After crowning Cooper Chun as the first Winner of the week, we geared back up to award our first $50,000 Summit Racing Equipment Winner. With 618 entries on Tuesday, another record was set at the Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Race. Following 680 entries on Wednesday in 2023, Folk Promotions wants to thank the racers for an incredible turnout, as 729 entries took to the track in round one in 2024.

In the fifth round, the last two bottom bulbers lined up to battle for the $1,000 No Box bonus. Justin Lourash left .002 too soon, handing the win to Brett Williamson. Williamson advanced to the main event, where competed for the $50,000 prize.

With six drivers left—Jeff Serra, Scott Carman, Preston Mitchell, Brian Whitworth, Spencer Massey, and Dana Boatright—Brian Whitworth and Preston Mitchell were up first. Whitworth was in the zone, as he let go .008 at the tree and took .002 at the stripe to run dead-on with a five, defeating Mitchell and advancing to the semi-finals.
Spencer Massey and Dana Boatright lined up next for their shot at $50,000, and it was Massey, a familiar face in the big money bracket racing scene, who came out on top. Massey was .002 and ran two above to secure the win over Boatright, who was .019 and dead-on with a seven.

Another familiar name had two entries, one in the door car class and one in the dragster class. After losing his dragster entry, he continued to dominate in the door car class. Jeff Serra secured the bye to the final with a .002 reaction time and sealed his spot by running dead-on with a 2. Leaving it to Massey and Whitworth to square up in the semis, with Massey having lane choice.

Massey experienced mechanical failure and coasted to a stop after turning it .003 red. Whitworth, with a .015 reaction time, shut it off and coasted into the final round. Serra took his bye run aiming for lane choice and he secured it as he was .002.

After 1,600 laps, the Summit $50,000 final featured a showdown between two tough competitors: Brian Whitworth in the dragster and Jeff Serra in the door car. The track crew gave the thumbs up as both drivers delivered impressive burnouts before staging up for the $50,000 big check. Whitworth, a well-known promoter with Race TB Promotions who hosts his own events at World Wide Technology Raceway, had never reached the winner’s circle as a driver at WWTR. Whitworth lit up both bulbs first, and laid down 13 total as he was .007, and dead-on with a 6. Serra was .011 and one above the dial to be .008 behind at the stripe.

 

During the winner’s circle interviews, Shawna was there to greet Brian, along with their son Brooks, who was definitely a bit tired after a 17-hour day. Whitworth thanked his family and wife for their sacrifices, expressing how incredible it was to land in the winner’s circle on such a significant stage. When TJ Pruitt asked how it felt to be on this side of the stage, Whitworth shared how amazing it was to be the driver in the winner’s circle at the most prestigious bracket race, calling it a dream of his.

As Hurricane Francine moved north after making landfall during the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Race, the decision was made to combine Thursday and Saturday’s Summit Racing Equipment $50Ks to ensure all races and payouts listed on the flyer were paid out. The top priority was delivering a great experience for racers at the OG Million at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The weekend had already seen Cooper Chun and Brian Whitworth park their dragsters in the winner’s circle. Despite the forecast, Thursday began with 740 entries all gunning for the $100,000 payday.

In the fifth round, the last two bottom bulbers lined up to compete for the $1,000 No Box bonus. Grant Zimmerman, competing in his second No Box final of the event, faced off against Ken Norup. Unfortunately for Norup, a .027 red light ended his run, giving Zimmerman the ticket to race for $100,000 in the main event.

With six drivers remaining—Jeff Serra, Larry Piper, Chris Bear, Eli Barnett, Marco Abruzzi, and Talon Farmer—both bragging rights and $100,000 were on the line.

First up were Serra and Piper. Serra, who had made it to the final round of Wednesday’s $50K, turned it .001 red at the start. Piper left little room for error, posting a .001 reaction time and going dead on with a four.

Next, Chris Bear and Eli Barnett battled for their shot at the $100,000. Bear, with a .016 reaction, went dead on with a six, locking out Barnett and earning the second spot in the semi-finals.

Finally, Talon Farmer lined up against Marco Abruzzi to fight for the last spot in the next round. Abruzzi went .003 red, while Farmer matched Piper’s .001 reaction and went dead on with a one, securing the bye into the final round.

Mother nature finally made her presence known and crowning a Summit $100,000 champion would have to wait until Friday morning.

Once the weather cleared and the incredible track crew at World Wide Technology Raceway had the surface race-ready, as the three remaining drivers were ready to face off.

Piper didn’t miss a beat, with a trip zip reaction time and going two above to lock out Chris Bear. Meanwhile, Farmer made his solo run in preparation for the final against Piper, posting a .006 reaction time, giving Piper lane choice.

Piper became the third dragster driver to claim victory at the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Race, securing the Summit Racing Equipment $100,000 check. With a .001 reaction time and two above with a 3, Piper locked out 19-year-old Talon Farmer.

 

During the winner’s circle interviews, TJ Pruitt spoke with Larry Piper. After winning numerous bracket finals, this victory stood out for Piper. He shared how luck was on his side in the early rounds, with everything falling perfectly into place. He credited "someone upstairs" for his success during the race.

Piper humorously mentioned an inside joke with his friends, saying, "This thing is nasty, it’s just the transmission," after piecing together a 4-clutch high gear transmission.

He expressed gratitude to his wife for her 36 years of unwavering support and was thrilled to have his son and two daughters by his side for this moment. Piper described the experience as "awesome," admitting he could hardly believe it. He proudly said this was his biggest win yet.

 

 

As the clouds parted, the stage was set for the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million at World Wide Technology Raceway. On Million Dollar Friday, racers from across the country converged on the track, eager for their shot at etching their names into the history books of the Million Dollar Drag Race. This prestigious event, a cornerstone of big money bracket racing, has become a bucket list item for many, offering a chance at a life-changing payout and ultimate bragging rights.
Veteran announcer Ryan Gleghorn kicked off the race with a moment of silence, honoring the late George Howard, creator of the Million Dollar Drag Race, and paying tribute to two great members of the racing community recently lost—Scotty Richardson and Jeffrey Maggart. Gleghorn, joined by fellow announcer Steve Riggins, called laps throughout the Million, giving viewers both at home and at the track the play-by-play, and racers were on their game.

A total of 436 entries took to the track during round one. Another large turnout set the stage for one racer to claim the $550,000 purse, while the runner-up would take home $50,000. After a late start caused by the remnants of Hurricane Francine passing through the area, the decision was made to resume on Saturday morning. Round two eliminated over half the field, leaving those racers to try again in 2025. This break allowed competitors to enjoy a good night’s sleep and take part in the Laris Motorsports Insurance Racer’s Appreciation Dinner, which featured the famous Million Steak Dinner.

After defeating Donnie Hagar, the 2023 Million Dollar winner, and collecting the BRODIX Bounty Hunter Award, Rob Fisher lined up in the final against Troy Ross. Fisher was .001 too soon, turning it red and advancing Troy Ross to the main event, claiming the $2,000 No Box Bonus.

Just over twenty-four hours after kicking off the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Drag Race, only six drivers remained in the main event: Bart Nelson, Chris Bear, Curt Harvey, Gage Burch, Josh Pickett, and Justin Moser. The atmosphere became electric as racers advanced to the final rounds, with negotiations starting as they worked out how to divide the massive purse. Some racers chose to allow their friends to negotiate for them as they focused on what they must do on the track, as the split was finalized.

As the drivers prepared to battle it out, one final rainstorm passed over the track, leaving a rainbow in the distance and delaying the epic showdown, setting the stage to crown the winner under the Saturday night lights.

After the rain delay, the first pair out were Josh Pickett and Justin Moser. Pickett had just over a second head start on Moser and took full control off the line, with a .005 reaction time, finishing two above and locking out Moser.

Next up were two friends and fellow Texans. After a brief staging battle with some flickers, and neither driver wanting to go in first, Nelson nosed in his dragster first. The two were separated by just two thousandths of a second at the line. Nelson, with a .008 reaction time and one above, edged out Harvey by .007 at the finish line, sending Bart Nelson to the semifinal.

The third and final pair of the round featured Gage Burch and Chris Bear. Bear, fresh off a semifinal run in the Summit $100,000, was seeking redemption and the final spot in the semifinals. Burch, sitting on a potential bye, needed to lock out Bear to secure his spot in the final. With Nelson already having a bye, a door car had the chance to win during the weekend after a dragster-dominated event. Just seven thousandths of a second separated them at the line, and the win light came on for Gage Burch, who was no stranger to final rounds in big-money bracket races. Despite a tough start to the weekend, Burch was heading to the final of the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Race. Burch was .009 and dead on with a nine, while Bear was .016 but eight thousandths under, giving the win over to Burch.

Bart Nelson and Josh Pickett made their way to the water box to see who would face Burch in the final round. One of their dreams was about to end, and the main question was whether there would be an all-door car final or if the final dragster would manage to secure a sweep for the weekend. Pickett was on the left and Nelson on the right. The winner would return to face Burch in the final. Six thousandths separated them, with Pickett laying down a solid run with a .012 reaction time and going dead on with a two, while Nelson matched him with a .006 reaction time and ran dead-on with an eight, reaching the stripe by .0004 to nose out Pickett at the finish line.
Burch dialed in 1.39 in honor of Sean Serra as he prepared to face Nelson in the final round, which would be a door car versus dragster matchup.

Bart Nelson and Gage Burch lined up in the final—a door car versus dragster matchup, young gun versus veteran, Florida versus Texas—featuring two well-known and respected bracket racers. One thing was certain: a new Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Winner would be crowned. The question was whether the big check and bragging rights would go to Florida with Gage Burch or to the Lone Star State with Bart Nelson. Thousands of viewers tuned into watch on MotormaniaTV, thanks to Autoland Outlets and Vintage Trailers, while the crowd at the starting line eagerly anticipated the showdown.

 

The final would go down in Million Dollar Drag Race history as an epic lap between Nelson and Burch. Nelson continued his dominance, helping the dragsters sweep the weekend with a .002 reaction time and putting his dragster dead on with a one, falling just three thousandths of a second short of a perfect run. Burch put down an impressive run that would have won many final rounds, with a .008 reaction time and going dead on with a zero, leaving him five thousandths of a second behind Nelson at the finish line.

 

 

Nelson was celebrated in the winner’s circle by his friends and his father, who travels to each race with him. The winner circle featured champagne bottles popping and the presentation of the prestigious trophy and Million Dollar Drag Race Big Check.

Folk Promotions would like to thank all of the racers that came out to support the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Drag Race!

 

 

This year's MVP at the 29th Annual Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Drag Race is Brian Whitworth. Whitworth was chosen after wheeling his dragster to victory in Wednesday's Summit Racing Equipment $50K and for his performance during the Million. Despite his dragster breaking in the earlier rounds, Brian jumped into another dragster, continued turning on win lights, and made it to the split in the Million. Congratulations to Brian on a great performance! He was awarded a brand new Titan Shifter, courtesy of Drag Race Solutions.