(9-6-2006) - It was down to the wire for the points leaders in the 2006 Mega Bucks series, a six-race series split between Huntsville Dragway and Memphis Motorsports Park, but Scotty Richardson of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, arguably one of the best bracket racers in the country, won Pro brackets on Saturday, September 2, locking up the championship and taking home the big bucks.

His final-round opponent was a racer equally as famous as he, Johnny Labbous Sr., also of Goodlettsville, in his dragster. Richardson entered three cars at the Mega Bucks race, and won in his all-black Chevy II. Richardson was racing with support from his mom Mary, plus crew chief Brandon Jarrell, and Amanda Betts. His win was worth $7,500, and he also won a new Danny Nelson/Racecraft Chassis dragster for his Mega Bucks points lead over Brian Robinson of Mississippi, who was tied with Richardson until Scotty won the fourth round.

For his points finish, though, Robinson won a free entry into the BTE Million Dollar Race, to be held on September 13-17 at Memphis Motorsports Park.

On Sunday, a racer who had retired two years earlier to take care of the family car business, Ron Lane of Hixson, Tennessee, won the $10,000 first prize in Pro, defeating yet another good racer, Kenny Joe Dixon of Calhoun, Georgia. Both racers were shoeing dragsters. Lane said afterwards that “maybe I oughta quit for another two years and then come back again.” He also won a special 32-car shootout on Saturday for an entry into the BTE Million, and Dixon won the same thing in Sunday’s shootout race.

In Saturday’s Footbrake action, Brad Ford of Gardendale, Alabama, a racer who had amassed a 20-round lead over his opponents in the Huntsville series, won in his Nova over Adam Davis of Cullman, Alabama, who also raced a Nova. Like Lane and Dixon in Pro, Ford was also a shootout winner --- he won an entry into the inaugural $100,000 Halloween Classic for all Footbrake cars, to be held at Montgomery Motorsports Park.

Steve Stites of Falkner, Mississippi won Sunday in his ’94 Cavalier over David Easterly of Dunlap, Tennessee in his wild ’65 Falcon wagon. Other shootout winners were Scottie Walters of Whitwell, Tennessee in Pro, for an entry into the Million, and John Burleson of Etheridge, Tennessee, and Jason Young of Etowah, Tennessee, for entries into the $100,000 Footbrake Halloween Classic. --- Dale Wilson