The juniors’ racing event in St. Louis awakens a passion for speed and STEM

MADISON, Illinois – It’s a big race weekend in St. Louis with the Bommarito Automotive 500.

Ahead of the celebrations, a number of high school and junior high teams took to the track to compete in Friday’s Junior 500. The junior competition was created in 2017 to give children interested in racing a chance they don’t normally have.

Local high schools and youth teams from both states of St. Louis arrived at World Wide Technology Raceway on Friday afternoon. About 30 students from CBC, Jennings Jr. High, St. Louis University and other schools spent time on the cart tracks on Friday.

“It’s a great, great experience for them, and they’re progressing fast, and that’s what they like best,” said Kim Goevert, a math teacher at Jennings Jr. High.

“You learn STEM subjects and it’s really fun and a bit like learning to drive so you can apply that later in life,” said team member Jaden Walker.

As Indy Car teams prepare on the field for this Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive 500, students aged 13 to 18 got a taste of what life in the fast lane is like.

“When I got here, I was a little nervous,” Walker said. “But once I got on the track, it was really fun. The nervousness is simply gone and you really enjoy driving.”

“Even if you can’t drive, there are loads of track careers out there and I thought that would be interesting for them too,” said Goevert. “They talked about it on the way home, so they liked it.”

For more information on this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive 500 race event, visit Click here.