DIALED IN
Mega-Payout Party
Super times at the SFG Super Bowl of Bracket Racing
Story & Photos By Van Abernethy
W
hile many drag strips across the
country have seen the attendance of
their weekly bracket racing program
experience a steady decline in recent
years, there’s certainly no shortage
of participation when it comes to mega-payout
events that are readily available to dial-in racers
if they’re willing to travel. What used to be con-
sidered big payouts (events such as 10-granders)
are now commonplace and often held at many
smaller venues.
Recently, though, races with payouts that were
unheard of just a few years ago are starting to crop
up in a variety of locales, as the shift has escalated
from once-a-year gatherings to suddenly having
many high-dollar events on tap through the year.
North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway was among
March 2019
the well-known facilities to become more involved
with mega-payout bracket gatherings last season
when it hosted the SFG Super Bowl of Bracket
Racing late in the year.
While the event itself marked the third running,
this was the first time it was held at Rockingham.
“Even though this was a track rental event put on
by Kyle Riley, we treated it as if it was our own
race, just as we do every event here at Rocking-
ham. Therefore, we worked very closely with Kyle
throughout the event,” explains Steve Earwood,
who’s owned Rockingham Dragway since 1992.
The event lasted five days, as race car haulers
begin to file through the gate as early as Monday
for the event that boasts what are believed to be
the largest daily payouts in drag racing. Things of-
ficially got started on Wednesday, with a warm-up
race paying $10,000 to win, followed by Thurs-
day’s 20-grander. The grand finale lasted three ad-
ditional days, as racers competed for an astounding
sum of $100,000 to win each day of the weekend.
The main event saw no fewer than 569 entries
make the call for first round of eliminations, as the
latter rounds and eventual conclusion stretched
on until the early-morning hours throughout the
weekend. Winners of the top prizes were Shane
Carr on Friday, Jason Lynch on Saturday and Mar-
shall Grooms on Sunday.
Earwood says he’s no stranger to these type
marathons and keeps everything in perspective,
especially being a longtime track owner who’s seen
every imaginable scenario play out. “Quite frankly,
these things go in cycles. I held a free-entry race in
1994 paying $5,000 to win and had 800 entries!”
DragIllustrated.com
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