7/18/2024
US 13 Dragway
Attention Parents
Delmar, DE
Attention parents of juveniles under age of 16 without a valid drivers license.
This message is not something we ever want to hear or share. This week at the NHRA Junior Dragster Eastern Conference Finals in Bristol, Tennessee an accident occurred with a Jr dragster driver being critically injured from falling off of a golf cart being driven by another under age juvenile around the facility at 3:45 am causing a severe head injury. The juvenile was air lifted to a nearby trauma hospital and was admitted in the ICU with a breathing tube. Wednesday afternoon the breathing tube was removed and the driver is now talking with drs and family.
This type of incident is something we, at US 13 Dragway, which we constantly address on our public announcement system, as well as having it posted around the facility “is not permitted.” No vehicle, motorized or not, with wheels, per our liability coverage, is NOT to be operated by any individuals under the age of 16 without a valid drivers license.
After management leaves for the evening, we have been made aware that juveniles continue to drive, under age, erratically round the facility. We do not want to feel we need to implement a “pit vehicle confiscation” guideline or have to put out an added expense for overnight security, but we will if it continues for the safety of all individuals at the track. If we have to resort to a confiscation, any pit vehicle driven by an underage person would be confiscated until the event concludes for the weekend. Hopefully with the support of parents, we will never have to resort to this drastic measure as other tracks have been forced to implement. We plead to the parents to help us with this and not allow your underage children to drive or ride on a pit vehicle driven by another child. The last thing we want is one of our treasured and loved racing family members to be injured in any way.
Please send continued prayers for the jr driver to make a full recovery from this accident along with us here at US 13 Dragway.
Sincerely, Mark and Denise Cathell
Submitted By: Mark Cathell
