The inaugural World Footbrake Challenge presented by Jeg’s and BTE was held at
beautiful Bristol Dragway last weekend, July 27-29. Over three hundred of the
best footbrake competitors in the nation converged on the Northeast Tennessee
facility, despite an unfavorable weather forecast, for their shot at the largest
Footbrake only weekend purse in history. That purse totaled a whopping
$142,500!
Friday’s $10,000-to-win event saw 320 first round entrants vie for the top
prize at Bristol’s Thunder Valley. After a eight rounds of tough competition,
just three top drivers remained in the ninth and semi-final round. Legendary
North Carolina bottom bulb competitor Chris Plott, West Virgina standout Jeff
Stewart, and noted professional bracket racer Luke Bogacki earned their trip to
the semi-final round on the strength of stellar reaction times all night.
Stewart put together an amazing string of three consecutive .00 reaction times
in eliminations. After earning the bye run with nine cars remaining, he
unleashed another .001 reaction in the quarterfinals. Bogacki, meanwhile,
varied just .005 on the starting line (.009 to .014) from the fifth round on.
Likewise Plott had moved just .003 (.010, .011, and .013) in his last three
passes. Since Stewart and Plott had already received bye runs, it was Bogacki
earning the free pass into the $10,000 final round.
Stewart’s mastery of the tree ended in the semi-final round, as he turned
on the red light, handing Plott the win. Plott’s .029 induced 7.074 run (7.07
dial) put his familiar Beal Racing Engines/Staging Light Graphics Cougar into
the final round with Bogacki’s Mickey Thompson Tires/CSR Performance Products
Vega.
