cougar strong racing #999
​8th grade team

Coach: Mr. Matthew Graham
Cougar Strong Racing 999 Team Photo
2022-2023

lucy marie hart
team manager

My name is Lucy Marie, I am in the 8th grade, and this will be my second year on the Cougar Strong Racing team. I wanted to be on the team because I wanted to experience something new in design, team building, and assembling a F24 car. I am looking forward to the racing, team working, and having lots of fun. I am the Team Leader again this year. The responsibility I have as team leader is to make sure the team is in check. I work on our presentations and make all big decisions with input from my team.

​Fun Fact: I love to play tennis, I have played since I was 4 years old. 

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Preston strickland
pit crew chief

My name is Preston Strickland, and I'm in the 8th grade. I joined CSR because I have been in Greenpower since 5th grade and enjoy all the things we do during the season. I have won two consecutive national championships for 000 and 555. I am the Pit Crew Chief again this year, and my responsibilities are to take charge of the pit crew when there is a problem with the car, and always make sure the car is ready to race. My goal is to lead Cougar Strong Racing 999 to another National Championship.

Fun Fact: I am left handed. 

clint tanner
asst. pit crew chief

Hi, my name is Clint Tanner, I am in the 8th grade. I have been a member of Cougar Strong Racing for 3 years. I wanted to reapply for the team this year because I have really enjoyed the past two years and wanted to finish out middle school a part of this awesome team. Our 7th grade team ended the season winning the National Championship at Talladega Superspeedway. Not a bad way to end the season. I was also on the 5th grade goblin team at Rosemont Elementary before starting middle school. The positions I would like to have this year are Pit Crew Chief or Driver. 

Fun Fact: I am also a member of the SCTP West GA Patriots shotgun team. 

owen tucker
pit crew

My name is Owen Tucker. I’m going into 8th grade and wanted to join the team because I enjoyed it when I was on the 000 pit crew in 7th grade. This will be my second year on the team. I’m interested in the position of pit crew because like I said earlier I was on the 000 pit crew and really enjoyed it. 

Fun fact: I’ve broken 3 bones 

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Lillian Johnston
driver

My name is Lillian Johnston and I am in the 8th grade. This is my 3rd year on the Cougar Strong Racing Team. I wanted to rejoin the team again this year because the past 2 years have been thrilling. I look forward to working with an excellent group of team members again. I have been given the opportunity to drive the #555 and the #000. I hope to earn the spot as driver of the #999 and work with my team to win another National Championship.
 
Fun Fact: I love to fish, ride four wheelers, and side-by-sides.

Drew Pearson
driver

Hi, my name is Drew Pearson, I'm in the 8th grade. I was on the team last year for the first year and I loved it. I wanted to join the team again because I believed that I could contribute a lot and that I would enjoy being a part of the team. Last year I loved how much experience I gained from being a part of the team and all the relationships I was able to build with my teammates and coaches. This year I am hoping that I can be one of the three drivers selected for the team so we can go win another national championship!
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Fun Fact: My favorite sport to play is football. 

caroline harry
driver

Hi, my name is Caroline, and I am in the 8th grade.  This will be my second year on the Cougar Strong Racing team.  I wanted to rejoin the team because I loved driving for the team last year and then proceeding to win the National Championship with the rest of my team.  I am a driver again this year because I have a light and small figure that would advance our times to get as many laps as we can.  

Fun Fact; I love to go fishin’ and have 3 dogs (Cooper, Diesel, Georgia) and 1 cat named Simba because he looks like a ripoff version of Simba off Lion King.  



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myles gill
pit crew, alternate driver

I am on the pit crew and also the backup driver. As a member of the pit crew, I am responsible for keeping the car in healthy condition and diagnosing & fixing any problems with the car. If anything happens to one of our three drivers that prevents them from driving, I fill in their spot as the alternate.

Fun fact: I was born in Alaska.     



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kayden anderson
social media manager

My name is Kayden Anderson, and I am in the 8th grade. I wanted to join Cougar Strong Racing again because the past two years I have been on the team have been the best!  I am Assistant Team Manager and Social Media manager. I assist the Team Manager when they are vacant and when they need extra assistance. I also take pictures and videos, and post them on social media.

​Fun fact: I tournament fish and ride four wheelers.



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blaine hardgrove
pit manager

My name is Blaine Norred and I’m in the 8th grade. This is my third year participating on the Greenpower Cougar Strong Racing team. I joined the CSR team because the last two years I have joined have been a blast. It has also taught me many things that I can now use in the future. My position on the team is the pit manager. I organize the pit so it is clean and make sure everything is in place and ready for our pit crew to use the tools and work on the car when needed. 

Fun fact: I play many sports and love riding four-wheelers and Side-by-Sides.

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braelin bohannon
data manager

My name is Braelin Bohannon, I am in 8th grade, and the reason why I wanted to join greenpower was because I was interested in building and designing an electric powered race car and hanging out with my friends. This is my third year on the team. My job is the data manager, so it is my responsibility is to get as much information as I can, track how many laps our car gets, and record any information like if we wreck or slow down so we will know how to fix what was wrong with the car, and how to do better next time.

Fun fact: I like going mudbogging and playing softball.



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yosgart galvez-martinez
trailer manager, gopro manager

Hello my name is Yosgart Galvez-Martinez. I am in the 8th grade and I wanted to join the Cougar Strong racing team because a lot of my friends are on it so I wanted to try it out. Also this is my first time being on the Cougar Stong Racing team.  I am the trailer manager and gopro manager. When we pack up before and after race events it’s my responsibility to supervise the packing and organize our race trailer efficiently. I also ensure all 3 of our GoPro cameras have fresh batteries and empty memory cards prior to each race heat.
A fun fact: Is that I have one dog named Rambo.

etta langford

Etta Langford was selected as a brand new member of our team for her 8th grade year at Long Cane Middle School. She was so excited to join Cougar Strong Racing and was looking forward to contributing to the team effort for the 2022-2023 season. She had said that she was fine with any job where ever she was needed because they were all important to the success of the team. Sadly and unexpectedly she passed away on the evening after her fourth day of eighth grade. She was just 13 years old. Words do not do justice to describe the heartache from this tragedy. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Her obituary can be read here:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lagrange-ga/etta-langford-10886325/amp

 Team coach / teacher - Matthew graham

Mr. Graham created the very first Greenpower Tech class and GreenpowerUSA team in Troup County in the fall of 2017. Over the last 4 seasons the program has grown to 3 teams and emerged as the most dominant middle school GreenpowerUSA program in the United States. His teams have earned the following honors...

999 Team - Started Fall 2019
National Champions: 2019, 2020, 2021 - Int. Mod. Div.
Season Points Champion 2022 - Int. Mod. Div.
​2nd place national finish 2022 - Int. Mod. Div.
000 Team - Started Fall of 2017
Runner up 2019, 2020, 2021 - Int. Modified Div.
National Champions 2022 - Int. Mod. Div.
555 Team: - Started Fall of 2020
National Champion 2021 - Intermediate Stock Div.
3rd place National Finish & Season Points Champion 2022 - Intermediate. Stock Div.

Mr. Graham's goal goal is to serve as an ambassador for GreenpowerUSA in Troup County and the surrounding areas to increase awareness & participation in this exciting and engaging STEM program for elementary, middle, & high school students. He looks forward to building on last year's success to achieve even greater goals for year 5 of this program at LCMS!
​Mr. Graham holds a Specialist Degree in Middle Grades Education from the University of West Georgia, and is certified in Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Special Education, and Gifted Education. He has been teaching at Long Cane Middle School for 18 years. ​

 assistant coach - chris morris

Chris Morris got involved with Greenpower in the fall of 2017 when his daughter Chloe joined the team as a 6th grade student. He began volunteering in various capacities and quickly became an integral part of the team. His contributions have made a tremendous impact on the success of our program across the three years in which his daughter Chloe was a member. After she moved up to the high school Chris decided to continue serving as an assistant coach with Cougar Strong Racing because he believed in the value of the experience for our students. He is solely responsible for all the modifications and upgrades found on the inside of our race trailer, and he has been a great mentor to our team members. The 2022-2023 season will be the sixth season for our program and he has been there every step of the way, having never missed a race event in 6 years. We are thankful for the time he has invested in our program and hope he stays with us for many years to come.