better reaction time and a .03-above 6.01 pass, while Peek fell short with a .05-above 6.49 pass. Foley earned $10,000 and a grandfather clock for his fourth win in five weeks’ time, closing out a solid 2025 season.
The Right Trailers Saturday Junior Dragster final found Alayna Carden staging up with Kenzie Wanamaker in the title round. Carden would get the maximum number of runs on her aging out Saturday racing action, but in the final, she turned on the red light, giving Wanamaker the easy win.
With a change in curfew and fog plaguing the event, the call was made on Saturday to combine the Scorpion Racing Products Sunday and W.L. Black and Associates Monday racing action, giving Box racer a shot at $20K to win, No-Box a $2K bonus for winning, and a top prize of $4K for Junior Dragster competitors.
James Paylor entered his second No-Box final of the event, hoping to earn the final win light. But the Camaro would be denied in a double break out final by Jackson Earwood, who was closer to his dial in by 21 thousandths of-a-second. Earwood was also keeping an entry alive on the Box side, and he advanced both to the ladder round in round seven.
Earwood got the semifinal round bye run to move to the Scorpion Racing Products / W.L. Black and Associates final round, while the lone pairing would be Junior Bunner and Robbie Troupe. Bunner was trying to lock out the final dragster, but Troupe would advance to the final with a 5-pack run. The final round would be over before Troupe left the starting line, as Earwood red lit away his chances, giving Troupe his first-ever race win, the $20,000 payout and a pair of grandfather clocks, which Troupe split up to give a clock to Earwood for his efforts.
The Scorpion Racing Products / W.L. Black and Associates Junior Dragster final would be Hannah Thompson’s last ride in a Junior Dragster, staging opposite Brian Adkins II for $4K to the winner. This time, both competitors keep the green lights on, with just six thousandths separating the two on reaction times, and a close double break out result found Adkins II getting the win by a scant two thousandths of-a-second!
A huge thank you to our sponsors that made this event possible:
Gasper Body & Paint Inc.
Right Trailers
Scorpion Racing Products
W.L. Black and Associates Environmental Services
McMaster Lawn & Pest Services
Thorton Motorsports
GRE Signs
Space Coast Speed and Custom
Ken Grant Snap-On
Junior X Driving School
Chassis Engineering
Easy Life Motorsports
FTI Performance
South Florida Choppers
Plattinum Products
SRQ Plumbing
Rhett's Country Market
D2 Racing
May Race Carbs
Briggs Auto Sales
Champ's Performance Parts
Drag Race Solutions
Thanks to Bradenton Motorsports Park and their crew.
Thanks to the RT Promotions crew.
Thanks to Motormaniatv for live streaming all the racing action!
We’ll have news on the 12th Annual New Year Nationals in the coming months.
Hope everyone had a safe drive / tow home, and a Happy New Year! We thank you for your support, and have a great 2026!!!
