Hot Rodders of Tomorrow 2025 PRI National Championship

PRI 2025 is now in the books, every year there is plenty to see with new and exciting products helping advance motorsports. Hopefully, you didn’t miss the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship competition. The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow program helps to guide high school students towards productive automotive-related careers. The students participating come from coast to coast, competing regionally and then nationally, earning scholarship money for trade schools after graduation. The program is staffed by volunteers, most of whom are automotive professionals themselves, all having a passion to see the performance industry thrive.

The competition consists of five-person teams, both young women and men alike. They tear down and reassemble a small-block Chevy for the quickest time. In this process, they remove the carb, distributor, intake, valvetrain, spark plugs, exhaust manifolds, and heads. They also remove the starter, oil filter, oil pan, pump, damper, timing set, rods, and pistons. The cam and crank stay in the block for safety reasons. Pistons and rings remain on the rods as well.

Once it’s torn down, the lead judge will give them the thumbs up, and back together it goes. After completing the reassembly, judges will inspect the engine, assessing correct ignition timing, firing order, and valve adjustment. Anything out of standard will be issued a penalty in time. Other penalty factors are incorrect torque, torque sequences, and dropped parts. The teams are also required to take a general automotive knowledge test that is integrated into their final time. This has proven to be the deciding factor in past competitions as to who will take first and who will not.

The program made its debut in 2008 at the Race and Performance Expo in Schaumburg, Illinois. Since then, many of the major names in performance parts have joined sponsoring teams. Trade schools like Universal Technical Institute (UTI), School of Automotive Machinists (SAM Tech.), and Ohio Technical College (OTC), are all on board with very generous scholarships.

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow mission: helping to provide the next generation of performance enthusiasts with productive, rewarding careers in the automotive industry. Our youth are the future of keeping motorsport alive and well. The Hotrodders program is committed to assuring as many students as possible have the opportunity to enter the field we all love. This event draws a large crowd of family and friends to the SEMA / PRI shows in support of their sons and daughters. Many of the team sponsors come by to cheer for their team during the rounds as well. The public is always welcome to join in viewing the excitement of this fast-paced competition. Be sure to stop by and cheer for your favorite team at next year’s SEMA and PRI shows.

How can anyone not support a group introducing the industry to our youth? — Rolan “Jeep” Worthan

The 2025 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Championship

The 2025 PRI championship had 23 teams competing for north of 2.3 million dollars in scholarship opportunities. Yes, you read that correctly. The generosity of the Tech school sponsors reinforces their commitment to the automotive industry as well. Every winning team member receives a $10,000 scholarship to each of the technical colleges. Scaling down from there, with all competitors receiving $5,000 minimum win or lose. It really is a great opportunity for the competitors to help themselves reduce the rising cost of education. Depending on when the student enters the program, it’s not uncommon for them to graduate with up to $25,000 in scholarship money for school.

With an average run time of 16 minutes and 40 seconds, York County School of Technology – Team Auto Meter lead by Mr. Todd Kessler, dominated this year’s Championship. Followed by Forsyth Central High School Team 2 – Howards Cams (18:49) and Forsyth Central High School Team 1 – Boss Hog (19:16), respectively.

Coach Kessler’s team is mostly seniors, so next season he will be starting over in essence once again. His passion, along with the other coaches and volunteers, clearly shines through. Some of his graduates will utilize their scholarships before heading into the automotive field. Others are looking at apprenticeships in the trades, and all have a strong direction to follow.  In our interview, his students offered what they gained from the program, words and phrases like: pushing their limits, teamwork, communication skills, as well as a genuine need to learn more, drove them while competing.