After a month off, Kaitlyn came to the June SCEDA race with a lot of new parts. Through eliminations Kaitlyn’s dragster was running flawlessly. Her opponent in the finals was veteran Robert Strong, who has earned a reputation as one of the toughest racers on the West Coast. Rob threw out a .005 reaction time however Kaitlyn wasn’t far behind him and was closer to her dial. Joining the McGee’s and Panis’s in the winner’s circle is Jimmie G of Racetrans and Jeff Paradise of Dice Converters, who both build winning products.
As Chris correctly pointed out, Saturday was not Father’s Day. Once again Kaitlyn worked her way through eliminations against some tough opponents. On the other side of the ladder was William Paolino her nemeses from the National Open. Seeking redemption for her loss in March, Kaitlyn executed each end of the track flawlessly to deliver that Father’s Day win to Chris! Huge win for a Father-Daughter team, celebrating 18 years of racing together.
Kaitlyn scores r/up at National Open
Kaitlyn was competing in her 1st Wally final in a few years.This race kicked off the 2018 season and included some very gifted West Coast racers. Kaitlyn earned her spot in the final with some brutal packages. Her opponent William Paolino was equally impressive on the other side of the ladder. The final round proved to be an anticlimax as a rare trans-brake electrical malfunction ended Kaitlyn’s chances at the starting line.
Kaitlyn wins 2017 season opener!
Kaitlyn started off her 2017 season with a win at the season opening SCEDA event at Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, on March 11th. With some awesome packages through eliminations she faced longtime announcer, and outstanding driver, Craig Dales in the final. Kaitlyn had a slight starting line advantage and ran closer to her dial. It was a special win as it was Chris’ birthday. Despite racing for 50 years it was the 1st trip to the Winner’s Circle on his birthday! Joining Karen, Kaitlyn and Chris in the Winner’s Circle was Melinda Sharf, Pat Kane and Kaitlyn’s fiancé, Brenden Panis.
Melinda, Kaitlyn, Brenden, Karen & Chris
Kaitlyn wins Meziere Electronics Super Pro
Kaitlyn won the July 10th race at Auto Club Fontana. In the 1st round Kaitlyn raced an outstanding competitor Greg Vines who went .000 on the tree. Kaitlyn wasn't far behind at an .001 that coupled to her 7.913 on 7.91 dial earned her the win! In the quarter finals she faced Jason Rosenbaum and her .008 light gave her room to run a safe 7.931 0n 7.92 dial. In the semis she ran a 7.930 on a 7.93. In the final Kaitlyn had another outstanding .002 rection time and ran 7.92 on her 7.92 dial against Mark Miyasharo's breakout. She climbed to 3rd in SCEDA Series points.
Thank You to all our technical partners!
Our car has been a pleasure to run thanks to Lucas Oil Sure Shift Trans Oil and Supercoolant. It stays particularly stable, even in late rounds with short turnaround time. In addition our combination of M/T Tires, Racetrans transmission and Dice convertor, have given us incredible consistency. At last Sunday's race Kaitlyn had the same incrementals in the final as the 1st round!
String of top qualifiers continues.
Kaitlyn McGee scored a 5th place finish in the SCEDA Series Championship following her quarter final finish against eventual winner Val Torres. Over 50 of So Cal’s best competitors competed in the 10 race SCEDA series held at Auto Club Dragway, Fontana. Earlier in the day Kaitlyn qualified low with an 8.903 and ran a perfect 8.900 in her 1st round victory over Larry.Beckner. Kaitlyn is using a new camshaft designed by her dad, Chris. Her Lucas Oil, K&N, MT Tire dragster ran flawlessly all weekend. Her next race will be the NMCA World Finals in October.
Strong outing at JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals
Kaitlyn qualified #1 and went several rounds of the Jeg’s Challenge held on Saturday of the JEG’S Sportsnationals national event. Kaitlyn defeated Greg Boutte and then Shannon Nelson before losing a close race to eventual event winner Chris Forsythe.
Kaitlyn McGee earns Final Round berth. Hot on the heels of a strong semi final finish, Kaitlyn had an outstanding outing in Race #3 of the SCEDA Championship Series. In the quarterfinals Kaitlyn defeated Ryan Diosdado with an 8.904. In the Semis Kaitlyn defeated Sarah Moldenhauer with a dead on 8.903. Ironically Kaitlyn’s battles with Sarah go all the way back to her rookie junior dragster season in 2001 when she won her 1st “Wally” against Sarah at the NHRA 50th Anniversary event in San Diego. Preparing for the final the crew found that the electronic solenoid that controls the transmission shifting was malfunctioning. Kaitlyn lost a close final to Ray Medrano after the shifter failed forcing her to manually override the unit to shift. She came close to salvaging the run only to lose by inches. Following the event the team had Jimmy G of Racetrans.com fit the latest pneumatic shifting system to Kaitlyn’s car.
Kaitlyn Qualifies #1 at SCEDA event
Kaitlyn drove her Lucas Oil McGee Cams SC Dragster to the #1 qualifying spot at the August SCEDA Series event at California Dragway, Fontana. With the latest Mickey Thompson Tires and a new Hughes Converter, Kaitlyn ran a near perfect 8.904 during qualifying. Kaitlyn also scored her 1st round wins in her new car.
New Dragster for Kaitlyn
The McGee’s took delivery of a new Undercover Dragster for Kaitlyn. It had been running as a Top Dragster in Division 5. After making the necessary modifications for Super Comp, the car made it’s West Coast debut at the 2014 NHRA National Open in Fontana.
2013 NCMA West Awards Banquet After attending two of the NMCA West events in 2013, Kaitlyn finished in the Top 10 of the Edelbrock Super Quick class. The banquet was held at the Edelbrock Museum in Vic's Garage, filled with historic memorabilia of Edelbrock racing. Kaitlyn looks forward to completing the full 2014 NMCA West season.
2013 Super Comp Debut
In 2013, Kaitlyn continued competing in the Pro class of the Summit Series and the Edlebrock Super Quick class with the NMCA West series. During the summer, Kaitlyn had the opportunity to drive the Cook Racing Super Comp Dragster at Sonoma, California. That weekend, Kailtyn competed in two classes and went rounds in her debut. From there, she was hooked!
2012 Season In 2012 Kaitlyn raced a combination of Junior Comp and Pro events, often in the same day. Kaitlyn won in Junior Comp at Fontana. In the spring Kaitlyn focused on Pro and raced at Sacramento, Las Vegas and in the Edelbrock Super Quick event at Pomona. Kaitlyn contested the final four Division 7 Junior Comp events earning 3 Wallys with wins at Barona, Las Vegas and Famoso that put her in contention for another Championship! In Las Vegas she came close to scoring a double win after her JC win during the day and a semi-final in Pro against a large field in the evening.
Kaitlyn also had the honor of appearing at a "Past and Present" Jr. Drag Racing autograph session at the Pomona Winter Nationals along side Top Fuel racers Spencer Massey and Shawn Langdon.
Chris, Gunnar Boelman, Kaitlyn & Karen.
Kaitlyn wins ET Finals Scores R/Up in Race of Champions
Fontana, CA.Kaitlyn McGee completed her final race of the season scoring a huge win in the 2011 Division 7 ET Finals. Kaitlyn's Lucas Oil Junior Comp Dragster ran a 6.906 ET which coupled to her .007 reaction time enabled her to take the win over Phelan's Ashlyn Rice. On Saturday Kaitlyn captured the R/Up spot to Modesto's Curtis Moffett in the Race of Champions support race.
Kaitlyn Earns 3rd Pacific Div. Crown
Barona, CA Nineteen-year-old Kaitlyn McGee won the 2011 NHRA Pacific Division 7 Junior Comp Series Championship at Barona. The prestigious 8 race series has events in CA, AZ and NV. She drove her Lucas Oil/ Advanced Import Specialist’s dragster to a series leading 3 wins, 2 runner-ups and 2 semi finals to claim the series crown over Samie Ball and Curtis Moffett.
Kaitlyn "sweeps" Arizona Swing. D7 Series. This year Arizona hosted three rounds of the prestigious NHRA Division 7 series. Round 1 was in January 2011 at Speedworld, near Surprise, AZ. Despite cold track temperatures Kaitlyn found the Winner's Circle against the always tough, Curtis Moffett. In April the series headed back to Speedworld for round 2.Kaitlyn faced Sammie Ball, who had earlier in the day recorded several perfect lights. This time Kaitlyn was able to edge out Sammie for the victory. The following day the teams moved to the Firebird facility in nearby Chandler, AZ for round 3. Kaitlyn's Lucas Oil Dragster qualified with a 6.901 and had one of those days where both her driving and cars performance were exceptional. She raced Genesis Coombs in the final and recorded a 6.902 to take the victory and a commanding lead in the series.
Once, Twice, Three times a Winner. Fontana.A regular stop on the Junior Comp series is California Dragway, in Fontana. During April Kaitlyn competed in the tracks two regular series races and an additional make up race for a race previously canceled due to inclement weather. Kaitlyn had the good fortune to win all three races. On Saturday she defeated Genesis Coombs and on Sunday she raced Sammie Ball in the first race and Genesis Coombs in the third race. Her victories, coupled to two earlier wins in the spring earned her the 2011 Track Championship.
California Dreaming. Coming into the final weekend of racing at the Auto Club Dragway, in Fontana, Kaitlyn held a slim lead in Junior Comp and a mathematical chance of winning the Junior Dragster series. Saturday's 2010 California State Championship event saw Kaitlyn return to the winner's circle in Junior Comp and climb into 3rd place in Junior Dragster. Joining the McGee team for the weekend was veteran crew member John Speziale who had helped Kaitlyn's family in the 60's and 70's with their race teams in Australia. On Sunday her semi-Final Junior Comp finish secured her series championship. Meanwhile as her opponents fell she amassed enough points with her Junior Dragster to share in a 3-way tie with Jimmy Moroson and Ryan Diasdado.
Kaitlyn wins National Open in Sacramento A huge contingent of racers from six states converged on Sacramento's Raceway Park for the 2010 "National Open". Just like the early pioneers who searched for Gold in Sutter's Mill, Kaitlyn left the track with her own share of precious metal. In Junior Dragster, over a period of 12 hours, she eliminated all her opponents before finally being able to claim the coveted "Wally". Once again she came very close to scoring an illusive double by reaching the Junior Comp finals where she runnered-up to Oregon's Jake Daniels. She also had a strong semi-final showing in Sunday's Division 7 round.
Weekend at Bernies Surprise, AZ. Hundreds of competitors headed to Bernie Longjohn's "Speedworld" Dragstrip, near Phoenix for the 2010 "National Open". Kaitlyn came close to scoring a double. She drove her Lucas Oil Junior Comp Dragster to the winner's circle to win the "Wally" against Darien Lederer from Vacaville, CA. In addition she made it through a tough field of Junior Dragster races and despite a .009 light, narrowly missed scoring a double against Zac Mezeire of Escondido, CA. She was runner-up in Sunday's Division 7 round.
Champions Honored at NHRA Banquet
NHRA Division 7 Champions were honored in Ontario, CA, on December 6th, 2009. Kaitlyn received her trophies, jacket and Gold card for her Division 7 Junior Comp Championship and the "Race of Champions" award for her Junior Dragster. Before the awards were over Kaitlyn presented series sponsor, and Vision's founder, Bud Fizone with a plaque on behalf of all the Junior Comp competitors.
Kaitlyn McGee 2009 Junior Dragster "Race of Champions"
Kaitlyn McGee Wins “Race of Champions”
Kaitlyn McGee won the 2009 “Race of Champions” for the 15-17 year old Junior Dragster drivers held at Fontana Sept 12th.
The Race of Champions is an event where the top two drivers from all the participating tracks in Division 7 (western states), compete in a special race to crown an over all champion. Kaitlyn, representing Auto Club Dragway Fontana, helped her team score the team victory for the day as well. To cap off her weekend she also was the #1 qualifier with her Junior Comp dragster and scored a semi final finish to eventual winner Patrick Downs in Sunday’s ET Finals.
In the final round her McGee Cams, Lucas Oil, Visions dragster took the win over Brittany Schmidt representing Speedworld, AZ.
Kaitlyn McGee Wins Race and Clinches NHRA Division 7 Title. Fontana, CA. After completing championship rounds at Phoenix, Bakersfield, Tucson, Sacramento and Barona, the NHRA Division 7 series returned to the California Dragway in Fontana, CA. The event was the sixth in the eight-race series that will determine the 2009 Division 7 Jr. Dragster and Junior Comp champions. McGee added to her points lead in the Jr. Comp class when she defeated Curtis Moffett in the final. McGee had the better light, .013 to .035, and drove her Lucas Oil, Visions Racecars dragster to a 6.934 win against Moffett, with a 6.948. Patrick Downs and Samantha Ball were semifinalists. After six events and five straight final rounds, Kaitlyn’s point tally has earned her the 2009 NHRA Division 7 Junior Comp title. She has amassed 389 points with Curtis Moffett second at 234 and former national champion Kristi Thompson third with 143 points.
In addition Kaitlyn also won with her Junior Dragster and took over the Fontana track championship point's lead.
Mike Rice presents Kaitlyn with her trophy
Kaitlyn McGee Wins Division 7 Race
Over 100 teams attended the Division 7 races at Famoso, in Bakersfield, CA on March 28th, 2009. The event had been scheduled for the previous weekend when it was hit with a huge storm.
In Junior Comp Kaitlyn McGee used a .011 reaction time to score a holeshot win over series leader Kristi Thompson. Kristi’s 6.906 was not enough to overcome Kaitlyn’s starting line advantage in her Lucas Oil/ Visions dragster, and Kaitlyn was able to ease off to a safe 6.917 and turn on the win light. Alissa Barnard was the Semi Finalist.
The next round on the schedule will be Tucson on April 19th where several new entries are expected in the class.
NHRA Jr. Comp Cars Make Historic Exhibition Runs at Auto Club Finals Nov 18, 2008
2008 NHRA Jr. Comp cars make exhibition runs at NHRA Finals November 18, 2008 Fans attending the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals over the weekend got a chance to see Jr. Comp racing firsthand when a pair of cars were put on display and later made an exhibition run during the weekend. Kristie Thompson and Kaitlyn McGee displayed their Jr. Comp cars on Saturday and Sunday and kept busy answering questions at the display. On Sunday, Thompson and Andrew Madrid, who subbed for McGee because of age restrictions prevented her running at a national event, made a side-by-side exhibition run as part of the event’s pre-finals activities. Both made strong eighth-mile runs near the 6.90 limit with Thompson, far lane, putting a 6.86 on the boards and Madrid clocking a 6.93.
Dr. Sonny Fox of Christian Motorsports Illustrated Interviews Kaitlyn McGee
jrdragster.nhra.com March 08
McGeeIs The Best In The West After a remarkable 2007 season that included winning the Division 7 championship in the 13-14 year old age group, Kaitlyn McGee was awarded the prestigious Jr. Racer of the Year award during the Division 7 banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada in January. In addition, McGee helped her Los Angeles County Raceway (LACR) team win the Division 7 team championship, won the LACR track championship, advanced to the quarterfinals at the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals and finished as runner-up in the SCEDA series.
