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

Ahead of the festivities, some high school and junior high teams took to the track to compete in the Junior 500 on Friday. The junior competition began in 2017 to give children interested in racing an opportunity they might not regularly have.

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

“This is a super super experience for them, and they get to go fast, and they like that the best,” said Kim Goevert, Jennings Jr. High math teacher.

” You are learning STEM, and it’s very fun and kind of like learning how to drive, so you can use that later on in life,” said team member Jaden Walker.

With Indy car teams prepping on the field for this Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive 500, students between the ages of 13-18 got a taste of what life in the fast lane is like.

“For me, when I first got here, I was a bit nervous,” said Walker. “But when I got on the track, it was actually fun. The nerves just went away, and you actually have a good time driving.”

“Even if you can’t drive, there are tons and tons of racetrack careers, and I thought that was 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 racing event, click here.