The tagline at Bristol Dragway should be “schedule subject to change,” thanks to Mother Nature’s frequent interference at the legendary facility. This weekend, the BTE Labor Day Footbrake Challenge was not exempt from gusty winds and downpours of rain. Still, through the resilience of footbrake racers, track staff, and the Coalburg Racing Promotions team, all winners were eventually crowned.
Saturdayโs $25K Main Event enjoyed smooth sailing until the completion of round four, where a monstrous storm ended the racing action with 33 cars remaining. Co-promoters Jared Pennington and Steve Stites returned to the drawing board and returned with plan Z. Sunday at 8:30 am; all remaining competitors would receive one time trial before eliminations resumed with round five of Saturdayโs Main Event. Once there were no common drivers between both races, round four of Fridayโs $3K Gamblers Race would continue with the 17 entries left in the competition.
๐๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ $25๐ ๐๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ด
Following three tough rounds of footbrake racing action, Saturdayโs $25K featured five drivers in round number eight: Josh Epperson, Blake Combs, Jesse Betterton, Dave Harvey Jr, and Zach Combs.
Betterton was in full control with his .018 reaction time to end Zach Combsโ day in the quarterfinals. Blake Combs holds the starting line advantage in the next pairing and runs two above his dial to leave Epperson mathematically ineligible. Harvey lays down a .019 total package on his bye run on yet another impressive showing on the mountain.
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In the semifinal, Betterton runs dead on his 6.31 dial but is behind at the finish line beside Harvey, who was .010 up front and one above for the win. Combs shows off in his solo pass with a perfect reaction time and two-thousandths breakout to earn his spot in the final round.
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Dave Harvey Jr from New Jersey takes on the local Tennessean Blake Combs with $25,000 on the line. Combs runs dead on his 6.41 dial, but the win light shines in Harveyโs lane as he was .021 on the tree and runs one above. Harvey appears incapable of a runner-up performance at Bristol Dragway, as his stats improve to 4-0 for Coalburg Racing Promotions.
Always an entertaining interview, Harvey says, โFirst of all, woo baby! Iโve been struggling, and getting older, you wonder if youโre going to win again. Iโm glad we got it done this morning because my car is shit in this heat.โ
He also adds, โThis is for you, Dad. He had to sell his car this year, and I know heโs been bummed about it, but here you go, Pops.โ
๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐บ $3๐ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ด
With the $25K wrapped up, the focus returned to Fridayโs $3K Gamblers Race, where 17 entries staged up in round number four. Soon, the driver list was shortened to five eligible competitors: Allen Reno, Josh Epperson, Lucas Walker, Adam Davis, and Mark Dudley Jr.
Davis launches with a .013 red light while Epperson is .031 green for the win and eases out of the throttle. Dudley leaves two-thousandths too soon to advance Walker, whose .033 bulb is good enough to earn him a spot in the semifinal. On the bye run, Reno is .005 and gets a little top end data to prepare for the next round.
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Walker takes on Reno to see who will meet Epperson, who secured his spot in the final courtesy of the bye run. Itโs all decided on the starting line when Reno is .003 red to send Walker into his ninth Coalburg Racing Promotions final round appearance since 2015.
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The all-Ford final round featured two talented Kentucky natives who have each had their fair share of the bracket racing spotlight. After a couple of red lights in the opposing lane, Walker turned one on by two-thousandths while Epperson was .006 green and holding four hundredths for the $3,000 victory.
It took three days to make it to Fridayโs Gamblers Race winnerโs circle, where Epperson reveals he almost didnโt enter the race he just won. He says, โItโs good to be here. I want to give all the credit to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Heโs blessed me all weekend. I hadnโt won a round on Friday, and Lil Phil [Combs] told me to go for a run to get the bad juju off. Then Animal [Zach Combs] told me I should run the Gamblers Race, and well, now here I am.โ
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In years past, the Coalburg Racing Promotions season concluded with the Labor Day race, but this year, Jared Pennington and Steve Stites announced the acquisition of another holiday weekend event.
The Inaugural BTE Thanksgiving Footbrake Challenge will take place November 29-30, 2024, at Piedmont Dragway. Racers can feast with their families for Thanksgiving before foot-feeding their way toward two $20,000 purses.
Pennington wraps up the event with a closing speech acknowledging everyone who makes these events possible. He says, โRacers, thank you for your patience, support, participation, encouragement, and understanding this weekend. Thank you to the awesome Bristol Dragway staff, Coalburg Racing Promotions staff, and my partner, Steve Stites. What a great team weโve built, and itโs been a blast once again on the mountain. Everyone be safe and we will see you next time.โ
For more information about Coalburg Racing Promotions events, visit www.worldfootbrakechallenge.com.
Winner’s circle photos provided by RLR Photography.
