Winnisquam Regional High students compete at STEM Racing USA National Finals

TILTON ― Students and staff members from Winnisquam Regional High School traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2026 STEM Racing USA National Finals on April 12.

Throughout the year, in their STEM Racing class, the students established racing teams and filled specialized roles, including team manager, resource manager, sponsorship and marketing manager, graphic design, design engineer, and manufacturing engineer. Beyond just racing, the teams developed unique branding, secured sponsorships, and engineered cars to meet rigorous technical specifications.

The STEM Racing USA National Finals (formerly known as F1 in Schools) is the premier national competition where middle and high school students design, build, and race miniature, CO2-powered cars. It is essentially the junior version of a Formula 1 engineering department, combining high-speed racing with rigorous technical evaluation.

Teams are judged on a comprehensive “Formula 1” business model. Teams use CAD and CAM softwares to design and CNC-mill cars from a specific block of material. They must adhere to strict technical regulations. The racecars fly down a 20-meter track at speeds exceeding 45 mph. Performance is judged on both car speed and the driver’s reaction time. Students must create a “Pit Display” (an 8-foot exhibition booth), secure sponsorships, and manage a team budget.

Finally, the teams must prepare a 5-to-10 minute pitch to a panel of industry judges detailing their design process, innovations, and teamwork. Industry experts with decades of Formula 1 experience judged the teams in each category.

In total, 32 professional class teams competed in this year’s event. Some team highlights included a sixth place ranking for the Winnisquam Kinetic Racing Team at the end of day one and the Winnisquam Eclipse Racing Team finishing 10th overall.

In addition to the competition events, the students also toured the Hendrick Motosports Facility where saw the NASCAR Team garages, racing simulators and aerodynamics testing. They also visited the Charlotte Motor Speedway and participated in a question and answer session with a panel of tech experts at GM Motorsport.