DRAG ILLUSTRATED ROUNDTABLE
We’ve seen that this public health crisis isn’t
going away. Can this trend continue with this
run of success for racers and participation?
KR: You’re seeing a lot of these races getting
record car-counts and that’s been great. People
just wanted to get out there and race so much. It
might have been test-n-tune or a race, but people
have just wanted to race. Now we’ll see what the
effects of the pandemic are in the fall. Will we
continue that surge or will it fall off?
It’s an important time. There’s a big rash of
races kicking off in September and hopefully
everyone can continue to do well.
I feel very good about it and I feel like bracket
racing is thriving, but at the same time we’ve
never seen this many big-money races in a short
span. September through October, you’ve got
something big almost every weekend.
If we can get through this stretch, I believe
next year will be huge because it goes back to
the original schedule, and all of these races will
be far enough apart from each other.
JP: It’s somewhat short-lived right now and
you would like a better sample size, but it definitely
speaks to the enthusiasm of the racers
right now. I don’t know how healthy it can be
long-term with something like [a pandemic],
and we’re about to get into a time that’s really
going to tell the story.
We’re really going to see how healthy this sport
is through the fall. I want to stay positive, and
all these races speaks volumes about the enthusiasm
of the bracket racing community, but the
real story is yet to be told. I think by November
1 we’ll have a great sample size.
For our Labor Day $100,000 race, we’re
expecting around 200 entries and that’s really
strong at that price point. Out of that 200, I think
we’ll get another 60-80 to buy another entry.
When we built the race in 2019, that’s the number
we hoped we could get to. When the pandemic
hit, we were extremely concerned and there was
definitely some anxiety, but the [July 4] race
went well and these entries continue to trickle
in. I’m very pleased.
Ultimately, this has to be seen as a sign of
strength for the community. What does this
tell you as you’ve watched racers stay active?
KS: It was exciting to see and, without a doubt,
it makes you feel good. With the challenges dealt
to Peter and myself, as well as the rest of the promoters,
the year has gone better than expected. It
seems like there’s a great future for things.
We’re ecstatic for the fall. It’s going to be a real
trying time with six weekends in a row where
you can race for $100,000 or more, but from
our perspective, we’re feeling good.
JP: Words really can’t describe it. It’s such a lot
of work and commitment to guarantee purses for
footbrake racing, and to go through unprecedented
times with a pandemic that affected everyone,
it’s been extremely rewarding and humbling to
have that group of racers support you.
It drives you tremendously hard because that
many people believe in what you’re doing. This
sport, though, it’s like one big team. DI
Kyle Riley’s SFG Promotions had the
bracket racing community fired up when
he announced a guaranteed $1.1 million
winner’s purse for his July 4th race this
year. Racers showed up in full force, with
over 600 entries for the main event.
80 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 159