cougar strong racing #999
​8th grade team

Coaches: Matthew Graham & Chris Morris
Cougar Strong Racing 999 Team Photo
2024-2025

curtis andrews
​​team position:

I wanted to be on the team again this year because I love Cougar Strong Racing and i love working on things. This will be my third year on Cougar Strong Racing and fourth year in Greenpower. I would like to be pit crew chief because I was pit crew chief the last two years and I loved it.

​FUN FACT: I have been at every race for the Cougar Strong Racing team.

eli  brown
​team position:

My name is Eli Brown and I'm in the 8th grade. I joined Cougar Strong Racing because I enjoyed the fun and racing experience from the two previous years of when I was on the team. This will be my 3rd year on the team. Another reason why I joined the team is because I love to race and I like to work with tools. The position I'm most interested in is driving.

Fun Fact: I love to hunt.

david gibson
​team position:

My name is David Gibson. I am in 8th grade at LCMS. This will be my third year on the Cougar Strong Racing team. I joined Greenpower because I like to build things. I have learned a lot in Greenpower over the past two years. The positions I am interested in are pit crew chief, pit crew, and driver.
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Fun fact: I like working on tractors and other farm equipment.

joshua grant
​team position:

My name is Joshua Grant I am in the 8th grade and this is my second year on the team. The position I want is a driver or pit crew because I find both fun. The reason I wanted to join again this year is because I had fun last year and I also want redemption from last year’s second-place finish at Talladega.

FUN FACT: I like watching Formula 1

chloe kim
​team position:

My name is Chloe Kim and I’m in 8th grade. This would be my 3rd year with Cougar Strong Racing and my 4th year racing greenpower cars! I wanted to join CSR because I want to finish my last year with Cougar Strong with some great memories and it was a unique experience at Talladega getting a runner-up last year. I’m dedicated this year to win the championship at Talladega. The positions I’m interested in are driver and media crew.
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​Fun Fact: I can jump rope very well.

elsie lassetter
​team position:

My name is Elsie Lassetter. I am in the 8th grade. This is my third year competing with the Cougar Strong Racing team. I am interested in Greenpower because it will provide me with skills I can utilize for the rest of my life. I was on the Greenpower team last year and really enjoyed it. Last year, I enjoyed learning about the electric car and I hope to learn even more this year. I am interested in driver, social media manager, and pit crew positions. 

Fun Fact: I am very competitive and love racing go karts.

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zoey maurer
​team position:

Hi, my name is Zoey Maurer I am in the 8th grade. I have been a part of Green Power for 4 years. However, this will be my third year on the Cougar Strong Racing Greenpower Team. I wanted to join the team because I knew learning to race cars would be exciting. The job I am interested in is pit crew. I would like to do this job because it is something that I've never done before.
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FUN FACT: I like to paint 

carmin smith
​team position:

My name is Carmin Smith, I'm now in the 8th grade. I wanted to join CSR because I've been doing greenpower sInce since 5th grade. I have been on the CSR middle school team for 3 years now. I'm really interested in getting the driver position because I did it last year but I also think the pit crew chief would be a good job.

FUN FACT: I like hunting and tubing.

randi jones
​​team position:

My name is Randi Jones and I am in 8th grade.  This will be my first year as part of the Cougar Strong Racing team.  I wanted to join Cougar Strong Racing because it seems really fun and I am excited to be on the team.  The positions I’m most interested in are marketing manager or marketing assistant manager. 

FUN FACT:  I play soccer and I’ve been playing since I was 7.

 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 7 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, 2023 - Intermediate Modified Division
  • Season Points Champion 2022, 2023 - Int. Mod. Div.
  • 2nd place national finish 2022 - Int. Mod. Div.
000 Team - Started Fall of 2017
  • National Runner up 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024  Int. Modified Div.
  • National Champions 2022 - Int. Mod. Div.
  • Season Points Champion 2024 - Int. Mod. Div.
555 Team: - Started Fall of 2020
  • National Champion 2021 - Intermediate Stock Div.
  • 3rd place National Finish & Season Points Champion 2022
  • Season Points Champion 2023, 2024 - Intermediate. Stock Div.​​
Mr. Graham's 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 7 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 20 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 2023-2024 season will be the seventh season for our program and he has been there every step of the way, having never missed a race event in 7 years. We are thankful for the time he has invested in our program and hope he stays with us for many years to come.