‘BIG CHECK’ EMMETT WINS THE ROCK’S HOLIDAY JR. JAM Two-Time NHRA Eastern Finals Champ Beats Gross in Main Event Showdown ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Carson “Big Check” Emmett, one of the nation’s most accomplished Jr. Dragster racers, walked away with the biggest prize during the third annual Holiday Jr. Jam championship contested Thanksgiving weekend at Rockingham Dragway. The Cedar Bluff, Ala., racer got a free ride to the winners’ circle and the $5,000 top prize in Saturday’s Main Event when final round foe Mayah Gross of Fairmont, West Va., was guilty of a foul start. A two-time winner of the NHRA Jr. Dragster League’s Eastern Finals (2015 and 2018) and a two-time winner at the 2018 Midwestern Super Series event at The Rock, Emmett beat Cohen Layton of Myrtle Beach, Fla., in the transfer round before topping Cole Paone of Galloway, N.J., Maicy Stewart, also of Fairmont, and Gross. Gross, runner-up in a major event at The Rock for a second time (she was a 7.90 Index finalist at the same Midwestern Super Series race in which Emmett was dominant in 2018), began her march to the final with a transfer win over 2020 Big John Memorial Bracket Championship winner Michael Hypes of Blacksburg, Va. She then beat Zach Parlett of Charlotte Hall, Md., last year’s 8.90 Index winner, and Jorden Denny of Manassas, Va., the 10-13 age group winner a year ago, to earn a berth opposite Emmett. She earned $1,000 as the runner-up. Paone, the only 6-9-year-old among the final seven, earned that spot by beating Rebekah Peterson of Martin, Mich., younger sister of inaugural Holiday Jr. Jam champion Samuel Peterson. Weather once again was an issue, halting competition for three and a half hours on Saturday and therefore postponing the completion of the Pro Tree events until Sunday when Vaughn Dunn of Jackson, N.J., Braydon Deal of Canfield, Ohio, Cory Reed of Winder Ga., and Paone prevailed in the 7.90, 8.90, 11.90 and 13.90 classes, respectively. Friday’s Gamblers Race winners were Santana McMillian of Virginia Beach, Va., Dexter Gomez of Amherst, Ohio and Bryant Crawford of Donalds, S.C., who won the 6-9 class by beating Run for the Money winner Jason Johnson Jr. of McDonough, Ga., in the finale. Elizabeth Finamore of Charlotte Hall, Md., and James Paylor of North East, Md., were the 10-13 and 14-18 Run for the Money winners, respectively. Will Willard of Crockett, Va., won the $500 top prize in Friday’s golf cart race and then reached the semifinals in Sunday’s Pro Tree competition where he lost to eventual runner-up Jake Harvanek of Cheswick, Pa. ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Results from the third annual Holiday Jr. Jam Championship contested Thanksgiving weekend at Rockingham Dragway. Hometowns are North Carolina unless otherwise indicated. Results include reaction time, track time, target time when applicable and finish line speed: THE MAIN EVENT Transfer Round (from age group competition) – Kole Paone, Galloway, N.J., .081, 14.004 on a 13.900, 45.99 mph, def. Rebekah Peterson, Martin, Mich., .076, 12.050 on an 11.930, 54.15 mph; Maicy Stewart, Fairmont, West Va., .006, 8.021 on a 7.900, 80.59 mph, def. Hayden James, Cartersville, Ga., .066, 7.888 breakout on a 7.900, 82.88 mph; Mayah Gross, Fairmont, West Va., .022, 7.925 on a 7.900, 80.59 mph, def. Michael Hypes, Blacksburg, Va., .017, 7.936 on a 7.900, 80.23 mph; Carson Emmett, Cedar Bluff, Ala., .075, 7.979 on a 7.970, 81.13 mph, def. Cohen Layton, Myrtle Beach, S.C., .065, 7.934 on a 7.900, 81.91 mph; Jorden Denny, Manassas, Va., .069, 8.093 on an 8.010, 79.90 mph, def. Zachary McCormick, New Windsor, N.Y., .154, 7.946 on a 7.930, 81.08 mph; Dexter Gomez, Amherst, Ohio, .119, 8.306 on a 8.320, 78.27 mph, def. Alyssa Tilghman, Henrico, Va., foul (-.004); Zach Parlett, Charlotte Hall, Md., bye. Quarterfinals – Denny, .061, 8.134 on an 8.060, 79.12 mph, def. Gomez, .092, 8.369 on an 8.300, 75.52 mph; Gross, .090, 7.939 on a 7.920, 82.69 mph, def. Parlett, foul; Emmett, .043, 8.032 on a 7.960, 73.51 mph, def. Paone, .269, 13.952 on a 13.930, 47.33 mph; Stewart, bye. Semifinals – Gross, .014, 7.952 on a 7.940, 80.81 mph, def. Denny, .029, 8.097 on an 8.080, 79.94 mph; Emmett, .051, 7.971 on a 7.960, 81.53 mph, def. Stewart, .050, 8.049 on an 8.020, 80.99 mph. FINAL – Carson Emmett, Cedar Bluff, Ala., .026, 7.959 on a 7.960, 82.67 mph, def. Mayah Gross, Fairmont, West Va., foul. 7.90 PRO TREE Round 5 – Will Willard, Crockett, Va., .022, 7.889, 80.13 mph, def. Kyle Penn, Tarentum, Pa., .046, 7.873 breakout, 82.46 mph; Vaughn Dunn, Jackson, N.J., .035, 7.899, 75.58 mph, def. Zach Smith, .014, 7.893 breakout, 82.17 mph; Jake Harvanek, Cheswick, Pa., .053, 7.906, 79.18 mph, def. Brooks McMatch, Chesapeake, Va., .089, 7.893 breakout, 82.68 mph; Sarah Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, bye. Semifinals – Harvanek, .054, 7.952, 73.28 mph, def. Willard, .033, 8.028, 74.15 mph; Dunn, .074, 7.926, 76.32 mph, def. Bazell, .088, 7.940, 80.45 mph. FINAL – Vaughn Dunn, Jackson, N.J., .032, 7.887, 77.01 mph, def. Jake Harvanek, Cheswick, Pa., .031, 7.878 breakout, 78.76 mph. 8.90 PRO TREE Round 4 – Brandon Galderise, Powhatan, Va., .115, 8.959, 69.02 mph, def. Brandon Deal, Canfield, Ohio, .153, 8.964, 74.66 mph; Gayge Farrell, Mechanicsville, Md., .014, 8.939, 72.45 mph, def. Zach Parlett, Charlotte Hall, Md., .151, 8.861 breakout, 72.81 mph; Kahlia Lewis, Mechanicsville, Va., .125, 8.934, 74.46 mph, def. Brody Callahan, Fayetteville, .155, 8.916, 75.20 mph; Braydon Deal, Canfield, Ohio, bye. Semifinals – Lewis, .065, 8.905, 74.21 mph, def. Galderise, .093, 8.959, 71.48 mph; Deal, .085, 8.890, 75.14 mph, def. Farrell, .041, 8.876 breakout, 73.77 mph. FINAL – Braydon Deal, Canfield, Ohio, .087, 8.949, 74.68 mph, def. Kahlia Lewis, Mechanicsville, Va., foul. 11.90 PRO TREE Round 3 – Cory Reed, Winder, Ga., def. Jason Johnson Jr., McDonough, Ga.; Kensley Locklear, Pembroke, .254, 12.152, 51.20 mph, def. Jackson Grenier, Manheim, Pa., .168, 11.830 breakout, 53.85 mph; Kaden Paone, Galloway, N.J., .200, 11.926, 54.05 mph, def. Mallory Dietz, Hanover, Pa., .223, 11.946, 52.50 mph; Bryant Crawford, Donalds, S.C., bye. Semifinals – Reed, .151, 11.918, 54.83 mph, def. Paone, .168, 11.928, 54.21 mph; Crawford, .130, 12.073, 52.16 mph, def. Locklear, .314, 12.411,50.54 mph. FINAL – Cory Reed, Winder, Ga., .139, 11.922, 55.17 mph, def. Bryant Crawford, Donalds, S.C., .111, 11.984, 54.67 mph. 13.90 PRO TREE FINAL – Cole Paone, Galloway, N.J., .279, 13.921, 47.91 mph, def. Mathias Brayboy, Maxton, .210, 14,159, 44.08 mph. FRIDAY 14-17 GAMBLERS RACE Round 6 – Santana McMillian, Virginia Beach, Va., .005, 7.888 on a 7.950, 82.58 mph, def. Sarah Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, foul; Blaine Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, .040, 7.936 on a 7.920, 81.69 mph, def. Carson Emmett, Cedar Bluff, Ala., .060, 7.952 on a 7.920, 80.15 mph; James Paylor, North East, Md., bye. Semifinals – Bazell, .038, 7.955 on a 7.940, 77.93 mph, def. Paylor. 064, 7.967 on a 7.930, 78.77 mph; McMillian, bye. FINAL – Santana McMillian, Virginia Beach, Va., .017, 7.908 on a 7.900, 79.15 mph, def. Blaine Bazell, Lancaster, Ohio, .090, 7.904 breakout on a 7.940, 81.46 mph. FRIDAY 10-13 GAMBLERS RACE Round 5 – Mikayla Woodward, Culpepper, Va., .092, 7.924 on a 7.920, 82.22 mph, def. Cole Jennings, Lincoln University, Pa., .105, 7.907 on a 7.900, 83.30 mph; Stephen Rodgers, Waterloo, S.C., .071, 7.913 on a 7.900, 82.27 mph, def. Elizabeth Finamore, Charlotte Hall, Md., foul; Charlie Branton, Conway, S.C., .157, 8.999 on an 8.940, 73.86 mph, def. Zachary McCormick, New Windsor, N.Y., foul; Dexter Gomez, Amherst, Ohio, .072, 8.324 on an 8.300, 76.21 mph, def. Unknown #2918, .112, 8.981 on an 8.960, 72.19 mph. Semifinals – Branton, .024, 8.978 on an 8.980, 73.46 mph, def. Rodgers, foul; Gomez, .058, 8.304 on an 8.300, 77.65 mph, def. Woodward, .097, 7.947 on a 7.930, 82.19 mph. FINAL – Dexter Gomez, Amherst, Ohio, .083, 6.336 on a 6.300, 76.50 mph, def. Charlie Branton, Conway, S.C., .085, 9.037 on an 8.960, 73.80 mph. FRIDAY 6-9 GAMBLERS RACE Round 4 – Jason Johnson Jr., McDonough, Ga., .097, 11.903 on an 11.900, 52.89 mph, def. Cory Reed, Winder, Ga., .107, 11.920 on an 11.900, 56.37 mph; Bryant Crawford, Donalds, S.C., .080, 11.996 on an 11.960, 53.65 mph, def. Kensley Locklear, Pembroke, .205, 12.142 breakout on a 12.250, 50.92 mph; Rebekah Peterson, Martin, Mich., .083, 11.899 on an 11.900, 54.53 mph, def. Ayden Tilghman, Henrico, Va., foul. Semifinals – Johnson, .134, 11.875 on an 11.900, 52.92 mph, def. Peterson, foul; Crawford, bye. FINAL – Bryant Crawford, Donalds, S.C., .051, 12.033 on an 11.970, 52.69 mph, def. Jason Johnson Jr., McDonough, Ga., .116, 11.914 on an 11.900, 52.84 mph.