Big John Bracket Race at Rockingham, NC

Lane Claims $10,000 Prize

Results and photos courtesy Rockingham Dragway

Brandon Lane

Goldsboro, North Carolina’s Brandon Lane claimed the biggest share of the purse in the 21st annual “Big John” Memorial Weekend Bracket Nationals at Rockingham Dragway and capped his Top Eliminator success with a victory in Sunday’s National Dragster Challenge.

Lane’s march to a $10,000 payday included a perfect run in the fifth round that took down Saturday winner Michael Spencer of Raeford. Lane was triple zeroes on reaction time and dead-on his 4.810 dial-in. It took every bit of that performance to turn back Spencer, who countered with a .012 reaction time and a run that was only .005 off his 4.670 dial-in.

After getting past Spencer and advancing on a bye run, Lane stopped Clayton’s Blane Parrish in round seven and beat Rowland’s David Rowe in the semifinals before dispatching Kale Hoffman and his crowd-pleasing 1970 Ford Maverick in the final.

Facing off with Sunday Footbrake winner Allen Furr of Richfield in one of the weekend’s three National Dragster Challenges, Lane used a .005 reaction time to forge an early lead that enabled him to grab up one of the coveted “Wally” trophies typically reserved for winners of NHRA national and divisional races.

Sharing the Top Eliminator bounty with Lane and Spencer in the holiday event honoring the late “Big John” Leviner, a popular official at The Rock, was Ken Batchelor of Leland, who snatched up the final $5,000 share on Monday.

Bookending Furr’s Sunday Footbrake victory were the racing Gibsons. Former “Big John” winner Chris “Hot Rod” Gibson of Lexington got the first day win while his dad, Charlie Gibson, celebrated a win on Monday, beating his son in the semifinals when the latter missed the tree by .003. Each of the Footbrake winners took home $1,000.

Chris “Hot Rod” Gibson won the Saturday Footbrake class and the Run for the Wally

Skyler Bustle of Sherrills Ford won Sunday’s $1,000 Jr. Dragster prize but it was Brandon Sullivan of Radford, Va., who claimed the Jr. Dragster “Wally” in Monday’s three-round shootout. The other Jr. winners were Sullivan, who prevailed on day one and Connor Caulder of St. Pauls, who won on Monday, using a sensational .001 of a second reaction time to turn back Skyler Bustle’s sibling, Sayler, in the final.

MONDAY

(all towns are in North Carolina unless otherwise noted)

RUN FOR THE WALLY: Ken Batchelor, Leland, .042, 4.623 on a 4.600, 146.86 mph, def. Charlie Gibson, Lexington, 1968 Chevy Camaro, .034, 6.106 on a 6.040, 106.11 mph.

JR. DRAGSTER RUN FOR THE WALLY: Brandon Sullivan, Radford, Va., .012, 8.025 on an 8.030, 80.28 mph, def. Connor Caulder, St.Pauls, .020, 7.929 breakout on a 7.950, 79.35 mph.

TOP ELIMINATOR: Ken Batchelor, Leland, .015, 4.642 on a 4.610, 137.33 mph, def. Andrew Davis, Fayetteville, .007, 6.475 on a 6.430, 103.92 mph.

FOOTBRAKE: Charlie Gibson, Lexington, 1968 Chevy Camaro, .022, 6.078 on a 6.010, 107.47 mph, def. Tucker Creech, Clayton, 1972 Chevy Nova, .051, 5.941 on a 5.850, 116.21 mph.

JR. DRAGSTER: Connor Caulder, St. Pauls, .001, 8.025 on a 7.950, 76.99 mph, def. Sayler Bustle, Sherrills Ford, .045, 7.934 on a 7.900, 79.07 mph.

SUNDAY

RUN FOR THE WALLY: Brandon Lane, Goldsboro, .005, 4.827 on a 4.810, 140.01 mph, def. Allen Furr, Richfield, 1962 Chevy II, .054, 4.753 on a 4.730, 98.25 mph.

TOP ELIMINATOR: Brandon Lane, Goldsboro, .010, 4.835 on a 4.800, 132.69 mph, def. Kale Hoffman, Richlands, 1970 Ford Maverick, .158, 7.433 on a 7.400, 90.69 mph.

FOOTBRAKE: Allen Furr, Richfield, 1962 Chevy II, .033, 6.757 on a 6.730, 97.29 mph, def. Ricky Bullock, Sanford, 1971 Dodge, .095, 6.278 breakout on a 6.280, 107.52 mph.

JR. DRAGSTER: Skylar Bustle, Sherrills Ford, .044, 7.862 on a 7.900, 83.16 mph, def. Ben Spotts, Douglassville, Pa., foul.

SATURDAY

RUN FOR THE WALLY – Chris Gibson, Lexington, 1971 Z-28 Camaro, .006, 6.650 on a 6.630, 103.40 mph, def. Michael Spencer, Raeford, .029, 4.531 on a 4.530, 151.73 mph.