Footbrake racers from around
the eastern U.S. flocked to Bristol
Dragway over July 4th weekend
to take part in the 14th annual
BTE World Footbrake Challenge
put on by co-promoters Jared
Pennington and Steve Stites.
The JEGS-SFG $1.1 Million race in Martin,
Michigan, had more than 700 entries, while a
flurry of big-money races in the fall are already
at huge numbers, including the sold-out Great
American Guaranteed Million in Memphis, the
Fall Fling, SFG 500 and more.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for
what’s occurred during the wild and unprecedented
summer of 2020. Sure, the pandemic
has undoubtedly wreaked havoc, forcing some
tracks to close and major, fan-drawing organizations
like the NHRA to make massive
adjustments and concessions to its national
event schedule.
But the backbone of the sport – sportsman
racing – has seemingly thrived, not worried about
having to rely on fans in the stands. From tracks
August 2020
large and small, the racers have been there, coming
together for the betterment of the sport and
showing strength in numbers.
Drag IllustrateD talked to promoters and
sponsors on the sportsman and bracket scene
on how surprised they’ve been about the massive
participation, how that bodes well for the
sport and why the fall could determine just how
successful 2020 will be.
Jared Pennington is a promoter of the BTE
World Footbrake Challenge, which held its
14th race in July at Bristol, drawing a record
550 entries.
Kyle Seipel promotes the Spring Fling and Fall
Fling races with Peter Biondo. The Spring Fling
drew nearly 400 competitors, and 90 percent
of the Fall Fling entries sold out the first day. As
the dragstrip manager at Sonoma Raceway, they
drew nearly 450 cars to their double-divisional,
the second most ever during a time and area
where the pandemic hit hard.
Scott “Woody” Woodruff is the Director of
Media and Motorsports at JEGS, which sponsored
the double-divisional at National Trail
Raceway. Woodruff saw the massive success of
double-divisional events there, as well as Sonoma,
Topeka and New England Dragway.
Kyle Riley is the promoter of SFG Promotions,
which drew upwards of 700 racers to the $1.1
Million Race. He sold out entries for a race in
Darlington earlier this year, and also expects
500-plus for an upcoming event in Columbus,
and 600-plus at the SFG 500.
DragIllustrated.com | Drag Illustrated | 75