Cody Vincent will be heading back to school this week to start his eighth grade year at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos. The 13-year-old will do so knowing he just wrapped up a successful summer season racing his junior dragster.
Vincent and his parents DJ and Jennifer recently headed up to “God’s Country” for the eighth annual Big Bucks Race, which was held at the Samoa Drag Strip near Eureka.
Vincent, who has been racing competitively since he was eight years old, drives a 2006 Mike Bos Junior dragster which is powered by a Nic Woods Top Dog engine.
By rules, the dragster can go no faster than 85 mph, which means it is all about having a quick and clean start and absolutely no mistakes as the vehicle sprints down the track.
The competition in Eureka brought in 30 young drivers from California, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada. They are divided into two age groups, 6-12 years old and 13-17 years old.
Vincent got off to a rocky start, losing his first race, which meant a tough task of going through the losers’ bracket lay in front of him. All winners from those next races went into the second round of the competition, and he then won five more consecutive rounds to win his age group.
He not only took home a cash prize of $2,000, but also the unique and impressive “Redwood Wally” trophy.
Besides the Big Bucks, Vincent has also competed in Bakersfield, Fallon, Nevada, Redding and at the Eagle Field Drags in Mendota.
The Eureka organizers went out of their way to make the weekend event “family friendly,” even organizing a Saturday evening “Parent’s Race.”
Jennifer climbed into her son’s racer and said it was quite an experience.
“The car launches like a rocket. It slams your head into the back of the seat when you take off,” she explained. “My initial reactions times were horrible, and I lost the first round. But I came back in the next round with a good light and lost the next round due to a break-out–I went faster than the dialed-in time. My top speed was 83 mph but being that close to the ground, it felt like 200 mph.”
The Vincents said that a group of local sponsors has been critical in the young man’s success.
“We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without our sponsors,” Jennifer said. “Quality Collision in Los Banos has been one of our longest running sponsors and provided the amazing paint job on the car. Manuel and Ida Silva, along with JA and Marilyn Cox helped provide our engine, and our other amazing sponsors are Fraiser Irrigation, Donald Vincent, Dave and Sheryl Rosenberger, RPAC, LLC, Bones, the DP Lions Club, and Steve Miller.”
As the family gets ready for the next racing season, any person or business interested in supporting the venture can contact the Vincents through Facebook or Instagram.
