Knieriem Wins DragChamp Junior Dragster $10,000 Invitational

Cole Knieriem captured the BTE King of the Coast Christmas on the Coast Junior Dragster $10,000 Invitational 64-Car Shootout presented by DragChamp victory.

GULFPORT, MS- The highly anticipated BTE King of the Coast Christmas on the Coast Junior Dragster $10,000 Invitational 64-Car Shootout presented by DragChamp took place December 17-18, 2022 at Gulfport Dragway.

Months prior to the event, racers submitted resumes and a panel of five judges made up of Thomas Holley, David Hammons, Allen Wickell, Jared Pennington, and Luke Bogacki sorted through the entries and chose 63 racers to compete in this prestigious event. The panel was only provided the portions of the resume that showed the accomplishments and they were not given the name of each racer. Additionally, submitters provided a brief two minute video. The 64th racer was determined by a “Last Chance” race which was contested on Friday night.

Friday Night “Last Chance” Race

The remaining racer to round out the field of 64 was determined in the Friday Night “Race your way into the Jr Dragster $10,000 Invitational”. All racers who submitted resumes that were not selected by the race selection panel had the opportunity to compete in the race your way in event. The winner also collected $1,000!

Justin Kendall earned the last spot in the 64-car Drag Champ $10,000 Invitational by defeating Luke Tabor in the Friday Night “Last Chance” final round.

Junior Dragster $10,000 Invitational 64-Car Shootout presented by DragChamp Results

Quarter-Finals

In the quarter-finals, there were just eight cars left to see who would be crowned as the Inaugural DragChamp Junior Dragster $10,000 64-Car Shootout Invitational winner. The eight drivers consisted of: Evan Muchler, Colt Saum, Cole Knieriem, Gavin Whisnant, Jesse Fritts, Dexter Gomez, Dylan Moore, and Carson Emmett.

Evan Muchler def. Colt Saum

Cole Knieriem def. Gavin Whisnant

Jesse Fritts def. Dexter Gomez

Dylan Moore def. Carson Emmett

Semi-Finals

Cole Knieriem, Dylan Moore, Jesse Fritts, and Evan Kuchler were the semi-finalists left to battle it out to see who would continue on to the $10,000 winner takes all final round.

In the semi-finals, Cole Knieriem defeated Dylan Moore and Jesse Fritts defeated Evan Muchler.

Final

In the final, Cole Knieriem turned on the final win light of the race and collected the $10,000 pay day. Jesse Fritts was the runner-up finisher.

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