Athletic achievements continue to be made by Montezuma High School students.
The latest came in motor sports, as 16-year-old Maguire DeJong won the SportMod portion of the Bristol Dirt Nationals Friday evening, March 16, in Bristol, TN.
This comes on the heels of Maguire being a member of Montezuma’s state championship boys basketball team.
SportMod is modified stock car racing, run on a dirt track. The cars can hit speeds of more than 100 miles an hour on the straightaways on some tracks, then the cars slide around dirt corners.
“Maguire in the winner’s circle,” wrote Montezuma Activities Director Tim Burgess. “It’s yet another example how awesome and diverse the things are that our students do.”
SpeedSport.com, which covers motor sports nationally, said DeJong held off four other contenders to get the win in a 20-lap race. A total of 24 drivers placed in the finals.
“I don’t know many 16-year-olds that get this kind of opportunity,” DeJong told a SpeedSport.com staff writer.
He said, “we went to the state basketball championship last week and got right in the car and drove here last Saturday (March 13) for practice.”
DeJong has been seen in some large sports venues. Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines seats about 16,500. Bristol Motor Speedway holds 162,000.
Of course, neither place was full – but many were there and many more were paying attention.
“I’ve got to thank my family, all of the guys in in the pits working on the car and getting ready for every run out here,” DeJong told Speed Sport.com.
“It’s Bristol, baby!”