Cody Plewes is an elementary student with a need for speed.
He is known to be the only 13-year-old in 100 Mile House who drag races.
“Seeing a race for the first time ever, I thought it was the coolest thing – the fast cars, burnouts and the smoke,” said Plewes. “I watched the younger kids race and I liked it.”
Last weekend, Plewes raced his dragster for the first time. His car is a high-performance junior dragster. It’s 14-ft in length and has a glossy black finish. This is Plewes second dragster, but it’s the first he’s been able to race.
“It can go about 74 mph,” he said proudly. “It was so exciting to race for the first time. I was scared (initially), but now I am more than okay with it.”
Plewes admitted to feeling almost sick to his stomach, as he sat down in the dragster just before his first race. When he approached the end of the track, he thought it was the coolest thing he had ever done. Plewes raced twice last weekend at Mission Raceway Park.
He qualified second overall (for his class) in his final race.
“It’s exciting to watch, but as a mother I was nervous,” said Plewes’ mother, Jenn. “After his first race, my nerves were gone. He did great.”
In order to become a junior racer, Plewes needs a license from the National Hot Rod Association. To obtain that license, a series of test runs are required, including a blindfold test, where the driver must be able to identify everything inside of the cockpit.
“He has to prove that he can drive the car safely and be able to control it,” said Kevin Chasin, Plewes’ stepdad. “If something ever were to happen, he has to demonstrate he knows what to do.”
By the end of the season, Plewes plans to have competed in at least nine official races. In August he will be headed to Prince George for the Big Bux Race in Prince George at Nitro Motorsports Park. Plewes said he is determined to start taking home some trophies.
“At school, he would tell all of his friends that he has a race car at home and nobody would believe him,” said Jenn. “We obviously couldn’t bring the car to the school so his friends could see, so we created a Facebook account and uploaded videos, so his friends could see what Cody does on the weekends.”
“I don’t know if I’ll race forever, but for now I don’t plan on stopping.”
