Burch Goes Back-to-Back for a Total of $60K at the BTE World Footbrake Challenge 5-Day

Burch, Furr, Bowman, and Pennington captured wins at the BTE World Footbrake Challenge 5-Day at Bristol Dragway.

Recap provided by BTE World Footbake Challenge, photos by Chris Simmons Event Photos

BRISTOL, TN- Five days of footbrake racing in July on the mountain were apparently appealing, as strong car counts staged up throughout the various races during the BTE World Footbrake Challenge 5-Day. Larger crowds led to longer days where each morning began with the completion of the prior main event, and at times it took a moment to recall which entry or race or round was staging up, but at all times you could hear the choir of engines humming down the eighth-mile.

Saturday presented a distinct set of challenges for the relentless Bristol Dragway staff, with three significant on-track oil downs followed by a midday pause in the action as the skies quickly turned gray while the EZ-up tent and awning-snatching winds ravaged the pits and staging lanes. On a brighter note, raindrops never fell, and racing resumed shortly with cooler temperatures, at least for a couple of hours.

$5K Wednesday Gamblers

The BTE World Footbrake Challenge 5-Day filled Thunder Valley with the roar of racecars on a Wednesday, which is the midweek boost every horsepower junkie craves. Drivers filled the staging lanes throughout the test-and-tune session to collect on-track data and enjoy the recently renovated racing surface. The first round of eliminations was soon underway with 292 entries looking to take home the $5,000 prize without the cushion of a buyback round.

Five fellas found their way into the seventh round of racing: Ryan Tankersley, Allen Furr, Jake Magee, Charlie Lockhart, and Griffin Haygood. Magee misses the tree and breaks out five thousandths while Haygood is .006 up front and runs .013 above his dial-in for the win. Tankersley is .017 red beside Furr, who is .011 green, and two above to advance to the semifinal. Lockhart wheels his S10 dead on with a zero on the bye run, because why not?

In the semifinal, Haygood’s really good double-oh reaction time awarded him a solo shot into the final round. Furr uses a .018 starting line advantage and runs dead on with a one to lock out Lockhart, who breaks out at the big end.

Two first-time Coalburg Racing Promotions finalists fought for their chance to be in the first Wednesday winner’s circle celebration, and that tongue twister isn’t nearly as complicated as the skill it takes to perform well under pressure. Only four thousandths separated the pair on the starting line, and Haygood breaks out five thousandths while Furr runs .013 above his dial-in to take the money back to North Carolina.

Furr’s been waiting to park his Chevy II in front of the striking Bristol Dragway tower and uses the opportunity to thank his long list of sponsors on tonight’s Wired Designs livestream. He adds, “I don’t have any kind of words to put to this [feeling]. I’ve been racing big money races since 2011 and to get here is surreal.”

Thursday $20K

It was another sizzling day of competition on day three of the BTE World Footbrake Challenge XX, featuring hours of burnouts, wheelstands, win lights, and a few boxes of buyback ice cream. Gallons of water were consumed and eventually sweat back out by everyone on the Bristol Dragway property, but to be honest, it was going to be hot no matter what you were doing…so you might as well be racing, right?

The remaining 49 entries from Thursday’s $20,000 main event were the first to roll into the stage beams and were eventually completed between first round pairs of Friday’s $20K. Round number eight featured seven entries and six drivers: Anthony Blackburn, Shawn Pitts, Edmond Ellison, Nick Bowman, Mitchell Seymore, and Nick Scheckelhoff still double-entered.

Both drivers are .010 on the tree, but Scheckelhoff’s red light is shining while Blackburn is green and runs seven thousandths under his dial on the free pass. Bowman is .028 on the tree and runs dead on with a two, leaving Pitts mathematically ineligible with his .038 reaction time. Seymore launches too soon beside Ellison, who is .018 up front and eases off the throttle to roll into the next round. Sheckelhoff earned the bye run on his second entry and gets ready for the semifinal pairings.

A rematch between Blackburn and Sheckelhoff ended with Blackburn getting the .001 margin of victory with his .032 total package beside his opponent’s .033 light. Both drivers ran two above their respective dial-ins, but Bowman’s .024 reaction time got him to the finish line four thousandths in front of Ellison.

Another dead-on pair and a .007 margin of victory made for an exciting final where Bowman put together a .024 total package beside Blackburn’s .024 reaction time to take $20K back to Pennsylvania while wheeling his beloved racecar, Nadine.

“My wife, and my kids, and my dog are number one. We are crushing it as a team together,” Bowman credits as his secret to success. “This is my first win at Bristol at the World Footbrake Challenge, and this is the big one, the one I’ve been after. This is the biggest check mark on the list, and it feels amazing,” Bowman continued. After an emotional recollection of his family at home watching and the pride of accomplishing what he has worked so hard for, Bowman concludes his winner’s circle interview with an enthusiastic, “Yeah baby!”

$20K Friday

Friday’s $20,000 main event was the first to near the finish line, with seven drivers making their way to the eighth round of competition: Jake Magee, Trey Scharf, Ernie Humes, Jason Lawrence, Gage Burch, Mark Brewer, and Rodney Finchum.

Humes was the first driver advancing to the semifinal when his .028 light and dead on with a three pass left Brewer mathematically ineligible with a .033 reaction time. Magee had the starting line advantage with a .013 bulb, but broke out three thousandths beside Scharf, who broke out two thousandths to illuminate the win light. Burch is .008 on the tree and runs dead on with a zero to end Finchum’s day, who breaks out in an attempt to take the stripe. Lawrence was .006 red and broke out but still got the win because he had earned the last bye run of the race.

Only one thousandth separated the first semifinal pair on the starting line, where Lawrence takes .003 at the finish line to break out three thousandths while Burch breaks out one thou to secure his spot in the final round. Scharf is .020 on the tree and runs dead on with a seven to lock out Humes’ .034 reaction time.

Friday’s $20,000 final on Saturday was a perfect view for the Chevrolet long roof enthusiasts as Scharf staged his Malibu station wagon beside the Vega station wagon wheeled by Burch. Any anticipation is erased at the launch when Scharf is .006 red while Burch is .010 green to extend his Coalburg Racing Promotions winning record to 5-1.

$40K Saturday

The attention returned to Saturday’s $40,000 combined main event until the Bristol weather we have all witnessed returned with vengeance. The dark mountain skies were illuminated by lightning alongside a roaring thunderstorm that continued into the overnight hours.

Despite a prior decision to combine the event into four days due to impending weather on Sunday afternoon, destiny determined this race would indeed be a five-day event as advertised. Sunday opened with the completion of the third and fourth rounds of Saturday’s $40K before alternating between rounds of the main event and the $4,000 gamblers race.

The third main event neared conclusion on Sunday afternoon as once again the eighth round resulted in seven remaining drivers: Charlie Lockhart, Lane Blackburn, Steve Collier, Gage Burch, David Harvey Jr, Peyton Bunch, and Jordan Martin. Collier is .002 red to send Harvey to the next round who is .021 up front and runs one above his dial in. Burch has a .019 reaction time advantage and gets behind at the finish line for the win as Lockhart breaks out four thousandths. Martin is .013 on the tree and one above to leave Blackburn mathematically ineligible with a .034 reaction time. Bunch eases into the semifinal courtesy of the bye run.

In the semifinal, Martin is .012 on the tree and takes the double breakout win over Harvey. Bunch has a .012 reaction time advantage but breaks out beside Burch, who runs dead on with a three for the win.

Martin stages up for his second Coalburg Racing Promotion final next to Burch, during his second in just as many days. Martin’s .022 and one above is a solid lap, however Burch is .007 and takes .006 at the finish line for his second consecutive win of the weekend. Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Burch is now the only driver to earn the Mike Mo MVP award twice after tackling the competition in the 577 entry $20K and 528 entry $40K.

Jared Pennington recounts his stellar performance while Burch says, “I’m sure in the next few days I won’t realize it either, but maybe one day we will look back and see how cool [this weekend] was. There’s a lot of good races this weekend, but I knew at the end of last year when I saw the footbrake five day flyer, I thought that was a really good race and have good luck at Bristol. You guys put on a good event, it seems that no matter what it throws at you we get most of the racing done and you guys do it as fair as possible for the racers. I know we all appreciate that.”

Burch also mentions numerous people and companies he would like to thank during his winner’s circle interview as well as the importance of just having a good time and enjoying the moment.

Sunday $4K Gamblers Race

The racing was not quite complete yet, as the $4,000 gamblers race whittled down to eight drivers in round number five: Braylee Griffith, Briston Hughes, Trish Witt, Gabe Taylor, Randy Centers, JJ Pennington, TJ Jordan, and Anthony Blackburn.

Jordan has a two hundredths starting line advantage and takes .000 at the finish line, earning the win over Witt. Pennington is .027 and dead on with an eight to leave Griffith mathematically ineligible in her Jeep. Blackburn is dead on his dial, but left the red light on by seven thousandths while Taylor’s green light sends him to the next round. Hughes launches too soon beside Centers, who uses the opportunity to get a time trial for the semifinal.

Three S-10s and a Malibu are left down to four cars where Jordan is .013 red to send Pennington into the final round on his .005 breakout pass. Both drivers turn on the red bulb in the next pairing, however Centers launched first while the sixteen year old Taylor makes his way to the final.

The pair of young finalists make their way onto the racing surface for the last run of the event; one who is only as old as the event itself and has dreamed of a moment like this, and the other a junior dragster racer who had never sat behind the wheel of this truck before. Pennington launches with a comfortable starting line advantage and runs one above his dial to earn his first big car victory in an unforgettable fashion, while Taylor breaks out one hundredth and also leaves the mountain with a fantastic moment.

Undeniably one of the most emotional celebrations and winner’s circle interviews closes the historic event as Jared Pennington interviews his son, JJ in front of the beautiful Bristol tower.

Jared explains how they have simulated a winner’s circle moment many times throughout JJ’s childhood as the realization that it is finally real sets in. Jokes continue between the pair to lighten the mood as JJ says he’s speechless. However, he quickly continues, “It’s unreal, we’ve talked about this since I was little. I’ve been to eight or nine finals before this one and lost all of them. When I left the starting line, I knew I gave myself a chance, went through the finish line, my win light came on, and I lost it down there. I was hooping and hollering all the way to the turnoff and then to get down here, and you give me a big hug was obviously an emotional moment.”

Five finals in five days were celebrated during the twentieth anniversary of the BTE World Footbrake Challenge that also coincided with the 250th anniversary of America. A recurring aspect of the event was undoubtedly the higher-than-average temperatures, but the racers, staff, and crew members also appeared to have an exceptional amount of fun. The historic event with long-awaited wins, back-to-back victories, a first-time feeling, and the finest footbrake action you can find will be long remembered.

Next on the calendar is the BTE Labor Day Footbrake Challenge in just a little over eight weeks back at the beautiful Bristol Dragway.

Thanks to Motormaniatv for providing the livestream with the support from Laris Motorsports Insurance, Environmental Oil Recovery, Inc., and Scorpion Racing Products.

For more information on Coalburg Racing Promotions, visit www.worldfootbrakechallenge.com.