Drag racing a family affair

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 16, 2024.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Jason Harrison and his son Ryder pose next to a dragster the teenager races in Medicine Hat, on display this weekend at the Street Wheelers show 'n shine.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Street Machine Weekend not only attracted fans of cars and trucks to watch them cruise through the city, admire them at a show and shine or race in front of spectators for 100 feet.

At least a couple of people who came to the city are bonafide drag racers who spend their summer months behind the wheel of cars at a track in Medicine Hat.

Drag racing, of course, conjures thoughts of funny cars, top fuel dragsters and such legends as John Force, Don Garlits, Tony Schumacher, Shirley Muldowney, Doug Kalitta, Don Prudhomme and so many more.

In southern Alberta, Ryder Harrison and his dad Jason of Raymond are among those involved in the drag racing scene.

The Harrison family was at the Street Wheelers show ‘n shine Sunday with a pair of cars – 14-year-old Ryder’s long and low drag racer and his dad’s 1984 Ford Mustang with its 408 stroker V8.

Drag racing, said Jason, “it’s really popular. There are a lot of people around Lethbridge and Picture area that actually go to Medicine Hat and race.”

Ryder’s car is for kids, said Jason, whose daughter also races.

“They have different classes, junior dragsters then they have a class they call super pro which you can run pretty much anything in it. Then you get into blown alcohol dragsters – that’s a separate one yet – then there’s blown alcohol funny cars, and there’s also A fuel which is nitro-methane and they have blown nitro methane like John Force,” Jason said.

Ryder’ races are an eighth of a mile long and he will get up to about 140 km/h in eight seconds.

Ryder’s been racing since he was 10.

“My sister got into it when she was about 10,” and that inspired him to try the sport.

“We actually saw them at a car show when my daughter was eight and nine and she wanted to do it so when she was 10 we got her a car and that’s when we started,” said Jason. His daughter is now 27.

Medicine Hat has the closest track to Lethbridge. Spokane has just opened a new one and that’s the next closest to Lethbridge for drag racing, Jason added.

The summer schedule in Medicine Hat goes from May to September. For Ryder’s class, there are five to six weekends with races on Saturdays and Sundays, Jason said.

Medicine Hat has its own drag racing association, the MHDRA. Its season started May 24-26 and it concludes Sept. 20-21. Its track, the only National Hot Rod Association sanctioned strip in Alberta, is situated in nearby Redcliff.

The next event at the quarter-mile raceway, located on Box Spring Road, is Thursday, July 25 when the Miles of Mayhem Drag & Drive event will be staged.