GALT, CA (MPG) - Local teen Jeff Garner, a junior at Liberty Ranch High School, wrapped up his 2025 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Jr. Drag Racing season with an impressive string of finishes that turned heads on the regional and national stage.

Since mid-June, Garner captured four major race wins, including the coveted National Hot Rod Association Pacific Division 7 Race of Champions in the 15- to 17-year-old division at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 6. This marked the second time in three years that Garner has earned that title, an event open only to drivers who qualify through top performances at their home tracks in California, Nevada, Arizona and western Colorado.

Garner also collected event titles at Redding Motorsports Park, Samoa Dragstrip near Eureka and Firebird Raceway in Eagle, Idaho, near Boise.

 

Jeff Garner is shown racing during the 2025 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Jr. Drag Racing season. Photos by Bob Johnson Photography

In addition to his wins, Garner recorded three runner-up finishes and multiple semifinal showings, including in the 32-car Mike Bos Shootout at the National Hot Rod Association Eastern Conference Finals in Bristol, Tennessee, this past July.

“I’m proud of how we ran the last part of the season,” said Garner. “Winning the Race of Champions again was a huge goal, and I’m really grateful for my family, our sponsors and everyone who’s helped along the way. We really ended this year on a high note.”

Garner is sponsored by System 1 Filtration, a Tulare-based company that provides racers with a wide range of high-performance oiling systems and filtration products. Professional race teams such as John Force Racing, Richard Petty Enterprises and Hendrick Motorsports have run System 1 products in their operations.

“I especially want to thank System 1 Filtration for being a great partner over the past two years, and I look forward to our continued success together into 2026,” Garner said.

Garner is also a Jr. Development Driver for JCM Racing, a professional National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel and Funny Car team, which competes at the highest level of drag racing with team drivers Ida Zetterström and Alexis DeJoria. The JCM Racing Jr. Development Driver Program was founded in 2023 as a way to help young racers with aspirations of one day competing in the National Hot Rod Association’s professional ranks.

 

Pictured is Liberty Ranch High School junior and National Hot Rod Association Jr. drag racer Jeff Garner. Photo courtesy of Jeff Garner Racing 

Garner, who began racing at age 11, has a total of 29 event wins and 12 runner-up finishes in his five seasons of National Hot Rod Association Jr. Drag Racing. He will remain eligible to compete in the program for two more years, but he’s already preparing to move up to a full-size dragster, with plans to upgrade his National Hot Rod Association competition license to Super Pro/Super Comp before the end of 2025 and enter select “big car” events next season.

“I’m excited about the next chapter of drag racing,” Garner said. “Going 85 mph in seven seconds in the Jr. Dragster is awesome. Adding nearly 100 mph to that top-end speed in the same amount time is something I can’t wait to do to close out 2025.”

Competitive drag racing runs in the Garner family. Jeff’s grandfather, John, attended his first drag race in 1964. He went on to drive his own cars and build parts and cars for other racers for five decades. Jeff’s father, James, has raced a dragster for nearly 20 years.

Outside the racetrack, Garner is a dedicated student and active member of Liberty Ranch High School’s FFA chapter, where he competes in Parliamentary Procedure and Agricultural Mechanics Career Development Events.

 

Jeff Garner’s Jr. Dragster vehicle. Photo by Bob Johnson Photography

When he’s not turning wrenches or chasing win lights, Garner enjoys playing the drums and spending time with friends and family. Jeff represents a blend of hometown pride, hard work and determination; values that fuel both his racing success and his life off the track.

National Hot Rod Association Jr. Drag Racing is a youth motorsports program for drivers ages 6 to 17, featuring half-scale dragsters that cover the eighth-mile track in as little as 7.90 seconds and reach speeds up to 85 mph. For comparison, Garner’s Jr. Dragster would easily outrun a Toyota Camry, which covers an eighth-mile dragstrip in about 10.4 seconds. A race between his Jr. Dragster and a Mustang GT 5.0 would be closer, but Garner would still cross the finish line first, more than 100 feet ahead of the Mustang.

The cars are powered by single-cylinder, four-stroke engines running on methanol, and the program emphasizes safety, sportsmanship and family involvement. Many professional National Hot Rod Association stars, including Erica Enders, J.R. Todd and Leah Pruett, got their start in Jr. Dragsters.