North Tama sophomore Olivia Youngblood of Traer pictured in mid-August with several of her NHRA Jr. Street bracket drag racing trophies. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – Olivia Youngblood was quite possibly born to race.

While the straight-A, North Tama High School sophomore spends much of her time during the week focused on school – from academics to extracurriculars including volleyball, wrestling, track, and softball – on the weekends, at least when it’s not snowing, she lives and breathes pretty much one thing, drag racing.

“We race typically in Cedar Falls but have been all over the U.S.,” Olivia’s mom Ashley Youngblood told the newspaper in an email last month. “Olivia started racing a Jr. Dragster when she was just [seven years old]. She’s won many, many races! She has now moved up into a newer NHRA category called Jr. Street.”

Jr. Street, a youth racing program for girls and boys aged 13 to 16, was introduced by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) back in 2015. The program has been described as a ‘stepping stone to big-car racing’ in that participants race against each other in full sized street vehicles alongside an adult co-driver as their teammate.

“The fact that you’re controlling a car, it’s just amazing,” Olivia, 15, said during a sit-down with the newspaper in mid-August. “I think everyone should do it. It’s a really cool sport to be a part of.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY YOUNGBLOOD

While the average person is probably familiar with drag racing, Jr. Street involves bracket drag racing which is a little more complicated.

“There’s a lot of math involved,” Olivia said.

According to Dodge Garage, bracket racing is the “grassroots” of drag racing in that anyone can race with pretty much any vehicle. Over a quarter-mile or eighth-mile (Jr. Street races the latter), a pair of racers line up in front of a lighted countdown clock called a ‘tree.’ Ahead of the race, participants are handicapped based on their own trial times – their ‘dial-in’ time – and then released by the tree at the starting line based on those times. The first racer to reach the finish line without surpassing their dial-in is the winner.

“Drag racing is just racing to the end. [In bracket racing], you want to be the best out there. The best package you can get is dead zero [against your dial-in] and a perfect trip on the tree. I’ve done it one time. I was triple on the tree and … I ran dead on my dial but just like slightly off.”

Make sense? If not, Olivia admitted it can be complicated to understand for someone unfamiliar with racing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY YOUNGBLOOD

“I’ve tried to bring some of my friends out [to the track]. I try to explain it to them. They don’t quite get it. Like I said, there’s a lot of math involved. The more consistent you are, the better. The way you win is by beating the other person; go to the next round and race the next person. So, like a bracket, people just keep getting knocked out until there’s a final two.”

As a Jr. Street competitor, Olivia races a silver 1998 Camaro – a gift from her dad, Jeremy Youngblood, who, in addition to racing himself, serves as his daughter’s co-driver.

“It’s a beautiful car. I surprised her with it for her 13th birthday,” Jeremy told the newspaper. “I bought it from Jared Kupka. He found it in a barn for himself. I shamed him into selling it.”

Since she started racing as a Jr. Street competitor, Olivia has dominated much of the local competition at the nearby Cedar Falls Motorsports Park, her home track.

“I do a lot of spot dropping,” Olivia said of her racing style. “Instead of running it out, we drop at a specific spot at the track – we drop it and roll through. My car runs faster than what the track allows. I think we cross the finish at like 70 to 80 [mph] and that’s pulling back.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY YOUNGBLOOD

She has also made a name for herself beyond Iowa by winning the NHRA Division 5 National Championship at the Jr. Street Race of Champions in 2022 – the first female to do so and the youngest.

“[That was] a huge accomplishment for [someone] from small town Iowa,” her mom Ashley said.

With so many accolades to her name, it would seem Olivia was just born to race.

“She’s had to learn everything, but she’s gifted at it, too. She’s been at the track since she was two weeks old. We have pictures of her laying on the golf cart seat, sleeping,” Jeremy said.

In addition to competing on the weekends, Olivia also helps her dad out with his own racing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY YOUNGBLOOD

“I’m his crew chief. I know how to change tires. I help him a lot with his ’95 Beretta,” she explained.

“That’s not a normal thing to do,” Jeremy added proudly.

“I like learning to build cars,” Olivia continued. “I think it’s amazing and I think it’s something everyone can learn.”

Currently, Olivia is in the points race for first at her home track.

“Points are usually two times a month for us,” she said. “It’s kind of like fair. We stay in a camper at the track.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY YOUNGBLOOD

At the end of the season, the racer with the most points in their category moves on to the finals in their division – the race Olivia won back in 2022.

“Each track [in a division] brings a bunch of racers to [the Race of Champions]. They all bring their best racers. I’m hoping to go back this year.”

Olivia’s last points race before the annual Race of Champions is set for the weekend of Sept. 6-8 in Cedar Falls, giving her one final weekend to cement her legacy as a local Jr. Street racer (before she moves on next year to the Sportsman class) while letting it be known far and wide — racing is in her blood.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER