Simmons places first in nation with his tech student dragster

Middlesex has a young national champion. Liam Simmons’ model dragster was quickest out of 173 entries in the middle school dragster competition at the 2026 National Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference conducted June 22-26 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and National Harbor, Md. 

Simmons, a rising seventh grader at St. Clare Walker (SCW) Middle School, started designing his dragster in September 2025. This was his first attempt at building a dragster powered by a CO2 cartridge, said SCW technology education teacher Matt Short. (CO2 is the scientific name for carbon dioxide.)

Short explained that TSA Club students started their dragster projects by learning what makes a CO2-powered dragster fast. Next, students designed their dragsters using Auto-CAD. After confirming their dragster met the design requirements, the students then cut and shaped their dragster out of a balsa wood plank. The body interior is hollowed out to lighten the dragster. The finishing touches consisted of primer and paint, and lastly, assembly.