St. Joseph JROTC cadets take center stage at Kansas Speedway 

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- More than 120 cadets from Central and Benton High School's Army JROTC represented the St. Joseph and Northwest Missouri community at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. 

The cadets were invited to take part in the pre-race ceremonies on Sept. 27, giving them a chance to represent their schools and community while showcasing the leadership, discipline and community spirit of St. Joseph.

Before the race got underway, the students also got to experience NASCAR racing simulators, interact with NASCAR personnel and meet some of the drivers. 

Raven Miller-Drag, a junior at Benton High School, said they arrived before the event started, giving them plenty of time to walk around and enjoy everything the event had to offer.  

“We were in groups and just enjoying the shopping or food or watching some of the events and then we had some time on the field when we got to see some of the drivers and be close to some of the vehicles,” she said.  

When the actual event began, Miller-Drag said the cadets were given the opportunity to hold the flag during the national anthem. 

Haileigh Dulcan, Miller-Drag’s friend and a senior, joked that while walking around and looking at all the shops, she could have bought a few things if she had the money.  

“I had never been to a NASCAR prior to this and it was an amazing experience,” she added.  

Miller-Drag, who attended as one of the cadet leaders, said she enjoyed being able to lead the team while watching her fellow cadets have fun and enjoy the experience while still representing their school and program. 

For Auxavier Barr, a sophomore at Central High School, this was his first time attending a NASCAR race.  

“We went to see all the cars as well and during national anthem we spread out the NASCAR flag and they had a B2 bomber flyover which you don’t see often,” Barr said.  

Some of Barr’s favorite memories were simply walking around, laughing and joking with his friends, and arguing over which car they thought would win. 

He explained that the sign-up process was simple. Any student who wanted to attend could put down their name, the hour they were in and their cadet number. 

Central High School brought a total of 85 cadets to the event, along with some family members who came out to support them. 

Barr said he knew tickets could be expensive, so he felt lucky to have the opportunity to be part of the event without having to purchase a ticket.  

“You could see some really cool things and I also recommend joining JROTC because we have so many opportunities for things we get to do,” he added.  

Matthew Simons, a senior, said this wasn’t his first NASCAR race.  

He had attended two races before, so coming back brought back memories from those experiences.  

“It was nice going back seeing NASCAR. It was weird because Kyle Busch died earlier this year and it was weird seeing the race without him,” he said.  

Simons said one of ROTC’s biggest goals is to encourage young people to become better citizens.  

He also said the program provides cadets with many great opportunities to learn, grow and make memories.  

“Two-three years ago we went to color guard for the Royals game and I think it was just year we did a color guard for the chiefs game and you also build a family here,” he said.  

The cadets were also invited into the infield, where they had the opportunity to walk down Pit Road and even sign their names on the finish line. 

Throughout the event, the cadets represented their schools as ambassadors, showing professionalism, teamwork and the values they have learned through JROTC.