Burch and Walker Battle on Day One of the BTE Labor Day $250K
A star studded semifinal at the BTE Labor Day $250K eventually led to Gage Burch claiming the $5,000 win over Lucas Walker.
BRISTOL, TN – Only eight short weeks after completing another successful World Footbrake Challenge, the Coalburg Racing Promotions team traveled back to Bristol Dragway for the 3rd Annual BTE Labor Day $250K.
A thick fog encompassed the mountain Thursday morning before fading away with the rising sun. After getting registration and tech taken care of, staging lanes opened for the Test n’ Tune session where drivers could get their rides dialed in for an exciting weekend of Footbrake racing. The first opportunity to print a winning ticket would come during Thursday’s Gamblers Race which featured an increased purse.
Co-promoters Steve Stites and Jared Pennington chose to reward their racers by raising the winning payout from $3,000 to $5,000 on Thursday, partly due to driver dedication with a healthy 192 pre-entry response.
Kyle Rumley and David Stebner
Thursday Gamblers Race
Thursday’s Gamblers Race started with a strong 241 entries but without the luxury of buybacks, the field was quickly narrowed down to eight entries but only seven drivers. The tough lineup included Kyle Rumley, Matt Ricchezza, Lucas Walker, David Stebner, Nasty Nick Hastings, Brian Hendrickson, and Gage Burch with two entries.
Quarterfinals
Rumley is .002 red which advances Burch in his first entry, then Stebner misses the tree while Burch is .012 and runs four above to stay doubled. Hendrickson is .004 but breaks out beside Walker who runs dead on with a zero for the win. Both drivers run one above their respective dial ins as Hastings takes the 9 thou margin of victory over Ricchezza.
Brian Hendrickson and Matt Ricchezza
Semifinal
The first semifinal pairing is a double breakout race where Burch is only 2 thou under his dial to earn the win over Hastings. Burch rolls back into the staging lanes in hopes of ending the race a round early, but Walker plans to add another final round to his Coalburg Racing Promotions record. Walker is .012 and runs dead on with a seven to leave Burch’s .020 bulb mathematically ineligible.
Final
Like a case of deja-vu, the pair of talented wheelmen return to the starting line once again although this time it is to see who will take home $5,000. Walker runs dead on his 6.07 dial again and lays down an .014 package, but it’s not enough beside Burch who is .005 and dead eight to take the .001 margin of victory.
Photo credit: Hobbie Lee Photography
Photo credit: Hobbie Lee Photography
More to come
That wraps up Day One, although the dragstrip won’t be quiet for long as the BTE Labor Day $250k revs back up first thing in the morning! One time trial session is scheduled for 8:30 AM followed by first round of eliminations for Friday’s $10,000 to win Main Event. Afterward, if time permits, a $3,000 to win Gamblers Race will also be contested.
MotorManiaTV.com is officially on the property and will begin livestreaming all the activity at approximately 12:30PM thanks to the support of JEGS and Environmental Oil Recovery, Inc..
For the latest information about the BTE Labor Day $250K, visit www.worldfootbrakechallenge.com.
Check out more Coalburg Racing Promotions results on DragChamp by clicking 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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