The School of Automotive Machinists and Auto Club Dragway have announced a partnership to put high school teens onto the dragstrip and get them off the streets with the recently announced High School Summer Series schedule of events for this summer. 

The program kicks off with the 2014 Southern California High School Drag Challenge, scheduled to take place Saturday, May 3rd, 2013 at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California. High school students and alumni are invited to come out to the track and compete on the strip in quarter-mile drag racing, all while earning points for their respective schools. 

The May 3rd event will feature an appearance from 16 time NHRA World Champion John Force along with his traveling Road Show. Force will be on hand to sign autographs, along with providing the experience of a life time by racing one lucky high school contest winner.

In addition to the drag race, there will also be a Show N Shine event along with a Stereo Sound-Off and Manufacturer’s Midway. 

At the end of the event, the school with the most points will be named as the California State Champion. 

The overall Grand Champion will be eligible to win a full scholarship to the SAM School’s Block or Head program with a potential value of over $16,000. It’s contingent upon the fact that the winning contestant receive no moving violations through the duration of the series (May 10-August 23).

“Growing up right here in Southern California I’m thrilled to be a part of this program that’s geared to move the kids to the track. The scholarship from SAM is a tremendous opportunity as well as incentive for these students to follow speed limits and obey the laws of the road.  I have hired SAM graduates that have worked full-time on my race team and think this program offers a tremendous privilege for the kids as well as myself,” said John Force.

The Auto Club Dragway High School Summer Series consists of four races throughout the summer and is targeted toward high school students that graduate in the 2014 school year or after. The four dates for the series are May 10, June 28, July 26, and August 24, 2014.

“We are so honored to be a part of this dynamic program that will allow SAM to make a positive impact on the careers and tendencies of young performance enthusiasts, while providing a service to the community by offering an incentive to not race on the streets,” said Kim Klevenhagen, Director of Development at the School of Automotive Machinists. Klevenhagen went on to add, “We look forward to working with the students and the rest of the community to provide a safe and fun environment to explore their automotive passion.”

For more information on the School of Automotive Machinists and their programs, check out their website. Check out the High School Drags on Facebook!