Charlotte and Austin Ecks weren't just born to drag race.

They were born because of drag racing.

The siblings' parents, Brian and Nicole Ecks, met 31 years ago while competing in the Junior Drag Racing League (JDRL) in New Jersey. "The (JDRL) program started in 1993, and I started at the tail end of that year," Nicole said. "Both of our fathers raced, so the kids now are third-generation racers."

Brian started the following year at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, which is where the JDRL originated. "We kind of grew up together and raced together and then, many years later, started dating, got married and now have kids that do it," Nicole said. "They've started it because we were interested, and we knew the program existed."

Charlotte, now 15 years old, began her racing career at Atco Raceway in New Jersey. She earned her license and competed in her first race at 9. "I used to go to Atco, and my dad would race his car, and I remember I would always want to go up and watch the juniors race," she said. "It took me a while to know that I wanted to do it, and then I told my dad, I said, 'Dad, I think I want to race juniors.'"

Austin, 12, did not start racing until two years ago. "At first he didn't want to," Brian said. "He said, 'I just want to play baseball. I want to ride my dirt bike.' Then we were going over to the baseball field one day and he says, 'How long does it take to build a junior (dragster)? I think I want to race, too.'"

Austin said, "I thought it looked pretty fun, and I wanted to go fast." Nicole noted that Austin's learning curve was relatively short since he had already been around the sport for many years.

Both siblings have enjoyed success on the track.

Charlotte is the 2025 Junior Dragster Track Champion at Maple Grove Raceway. "It was a big accomplishment, especially toward the end of the point series when it started getting stressful," she said. "Hearing someone tell me, 'It's official; you're the champion' was like a sigh of relief. It was just so exciting, and I'm very grateful."

Charlotte recently participated on the national stage at the NHRA Reading Nationals, representing Quarryville in the event televised on FS1, and was a finalist in the competition. "Watching it back is really cool, but it was also kind of weird seeing yourself on TV," she said. "But it was an amazing experience."

She can compete in juniors for three more years. "I'm probably going to race juniors up until I'm 18, and then once I get my license, I plan to race an S10, which is my uncle's (Kevin Ecks') race car," said Charlotte. "I'm saving up to buy that, and then hopefully I'll be racing that."

Austin, a seventh-grader at Smith Middle School who also wrestles and plays baseball, is the reigning 2024 Mid-Atlantic Super Series Champion and 2024 Series Rookie of the Year. After he ages out of juniors, Austin plans to race his dad's car. Brian still competes, but not as frequently as he used to. "We have a lot more fun watching the kids race," Brian said.

Chassis and engine builders construct the parts, and Brian assembles the car. Charlotte and Austin are learning about the equipment. They do a lot of the maintenance at the track and gas up the cars and check the tire pressure. Charlotte's car can go as fast as 85 miles per hour, while Austin can reach 75 miles per hour.

The JDRL uses bracket racing, so the winner is not always determined by the first racer to reach the finish line. Bracket racing is a handicapped form of drag racing where drivers predict their car's performance, setting a "dial-in" time for a standard distance. Charlotte and Austin have raced one another one time. "This year was our first time racing each other," she said. "I won. It was a really close race, though. He had the reaction time, and then I think his car slowed up, so I was able to come around him, but it was a good race."

The season runs from March to September. In the offseason, Charlotte and Austin use a practice tree hooked up to the pedal from their car to work on their reaction times.

Nicole is a big proponent of the sport. "Obviously it's played a huge part in our lives because it's quite literally built our family," she said. "It's just a program that I wish would get more, not recognition, but just for people to know about it, because we want to keep the junior numbers growing because that's the future of drag racing. And the sportsmanship in this sport is unlike any other. It's unmatched."

As an example, Brian noted that parents join forces to fix dragsters even if that racer is facing their kid.

Charlotte, a sophomore at Solanco High School who is on the school's volleyball and softball teams and is the class treasurer and a member of Student Senate, stated that her favorite part of racing is the camaraderie among the competitors. "I think it's just the people there, the atmosphere," she said. "Obviously, I love racing, but going there and spending time with your friends and even if you race one of your friends, there's no bad blood. It's just such an amazing group of people, and I love being around all of them."

Nicole encourages parents to investigate the possibility of having their children join the JDRL. "I would say the first step is to come out to the track and see it in action," she said. "Talk with the parents. There are parents there that have taken on families and showed them the ropes. There are always cars for sale. You can build a car. You can buy a used car. The first step is coming to the track and just seeing kind of what it's about, seeing the kids in their element, and having fun and then just ask questions from there. ... We're fortunate enough that we're right between Cecil County Dragway and Maple Grove. We're thankful that Charlotte and Austin have sponsors and that they get the opportunity to be a part of it. We're just grateful."