Junior drag racer Elienisse Diaz Rodriguez, 7, died recently after a crash at Orlando Speed World Dragway.
The seven-year-old drag racer sustained critical injuries at the dragway on “Sunday Funday” when attempting her first pass in the race.
Investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol were called in by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. In the incident, the first grader lost control of her dragster and struck a person who was working on the track, then a concrete wall. There was no serious injury to the worker.
“It is with immense sadness and devastation that I share the passing of our sweet girl, Elienisse Zoe Diaz last night—Tuesday, February 4 at 10:54 pm,” her mother wrote online Per Road and Track. “She was called home and entered the gates of heaven—fully healed from her earthly injuries.”
According to WLBT, the Junior Dragway races are held at a private racetrack sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
Orlando Speed World Dragway said, “We are deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident that took place at OSW on Sunday. Our thoughts and prayers are with Elienisse’s family, and all those affected, including our racing community.”
NHRA’s website offers details about the class:
“The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League offers kids ages 5-17 the opportunity to experience the thrill of racing half-scale dragsters in a controlled racing environment at many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks across the United States and Canada.
“The cars that Jr. Drag Racing League competitors race are called Jr. Dragsters and are half-scale versions of Top Fuel dragsters. Using a five-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, a Jr. Dragster can go as fast as 85 mph and as quick as 7.90 seconds in an eighth-mile, though younger competitors are restricted to slower times/speeds.”
Rodriguez’s love for racing stems from her racing family well known in Florida.
