Keeping Pace: Freeman’s Jake Nickerson will bid for national drag racing crown

For Freeman High School’s Jake Nickerson, practicing with the Scotties football program takes up much of his afternoons, but he’s also keeping focused on his racing career that has evolved into something his football teammates have yet to achieve this season – a championship.

Nickerson, who has been drag racing since the age of 8, picked up the International Hot Rod Association Division 6 Jr. Dragster championship last month. The 16-year old competes primarily at Spokane County Raceway, which is in its first year as a member of the IHRA.

A scaled version of the better known Top Fuel dragsters, a Jr. Dragster reaches speeds of up to 85 mph and can cover the one-eighth mile strip in just under eight seconds.

Nickerson’s championship earned him a trip to Tennessee next month where he’ll be one of 16 drivers in the running for the sanctioning body’s world championship. The race is open to track champions of the IHRA and will be held at Memphis International Raceway.

Drag racing is a sport that makes high demands of competitors, the same as football. Nickerson said each takes a high level of discipline to be successful. His success in winning the divisional championship has gotten him notoriety in the community and his school, including recognition at a Scottie pep rally.

“Football has the physical part that asks a lot of the body and the mind but drag racing is as mentally challenging. In some ways it’s even harder (than football) because you have to be able to judge the distance (of the drag strip for speed and acceleration).”

With football, academics and work on the car to prepare for the Memphis trip, Nickerson has had little time to take in the race season’s accomplishments, he admitted.

“It’s a little surreal that’s for sure,” he said. “People tell me that (he has a chance to win a football title and a world drag racing championship this fall) but I haven’t really grasped it all yet as to how big this could all get.”

For Nickerson the time is now if he’d like to win that world championship. After he turns 17, he’ll leave the Jr. Dragster program behind to focus on full-size race cars. Always a student of the game no matter whether it’s football or racing, Nickerson is preparing for the next step.

“If things go well in Tennessee then I’d like to finish my 1968 Dodge Dart and start racing that in Saturday night bracket races (at Spokane County Raceway).”

While the Dart is calling his name to complete, Nickerson has had some time behind the wheel of a full-size car, often as a teammate to others in his family.

“I have been running my dad’s 1965 (Plymouth) Satellite in the Friday night high school drag races at Spokane County this year then my mom has been running it on Saturday’s at the track’s (IHRA local) show. My dad is busy for sure (preparing all of the race cars) and he’s trying to get done with his 1962 Dodge Dart that my grandpa had, so hopefully it is three generations of us that will have raced that one someday.”

Visions of racing in the bigger cars on high-profile weekends at home or in the region means traveling, something that Nickerson hasn’t done much of in his young career.

The trip to Memphis will be another learning experience in the sport.

“We don’t travel to Canada much (site of two of the tracks in Division 6) but we’ve enjoyed racing at Walla Walla. This trip back to Memphis is going to be a long haul and I’ll be helping to drive some of the way to get out there. It will be a six-day trip for just a few days of racing so I’ll have plenty of time to think about the race, that’s for sure.”