Ewing is Beside Himself

Words and photo by Dale Wilson
6/11/03

here are many ways to win in bracket racing, but one of the best is to race yourself in the final.

So it was that young gun Todd "Bones" Ewing found himself still in at four cars at the latest B&M Racer Appreciation Series go over the June 6-8 weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park without even a thought of doubling up in the winner's circle. "I was too busy," he said afterwards.

But when Friday's race concluded at 4 p.m. Saturday (rain was the reason), there Ewing was, clutching both a B&M winner's trophy AND a runner's-up, thanks to his tenacious driving and his entry of two cars in the $10,000-to-win race, his own 2003 Mullis/Huntsville (Alabama) Engines dragster and good friend Mike Fuqua's digger from Hendersonville,

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Tennessee. Ewing put out bracket legend Scotty Richardson of Goodlettsville, Tennessee in one car and defeated Ryan Boxx in the other.

B&M race director John Spar told Ewing that he didn't have to make a pass down the Memphis eighth-mile after that.

"I've heard of only a few racers who have done that," Ewing told us later. One of those racers happens to be the great Scotty Richardson.

Ewing nearly dominated the B&M meet, going out at 16 and four cars in Saturday's race and losing in the fourth round in both on Sunday. Last year, he won the NHRA Gatornationals in Super Comp and won a Division 2 points race the following weekend, then following with another points race win later in the season. This year he won the NHRA Southern Nationals in Super Comp, plus three or four "big" (as in $10,000 or more to the winner) bracket races. Ewing works for Huntsville Engines honcho Garry Reavis, and is sponsored by Brodix (he likes the Big Duke head and intake system) and Demon Carburetion (he likes racing gas, not alcohol). He also likes his big-block Chevy engines big, as in 588 cubic inches.

We asked him if he was planning to hit the bracket and Super Comp road full-time, now that he has won so much. "Shoot, no," he said in his Alabama drawl, "you can't quit your day job to do that."

Other winners at the B&M go at Memphis were: Rick Robertson of Tuscumbia, Alabama (a former B&M world champ) over Brooks Stephens of Pell City, Alabama (a Mustang fastback racer who finished high in B&M points last year) in Friday's Footbrake action;

Stephen Hughes of Pasadena, Texas (a past B&M Million Dollar race winner), victorious against David Owens of Laurens, South Carolina in Pro on Saturday;

Lucas Bendall of Town Creek, Alabama (yet another high scorer in B&M racing) over David Bigham of Kingston, Georgia ("White Whale" Mopar station wagon racer following in dad L.C.'s footsteps) in Saturday's Footbrake action.

And on Sunday, Richardson got his payback, winning Pro by defeating Leon Lofton of Henderson, Tennessee, while Jared Pennington of Coalburg, Alabama (member of a long line of racing Penningtons and "class instructor" of the GM Performance Parts True Street Sunday racers at each B&M meet) beat Ricky Morris of Ellenwood, Georgia (IHRA-legal Crate Motor Stocker) in Sunday's Footbrake action.

Steven Mason of North Little Rock, Arkansas won the General Motors Performance Parts True Street race on Sunday.

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