Against
the Odds
Jeff Verdi’s Cross-Country Odyssey
into Drag Racing Folklore
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
PHOTOGRAPH BY VAN ABERNETHY
W
hen big-money bracket race promotors Peter Biondo and
Kyle Seipel announced the creation of the Spring Fling Vegas Million
last year, the bracket racing world was flipped on its head. They immediately posted a guaranteed $100,000 payout to the winner, with the
stage set for that number to grow exponentially depending on how many
drivers showed up and threw their $2,000 entry fee into the pot. Such
a rich event was unheard of on the West Coast. ✪ The groundbreaking
announcement raised a slew of questions amongst the legions of racers
that follow these high-end bracket races – not only who would have
what it takes to win the event, but also who would be willing to roll the
dice, make the trek to Nevada and do battle against what would inevitably be the best-of-the-best.
The Vegas odds makers would probably side with the professional sportsman racers, like defending
NHRA Super Comp world champion Kevin Brannon, or “Cool Hand” Luke Bogacki, who literally
puts on bracket racing clinics. Surely, the winner would be hanging up the big check inside his stacker
trailer, and the custom trophy would ride home with him in his motorhome worth more than the
average American’s house. When Jeff Verdi pulled into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his
1999 Chevy pickup truck and ’68 Firebird in tow on an open trailer, he intended to beat those odds.
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