Bracket Racing
Mickey Thompson Supports Spring Fling Million
STOW, OH – Drag racers are hoping to hit the jackpot in Vegas next week as part of the Spring/Summer/Fall Fling Bracket Race series 
sponsored by Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels.
The sponsorship allows Mickey Thompson showcase its versatile line of drag racing tires and “Own a Round” at the Spring Fling Million race week, set for April 12-16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The racer with the “Best Losing Package” of the Mickey Thompson round will receive a set of slicks, in the form of a gift card, presented by the Fling staff.
“We all know how popular bracket racing is, and our year-long partnership with Fling events puts us right in the heart of the action,” said Jason Moulton, Sr. Motorsports Manager of Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels. “We’re happy to support the races and highlight the quality and winning design of our ET racing tires.”
FOLEY SHIFTS FOCUS TO BIG BLOCK COPO CAMARO IN 2022
Steve Foley will concentrate on winning the 2022 Stock Eliminator championship while driving a brand new COPO Camaro for Daren Poole-Adams
CLINTON, NC – Steve Foley has battled fiercely within multiple classes and cars throughout his drag racing career while continuously 
looking for ways to grow. To shake things up next season, Foley will be wheeling Daren Poole-Adams’ big block powered 2022 COPO Camaro in NHRA Stock Eliminator competition with his eyes set on a World Championship.
Poole-Adams is supplying Foley with his 2022 number 004 Chevy COPO Camaro equipped with the brand new 572 cubic-inch big block engine combination. Holley EFI will sponsor a flawless tune for performance while Goodyear tire will provide the traction. It will be up to Foley to illuminate win lights and he is already gearing up for the challenge.
“I feel like it’s going to be a great combination and I’m going to dedicate myself to this car and this car only,” Foley explains. “I just have to test and get some seat time, because proper preparation brings success and reward.”
Foley is no stranger to winning with an already impressive racing resume. He has accumulated 14 track championships, two World Footbrake Challenge event wins, several Race of Champions and Bracket Finals wins. Foley has finished in the top 10 of NHRA Division 2 the last two years and just barely missed a top 10 appearance in the world this season, despite winning the Stock Eliminator National Open Championship in Division 2 and being the Division 2 leader for the JEGS Allstars.
MUTT & JEFF FALL BRAWL SATURDAY RESULTS
Boonsboro, MD – It’s pretty well known that a dragster has always been the tool of choice when it comes to high dollar bracket racing. All 
that has been changing the past couple of years as door cars have been showing up in a lot of late rounds. In fact, at this event lone, door car entries outnumbered the dragsters in the pre-entered and limited 250 car field.
Yesterday’s Mutt & Jeff Promotions Fall Brawl $20K-to-win at Mason Dixon Dragway in Maryland ended with three door cars left standing in the semifinals, with Mike Barber and his Fox Body Mustang eventually scoring the $20K for his coffers. The weekend left two more $10K-to-win races today and Sunday, but an impeding weather forecast for Sunday forced officials to combine Saturday and Sunday’s races, making today another $20K-to-win.
Just like yesterday, the No Box cars were kept separate with the final combatants Marty Flegal and Scott Lenig. The winner of that pair moved into the next round of the Box class. After identical reaction times, it was Lenig forced to run out and advance Flegal into the semifinals of the Box class after he received a $1,000 bonus for winning the No Box class
MUTT & JEFF FALL BRAWL
Boonesboro, MD – It was 2015 when Mutt and Jeff Promotions opened with their first event held at South Mountain Dragway in 
Pennsylvania. Looking for larger venue, the following year, the event was moved to Mason Dixon Dragway in Maryland. With a handful of sponsors, that first event in Maryland proved to be the right decision. Racers flocked in to take part in the experience of a high dollar bracket race – Mutt and Jeff style.
“In 2019,” says Mutt and Jeff Promotions’ Paul Burruss, “we chose to move the event further north to Beaver Springs Dragway with an overwhelming success, but never forgetting where it all started.”
For 2021, in addition to the Beaver Springs event held last June, Mutt and Jeff Promotions will be returning to Mason Dixon Dragway this coming week with their Fall Brawl event; three days of high dollar bracket racing. Looking to place a cap on the number of entries to provide for an exceptional experience for racers, when the Fall Brawl event was first announced back in June, pre-entries filled fast proving once again the old adage of “Build it and they will come.” In addition, a separate and limited 32-car dragster and door car shootouts will take place. On Saturday night, an open to all Racer Appreciation Party will also be a part of the festivities.
JEFF SERRA WINS JEGS PERFORMANCE 25K SATURDAY
BRISTOL, TN — The last day of the final Fling event of 2021 concluded on JEGS Performance 25K Saturday at the RAD Torque Fall Fling 
presented by Optima Batteries. A month prior, racers were given the opportunity to vote to either double Saturday’s purse to $50,000 or double the round money payouts. It was nearly a unanimous decision to double the round money, and so Peter Biondo and the Fling Team delivered.
Other than the $25,000 big check, two awards would be presented by the Fling Team at the end of the day. Several drivers were in contention for the Todd’s Extreme Paint MVP Award with the first being Kris Whitfield with his 25K and 100K runner-ups. The second was Cameron Manuel, who consistently went deep in eliminations with both of his entries. In the end, the Fling Team determined that Manuel’s 28 round wins, window of lights, and number of dead-on runs made him worthy of receiving the $1,000 check and custom-painted Impact Racing helmet.
The Kyle Seipel Never Give Up Award was a trickier decision as many drivers suffered breakages and unfortunate luck. But it was the 79-year-old Bill Dempsey who captured the attention of the Fling Team after mechanical troubles earlier in the weekend. On Saturday, Dempsey laid down a .001 package after being .000 and dead-on one, and backed it up with another .000 bulb the following round. He received a custom crystal plaque presented by Ivey Hutto Golf Cart Sales and Services and the Fall Fling in addition to $1,000.
THE FLINGS RESTRUCTURE DOUBLE ENTRIES FOR SELECT EVENTS IN 2022
BRISTOL, TN — From the beginning of the week at the RAD Torque Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries, promoter Peter Biondo and 
the Fling Team promised to deliver a “game-changing” announcement for select events in 2022.
At 9 a.m. on Friday, racers and staff gathered in front of the Thunder Valley tower and viewers tuned in on MotorManiaTV.com and the Spring Fling Bracket Races Facebook page.
“What is the great debate in big money bracket racing?” Biondo asked, to which several drivers in the crowd shouted out “double entries.” The Fling events have always had a policy in place that would not allow ‘same driver/same car’ to double enter. Although this works well, it doesn’t give the racers who own only one car a chance to double enter. Conversely, Biondo and Kyle Seipel always felt that a same driver/same car double has an unfair advantage, even more so during the first two rounds where the spacing between rounds are anywhere from four to 24 hours.
Biondo explained that the current widely used format — where the same driver/same car doubles — has its flaws and creates an unfair advantage. “The problem really comes to surface when a racer can run his entries against a single entered driver who has not seen the track sometimes since the previous day,” said Biondo. “Without structure it puts single-entered drivers in a spot where they either have to run up against doubles, or have to double themselves to be competitive”.
KYLE CULTRERA WINS ATI PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS 100K FRIDAY
BRISTOL, TN — A packed day of action was in store for ATI Performance Products 100K main event Friday at the RAD Torque Fall Fling 
presented by Optima Batteries. The day began with the Fall Fling Reaction Time Challenge followed by New Entry Time Runs before getting into a special presentation preceding the first round.
From the beginning of the week, promoter Peter Biondo and the Fling Team promised to deliver a “game-changing” announcement for select events in 2022. At 9 a.m., racers and staff gathered in front of the Thunder Valley tower and viewers tuned in on MotorManiaTV.com and the Spring Fling Bracket Races Facebook page live streams.
“At the first two Fling events of 2022, we will allow doubles in any form. Same driver/same car doubles will be allowed. But the game-changer will be in the structure and enforcing it.” Biondo added, “There are no blurred lines in this new format. You can double any which way but we will separate the doubles where they are grouped separate from single entries for the first two rounds.”
GARRETT GRIFFITH WINS MOSER ENGINEERING 25K THURSDAY
BRISTOL, TN — Moving into the third day of the RAD Torque Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries raised the purses and the stakes. On 
Moser Engineering Thursday, $25,000 was laid down on the line for the 370 Flingers with their sights set on a Fall Fling big check.
Wednesday crowned Howard Westbury as the FST Carburetors $15,000 event winner in the “Kick Booty” Chevy II over Kris Whitfield, and Tuesday saw Northeasterners Tim Markoglu and Robert DiMino walk away with American and Race Tech dragster chassis in the 32-Car Dragster Shootout.
Low-80 degree temperatures and light breeze made for some tough competition throughout the day. By the time the ladder was set for round seven, each match-up consisted of a door car versus a dragster. Greg Hicks, Cameron Manuel, Gary Gross, Jason Lynch, Cody McDaniel, Tim Thomas, Jesse Edens, Matt Dadas, and Garrett Griffith remained.
HOWARD WESTBURY WINS FST CARBURETORS 15K WEDNESDAY WARM-UP
BRISTOL, TN — Another picturesque view of rolling green hills and blue skies set the scene for the second day of the RAD Torque Fall Fling 
presented by Optima Batteries. FST Carburetors Wednesday began with a time run for all racers on property to collect data in pursuit of the $15,000 purse.
The warm-up saw 354 entries stage up for the first round of eliminations with 196 dragsters and 158 door cars. The inclusion of buybacks made for ten rounds of racing to muscle through for one driver to end their night parked in the winners circle hoisting a big check and custom Fall Fling trophy.
Well into the night under the Bristol Dragway track lights, nine drivers remained on the ladder for round seven. Buddy Fleenor was .011 and one-thousandth under the dial on his solo shot, while Chris Gulitti took out John Labbous Jr. using a .029 advantage from the hit. Kris Whitfield put up .012 total on Timothy Thomas and Todd Ewing eliminated himself from the field by way of a .007 redlight which advanced Howard Westbury. The final pairing saw Will Holloman take just three ten-thousandths on Kurt Harrington to be dead-on one.
TIM MARKOGLU WINS AMERICAN/RACE TECH SUPER TUESDAY SHOOTOUT
BRISTOL, TN — The sun rose above the iconic hills of Thunder Valley to greet racers rolling through the gates of the final Fling event of the 
year. The RAD Torque Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries fired to life with the Rob’s Automotive and Collision Center Test and Tune after racers got settled into their pit spots during the early half of the day.
Between sessions of testing would be the American Race Cars/Race Tech 32-Car Super Tuesday Dragster Shootout in which the two finalists would earn a dragster chassis valued at $16,000 — with the winner having their choice of builder.
As the afternoon shade crept over the racing surface, the shootout had dwindled down to eight competitors matched up on a ladder third round. Robert DiMino and Robert Hindman staged up as the first pairing, and Hindman quickly bowed out by way of a .007 redlight. Buddy Fleenor and Duston Wurtz were just two-thousandths apart on the tree and Fleenor used a .002 stripe to be dead-on nine for the win. Tim Markoglu advanced to the semifinals on a double breakout after being .001 and just one-thousandth under the dial against Shane Thompson, while Jim Glenn’s sixth-thousandths breakout awarded Scotty Richardson the win.
