Hodge, Hastings, and Fritts First to Find Winner’s Circle at Great American $20K Bracket Race
The Great American $20K Bracket Race began Thursday at Holly Springs Motorsports Park. Three drivers claimed Gamblers Race wins: Jake Hodge, Nick Hastings, and Jesse Fritts.
HOLLY SPRINGS, MS – Great American Bracket Race promoters, Britt Cummings and Gaylon Rolison Jr, returned to Holly Springs Motorsports Park for their first event of 2021. The Moser EngineeringGreat American $20K Bracket Race and SDPC Raceshop Dream Team Challenge packs a ton of racing action for three separate classes over four days.
Race rigs continued to roll into the gate while drivers prepared for the weekend with Thursday’s test and tune session.
Around 5PM, eliminations began for Top Bulb, Bottom Bulb, and Junior Dragster racers in separate gamblers races with 80% payback.
Top Bulb Gamblers Race Results
156 entries staged up in first round of the Top Bulb gamblers race. As the staging lanes thinned out only three drivers remained: Jake Hodge, Johnny “Bracket Racer” Ezell, and Jody “Cool” Simoneaux.
Hodge earned the bye run into the final and lights up the scoreboard dead on with a five during the solo pass. Simoneaux lets go .001 and runs .001 under his dial in to take the double breakout win over Ezell, who was .008 under.
Simoneaux stages his truck alongside Hodge in the Hookin’ Hillbilly with $7K on the line. The result is another double breakout race, where Hodge is .009 on the tree and breaks out .0001 less than Simoneaux to take the win.
Bottom Bulb Gamblers Race Results
64 bottom bulb drivers crushed the tree in round one of the gamblers race on Thursday. Chris Mohler, Nasty Nick Hastings, Tim Pace, and Jimbo Fields made the cut into the semifinal round.
Fields runs two above his dial in, paired with an .014 reaction time, to lock out Pace and earn a spot in the final round. Hastings is .001 on the tree and takes the double breakout win over Mohler who was .015 at the starting line.
Hastings rolls into his 8th consecutive bottom bulb Great American Bracket Race final round to take on Fields.
Both drivers run dead on their respective dial ins, but Hastings’ .011 light beside Fields’ .027 bulb gives him the winning edge. Nasty Nick Hastings picks up another win less than one week after his $75,000 payday.
Junior Dragster Gamblers Race Results
36 of the youngest generation of drivers ran during the junior dragster gamblers race. Three racers made their way into the semifinal with reaction times resembling the “big cars.”
Jesse Fritts was .0007 red but since it was the bye into the finals, it didn’t matter. Dylan Hite was .028 green for the win while Tanner Spires left .009 too soon to end his day.
In the final, Fritts is .007 and takes .010 at the stripe to earn the win. Hite was .022 and runs one above his dial to settle for the runner up.
Plenty of Racing on the Way
The Moser Engineering Great American $20K Bracket Race and SDPC Raceshop Dream Team Challenge is just getting started! Friday begins with an Out The Gate Race, followed by time trials, and then first round of eliminations.
Top Bulb racers will be competing for $10K while Bottom Bulb drivers have a shot at $5K during Friday’s main event.
After one round of the main event, the Top and Bottom Bulb Dream Team Challenge first round will take place. The remainder, along with Junior Dragsters, will be contested on Saturday.
You can watch the action live on MotorManiaTV and stay tuned to DragChamp for more results from the event!
For the latest in bracket racing news, click here.
Jessica was born into a family of drag racers and fell in love with the sport at a young age. She began competing at 13 and has been hooked ever since! She even met her husband at the World Footbrake Challenge VII. Jessica works full time as an Ultrasound Technologist but spends almost every weekend chasing win lights at IHRA and NHRA bracket races.
You can contact her at Jessica@dragchamp.com or on her Facebook page.
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