Drag Illustrated Issue 110, June 2016 | Page 103

KEVIN BRANNON PHOTOS: DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES H ailing from the small town of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, horsepower has been in Brannon’s blood since day one. “My mom and dad both raced since before they had me, and I’ve been in it my whole life,” says the prize wheelman of his father, Terry “Turtle” and mother, Dotti. “I got started in junior dragsters when I was ten, and ran those until I was fifteen. Then, I drove my mom’s bracket car and it took off from there.” Dotti’s car, a 1980 Chevy Monza, helped Brannon learn the ropes during local events at Greer Dragway – his home track, in Greer, South Carolina. As a teenager, he raced frequently and eventually moved up to a dragster that had also belonged to his mother. The two were extremely close, and Brannon now races in his mother’s honor, as the remarkable woman passed away several years ago. Around 2009, Brannon took a position as an engine assembler at PAR Race Engines in Spartanburg, South Carolina. “They helped me to get a better car, and a better engine,” notes Brannon, who still works at PAR and has built a strong relationship with the company as both a valued employee, and a team driver. Working with the folks at Maddox Race Cars in Piedmont, South Carolina, Brannon acquired a 2012 Maddox chassis and engine. Powered by a 655ci PAR engine with Brodix heads and APD Racing carburetors, the dragster also features a Paul’s Transmission gearbox and FTI Perfor mance torque converter. In addition to support from Brannon’s fiancée Ivey Nicole Hutto’s parents’ business, Ivey Hutto’s Golf Carts, Brannon also relies on Mickey Thompson tires and Lucas Oil for backing. Now, at just 28 years old and thanks to his outstanding achievements with the car, Brannon is known for being one of the biggest names and fiercest competitors on the sportsman scene. In 2014, Brannon accomplished his first major success with the car when he took home the IHRA Top Dragster championship and a payout of $10,000. “With the IHRA deal, if you finish top three in your division, you come together to race to win the championship so it was kind of in my own hands,” explains Brannon. At the championship competition – the 2014 IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL – Brannon found himself racing against Hutto in the semifinals. The two cut nearly identical lights – 0.003-seconds for Brannon and 0.007-seconds for Hutto – but Brannon bested his soon-to-be- June 2016 TO THE VICTOR Kevin Brannon may be most comfortable behind the wheel of a bracket car, but he certainly has no problem making himself at home in the winner’s circle. Despite being only 28-years-old, Brannon has established himself as a legitimate big game (check?) hunter with numerous $10,000-plus victories to his credit. bride and took the win with a 6.985-second at 183.00 mph run on his 6.97 dial in over her 7.098 at 186.20 mph effort on a 7.08 dial. “I’ve had to run her a few times in the finals and semifinals, and we both want to beat each other much as anyone else,” says Brannon, laughing, as he talks about the stress of racing his intended. “I have the same attitude whether I’m racing her or anyone else. There’s no hard feelings afterwards, it’s just business.” So far, Brannon’s won each of the pairings, but Hutto is hot on his heels and will undoubtedly turn the tables soon enough. The following year, Brannon earned even more gold when he took the big kahuna – the 2015 NHRA Super Comp world title – as well as the 2015 IHRA Top Dragster title for a second straight year, and clinched his second consecutive Division 2 NHRA Super Comp title. “The NHRA championship was a pretty big deal for me since I was chasing a points series and was going against so many good racers in the country, many I’d never even met or raced. Anyone could have taken it,” he recalls. “That was the one I had always wanted to win, too – to win on the big stage with NHRA. It meant the most to me.” Having worked towards his dream, and having actually achieved it, made the moment where he was named the champion even more substantial for Brannon, who committed his year to making it happen. Brannon often pulls double-dutry, running in both Super Gas and Super Comp. “I like them because they’re heads up and I prefer the 8.90 and 9.90 stuff,” says Brannon. “I have one of the faster Super Comp cars, and it’s better for me to be driving from behind. It’s more in the hands of the drivers. I’m all motor, and I know I’d be faster if I sprayed it, but I don’t want to worry about that because I bracket race so much.” Racing multiple classes in one day can be pretty stressful, but Brannon’s such a pro that it doesn’t DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 103