9/26/05   Rucks wrecks Mayse’s party at Memphis Million

illington, TN--Texas racer Robbie Mayse must have believed that the racing gods were on his side. After all he supposedly had won $250,000 in the Lottery the week before “The Million” and went into the final round again Alabamian Jeff Rucks coming off a semi-final by run where he ran a perfect 5.080 on a 5.08 dial.

Unfortunately for Mayse, somebody forgot to tell Jeff Rucks that Mayse was the favorite, and all that Rucks did was cut a near perfect .003 light and ran an out-the-back-door, no-lifting 4.833/140.18 that forced Mayse who had a respectable .017 light to breakout with a 5.078 on his 5.08 dial. The win was worth about $245,000 if there was no prior “agreements” among the finalists. Mayse could have collected as much as $50,000 for his runner-up performance.

The first round of “The Million” saw 244 cars take the startling line and it took about three hours to complete that round. It took about the same time for the second and third rounds, so it’s safe to assume a lot of the competitors paid the $500 to buyback after the first and second rounds.

The 244-car field was full of bracket racing stars such as Luke Bogaki, the Folk Family, Johnny Labbous, the Richardsons, and other touring pros, but all were gone by the quarterfinals when Brian Folk was hammered on the tree by Aaron McCaulla’s .009 light to Folk’s .028. McCaulla ran a 5.111 on a 5.10 dial to Folk’s 4.780 on a 4.70 dial, which only proved that bracket racing has many great drivers you may never of heard of before.  But now that the tenth annual “Million” is completed, Jeff Rucks and Robbie Mayse aren’t part of that group any longer.

9/23/05   Day Two

By Duke Tyree

he Million Dollar main event hasn’t started yet, but there are already a handful of drivers who have significantly improved their net worth at the tenth annual BTE Million Dollar Drag Race in Memphis. Thursday’s Gambler’s Race winner, Brent Glass, walked away with $10,000 but that’s pocket change compared to the three drivers who hit the jackpot on Friday.

The first event of the day was the Barker Trailer Sales Twin 20 race that paid $20,000 to the champion. More than 420 cars participated in the event, a sizable increase over past seasons. As is often the case with big money E.T. events the field was dominated by rear-engine dragsters. By a conservative estimate, 85-90 percent of the cars entered yesterday were dragsters, so of course it should come as no surprise that the winner, Kevin Pruett, was driving a ’66 Chevy II wagon. Pruett didn’t seem to mind getting the headstart in every round as he successfully held off all ten of his opponents to capture first place.

Pruett, of Millbrook, AL, survived the nine-round marathon to beat Chris Garrett of Elizabethtown, KY, in the final round. After reaction times of .009, .001, and .004 in the late rounds, Pruett capped the win with a .016 light and a 6.09 on his 6.08 dial. Garrett wasn’t far behind with a .026 light and a 4.767 on his 4.75 dial in his dragster.

In today’s economy a $1,000 doesn’t go as far as it used to but at the Million Dollar Drag Race, a grand is still enough to “buy” a nearly race-ready dragster. Actually, it was enough to buy two dragsters as promoter George Howard once again came up with a unique and rewarding promotion. Last night, Howard held a special event where the winner and runner-up in a special 64-car shootout each received a Race Tech dragster chassis and engine. For a $1,000 entry fee, the winner received a rolling chassis complete with an all-aluminum 522 inch engine from Brodix. The runner-up also got a Race Tech chassis and a 540 inch steel big block engine from Huntsville Engines.

Noted gunslingers Jason Lynch and Todd “Bones” Ewing, waded their way through the field and Lynch, who drives a dragster for Bullet Motorsports team owner Mike Dzurilla, prevailed by a thousandth of a second. Ironically, both drivers have previously won the NHRA National event in Memphis. Lynch claimed the Super Stock title in 1998 and Ewing won the Super Comp title in 2003.

Another irony was that neither driver knew exactly what they’d won until after the final round.

“I just heard they were having a race for a dragster and I just sold one of my dragsters so I figured that I had better go enter it,” said Lynch. “I’ve got a 36-foot trailer here with just one car in it so I’ve get plenty of room to haul it home. Hell, if I get to work on it, I can have it running in time for the Winter Series in Florida.”

“I knew I was racing for a dragster and an engine of some sort but I didn’t have a chance to really check it out,” Ewing added. “I just knew that as long as I got to the final, it’d be worth the grand that it cost to enter.”

Of course Ewing should have known what the runner-up prize was since he races for the Huntsville Engine team. Yes, the same Huntsville Engines that supplied the engine for the giveaway car!

When the racers awoke Sunday morning the skies were overcast and the remnants of the Hurricane that stormed through Texas and Louisiana were reportedly headed to the Memphis area, yet that didn’t stop 244 hardy souls from anteing up the $2,000 needed to enter the Million Dollar main event. With another solid car count, promoter George Howard has announced that the winner of the race will receive $235,000. For the sake of comparison, Del Worsham claimed $225,000 for sweeping the Skoal Shootout and Funny Car title at the U.S. Nationals earlier this month and it's probably safe to assume that his expenses and overhead are substantially more than that of today’s winner.

While there is just one driver who will be crowned the winner of the prestigious BTE Million, many others will leave Memphis Motorsports Park with cash and prizes. The runner-up will pocket $50,000 and each of the semi-final finishers will receive $10,000. In addition, drivers will get $1,000 per round won beginning in round three. There are also a large number of sponsors who have agreed to post prizes and cash for the overall best package in each round. Those sponsors include Holley, Hooker Headers, Jet Hot Coatings, Lunati, Weiand, Dedenbear, ARP, and Fel-Pro.

9/23/05   Kevin Pruett wins the first of two Barker Trailer Sales "Twin Twenty" races. Jason Lynch captures the “Dragster Gambler Race.”

he second day at the Million Dollar Race is in the books and it was round after round of dead-on runs and great reaction times. The doorslammers held up their part of the show on the 1/8th mile. The 7th round (semis) competitors were Kevin Pruett of Millbrook, AL, in his red ’66 Nova wagon, and the doorslammer of Dustin Hailey, Carthage, TN; and the dragsters of Chris Garrett from Elizabethtown, KY, and Jeremy Bargo from Barbourville, KY.

We were sitting at the 1/8th mile finish line with about 75 other racers, and when Pruett used a .004 reaction and a 6.092 (6.09 dial) to hold off Jeremy Bargo’s .008 initiated 4.831 (4.83 dial) for a .003 margin of victory, the cheers from the doorslammer crowd rang out. Dusty Hailey had a chance to make it two doorslammers in the $20,000.00 to win final but it wasn’t to be, as Chris Garrett put together a solid .010 reaction  time and a .02 over 4.75 to hold off the .058 reaction time by Hailey even though he was closer to the dial at 6.101 on his 6.09 dial.

The finals saw both drivers roll a little extra in the box to make it a race and the win light and $20,000 went to Kevin Pruett and his Nova wagon with a .016 reaction and a 6.098 (6.08 dial) to Garrett’s .026 initiated 4.767 (4.75 dial).

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A special $1000-to-enter gambler race was put together by promoter George Howard and it was called the Dragster Race. For the 64 drivers who plunked down a $1,000 hard-earned dollars each, they would seek to win one of two dragsters being given away by George Howard. Both chassis’ were Race-Tech four-links and one had a Huntsville 540 engine and the other a Brodix Race Engine. Semi-finalists would each receive $1,000.

Racin’Jason Lynch put his dragster in the final against Todd “Bones” Ewing. This entire 64-car race was “ugly” and by that I mean run after run was a dead-on and the announcer was shouting out “double-O” reaction times all evening.

If I remember right the margin of victory by these professional bracket racers was .001 in the final. A couple of double-0 lights and both guys on their dials with some change. A great final and now they have two more new dragsters, more weapons for the arsenal.

Today they have run one time run for the Million Dollar Race and are calling us up for the “Run for the Money” time trial. The Back-2-Basics dragster has been consistent so far with a 5.17 each day in time runs and one win and two close losses. Yesterday I raced Luke Bogaki and it was a .002 win for him as we both broke out but I went under .002 more.

This morning my time trial was another 5.17, so the old Mopar is hanging there if I can catch a little luck. Next up is the Million Dollar Race “Run for the Money” and then the biggest bracket race in the world, the “BTE-Million Dollar Race."

We will update you later today with some of the special prizes they are giving away. All racers entered in the Million Dollar Race are in a drawing for a new, turn-key Race-Tech four-link dragster complete with a Huntsville 540” engine. This is a complete turn-key dragster valued at $65,000. There is also a 2005 Mustang convertible that will be won by a racer in a drawing as well.

More from the MILLION, later

-- Jok Nicholson

9/23/05   BTE Million stars with a bang

Words and photo by Duke Tyree

here was a major hurricane headed for the coast of Texas, gas prices were $3.00 a gallon and still rising, yet on the first day of the tenth annual BTE Million Dollar Drag Race, there were more than 400 race cars on the grounds at Memphis Motorsports Park. The moral of the story: never doubt George Howard. The good-natured racer turned track operator turned promoter is one of drag racing's most popular figures because he knows how to give people their money's worth.

Case in point: Prior to the start of Thursday's $10,000-to-win Gambler's Race which officially kicks off the BTE Million Dollar Drag Race, Howard announced a special event for Friday, September 23. Howard would give away two RaceTech Dragsters to the winner and runner-up of a special 64-car race. Both dragsters feature a four-link suspension, plenty of chrome and powder coating. The winner's car will be powered by an all-aluminum big block engine built by Brodix while the runner-up will drive off with a dragster powered by a complete 540-cid engine from Huntsville Engines. At $1,000 per car, the entry fee wasn't cheap, but the potential rewards were huge.

"This race was a last minute addition," said Howard. "A lot of promoters hold races for dragsters, but it's usually just a rolling chassis. The two cars we have both have engines in them, and the winner will get an awesome all aluminum engine from Brodix. I don't think we'll have any problem finding 64 racers who want to win one of those cars."

One driver who could easily afford the entry fee for the dragster race, and still have plenty left over to pay the $2,000 buy-in for Saturday's Million Dollar main event is Brent Glass of Jacksonville, Texas. Late Thursday night, Glass drove his dragster to a $10,000 victory in the gambler's race. In the final, he beat Tracy Guffey of Shelbyville, Tenn., who red-lighted. Glass's hometown of Jacksonville, Texas was in the projected path of Hurricane Rita, but he wasn't about to miss the BTE Million.

"If I was at home right now I'd be evacuating so the way I see it, I might as well be here racing," said Glass. "I didn't want to miss this race."

Despite the loss, Guffey didn't do too badly for himself as he won a free entry into the Million Dollar main event, a $2,000 value.

Another driver who made a last minute detour to Memphis is Pro Stock ace Dave Connolly. When NHRA postponed the national event at the Texas Motorplex, Connolly made a quick change in his travel plans and arrived in Memphis on Thursday. Even though he's a rising star in the professional ranks, Connolly hasn't forgotten his roots. He was racing in Super Gas last weekend at the Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading and he plans to drive one of Randy Folk's dragsters this weekend in Memphis.

Of the 400 racers who are currently in Memphis, obviously not everyone has the 2Gs needed to enter Saturday's big race, which should pay more than $230,000 to the winner. For those who aren't independently wealthy, or don't have some kind of corporate or private backing, there was still another way to get into the big show. Taking a page from the World Series of Poker, where winners of online satellite events have gone on to win millions of dollars, Howard hosted a series of raffles on Thursday and Friday where a driver could win his or her entry for as little as $40. In the past, Howard has had as many as 25-30 raffles, helping cash strapped drivers compete for big bucks for a minimal investment.

9/23/05   Agent 1320 notes from the Million dollar bracket race

AGENT X TO REPORT FROM MEMPHIS

Although it is our policy for all writers to sign their names to their work, we don’t make the Agent’s operatives reveal their identity in order to protect the innocent (and not so innocent). With that in mind when asked we agreed to allow one of our most trusted operatives from inside the bracket racing community to file a daily column from the “Million.”  This should be very interesting information when combined with Jok Nicholson’s daily reports. Look for Agent X’s first words appearing in this space very soon.
[9-23-2005]

THE BULB WENT OFF IN NICHOLSON’S MIND!

DRO’s bracket race editor Jok Nicholson finally got to make laps yesterday as previously reported. What he didn’t tell you was that in the first real race of the event, a $10,000 to win event yesterday, he went out in the second round when he bulbed. He has promised a full report on that race and his own miserable failure in his report today. The Agent had brief contact with Nicholson this morning and he reported that the pits “looked like a sea of dragsters out there but there were a few doorslammer in the group.” He also opined that since it was eighth-mile bracket racing a few of the door cars might be very competitive. [9-23-2005]

IT TAKES PATIENCE TO RACE AT THE MILLION!

The first $20,000 race begins today at around 2:30 CST. According to Nicholson, it takes about three hours to run a round. With buy backs the Agent is guessing it will take about the same amount for the second round. These are drag racing’s version of sports car racing’s enduro events, where they race anywhere from 6 to 24 hours. The race today could easily take 10-12 hours to complete.
[9-23-2005]

9/23/05   10:30 AM, Friday Morning

ne race is in the books at the Million Dollar Race weekend. The Race-Tech Gambler's Race ended last night (this morning actually, about 1:00AM) and the winner was Brent Glass at the wheel of his rear engine dragster. In a pit area filled with chrome and four link chassis Brent's conventional hardtail dragster picked up the first Big Bucks of the weekend. Dead-on runs and great reaction times were the name of the game.

In the semis Tracey Guffey took out Todd Senseney by a margin of LESS than one-thousandth of a second! .026 reaction time and a dead-on 4.830 to Senseney's .017 initiated 4.909 on his 4.90. Do the math....it is a dead heat to the thousandth. The other semi was Brent Glass using a .013 reaction time and a 5.106 (5.10 dial) to Jason Lynch's .002 breakout run of 4.678 on his 4.68 dial.

The finals ended in less than a blink of an eye, as Tracey Guffey just missed a perfect light, but it was on the red light side with a -.001 reaction time. This handed the win to Brent Glass who used a slightly tardy .036 light but hit the dial-in again with a 5.102 (5.10 dial). Brent Glass pocketed $10,000.00 and is looking good for today's Barker Trailer Sales $20,000.00 to win race.

There will be a few "races within the Race" today. This morning they are running the BTE Race of Champions event for points leaders in the Memphis BTE Mega-bucks series. Then about 2:00 we start the Run for the Money time trial for the first of two Barker Trailer "Twin Twentys". One will be today and the other will be Sunday.

Over 400 cars in the pits today and George Howard has sweetened the pot even more for today's race. These awards are for the "Best Packages" in the following rounds:

Round 5: Holley Performance certificate.

Round 6: Hoosier Tires certificate.

Round 7: Jet-Hot Performance coatings certificate.

Round 8: Richmond Gear, choice of ring and pinion.

That's it for the morning report. Next year, if you a re a serious bracket racer.....you DESERVE to be here! To me it is WAY BETTER than going to a national event.

More from THE MILLION in a little while!

-- Jok Nicholson

9/22/05   4:35 PM, Thursday

he final car just went down the track as the Million Dollar Race gets ready for its first round of eliminations in the $10,000-to-win Race Tech Gambler's Race.

The first thing on the agenda was the Sunoco Run for the Money. Racers paid 10 bucks and lined up for their second time trial. The racer closest to the dial-in on their car would win some bucks, as there are over 400 cars in this first race.

Several racers were hitting the dial-in, but only one hit it with a "0". Nick Folk (yep, one of the Folk boys) hit his 4.80 dial-in with a 4.800 and did it with a .000 (perfect reaction time). Nobody could touch him and he was the Run for the Money winner.

George Howard, who promotes the biggest drag race in the world, The Million Dollar Race, decided to donate 50 percent of the Sunoco "Run for the Money" proceeds to Hurricane victims! (Nice move, George.) Nick Folk will collect 70 percent of the other half and Jeremy Jensen got runner-up with a .002 package and 30 percent of the racer's half.

The track is now down for about half an hour for dinner and to give the track employees a break from the near 100-degree heat.

George Howard is just announcing a "Super Gambler Race" for tomorrow. Sounds like $1,000 to enter and winner gets a turnkey Race Tech dragster, runner-up is a Race Tech roller, and race engines will await other racers. I will get the rest of the details by tomorrow morning and send them in. Another example of the fun and excitement George brings to his events and especially the Million Dollar Race.

The "Back-2-Basics" dragster is looking pretty sporty so far. First run was a 5.183 and a .522 light. Our next time out in the Run for the Money was a .003 reaction time and a 5.194 on a 5.180 dial-in. We'll see how eliminations go tonight.

More news tomorrow from the Million Dollar Race.

-- Jok Nicholson

9/22/05   Memphis, TN, Thursday Morning

rom what I see from my trips around the pit area, I would say bracket racing is alive and well. It looks like George Howard still has the best ideas and an inside track on just what bracket racers are looking for. This year's Million Dollar Race could be the largest yet.

From '63 Fairlane doorslammers on an open trailer to some huge rigs with five--yes, I said FIVE-- dragster inside. Trailers from Oregon to Maine are on the grounds and it looks like racers have gotten over the high prices of fuel.

The pits are about full and the rigs are overflowing into an area airport parking lot. No report on car counts yet, but if I had to guess, I would say there are easily 300 to 350 race cars on the grounds of Memphis Motorsports Park.

Today will be our first time trials and then we get started on the Race Tech Gambler's Race. It's $10,000 to win and some good practice before the first of the two races sponsored by Barker Trailer Sales, "The Twin Twentys". That is $20,000 to win on Friday and on Saturday. Sandwiched in between the Twin Twentys is the Million Dollar Race.

Can you imagine a bracket race where the winner will take home more prize money than John Force or Don Prudhomme could ever win, any place, anytime. George Howard has put together something special and you can feel it in the air. If you ever want to schedule an event to come race at (or even just watch, for that matter) make it the Million Dollar Race in Memphis.

We will keep you up to date with round to round results as time allows and will let you know who is hanging around in the later rounds each day. Stay tuned for my next report.

-- Jok Nicholson