TJ Pruitt
Sunshine welcomed over 300 racers on a Tuesday to the sixth annual K&N Spring Fling 5-Day at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. Tuesday is reserved for a time trial session along with the American Race Cars/Racetech Dragster Shootout. Thirty-two combatants coughed up $1,000 for a chance to win a brand new dragster by becoming one of the two finalists. Each finalist earns himself the dragster with the winner having his choice of brand from the two sponsors. Semifinalists also earn a cash award so it isn’t just winner take all.
The 1,000-foot compromise race distance is in effect all weekend and after two time trial sessions for the select 32, eliminations began. Making it to the field of four was Wesley Washington, Gary Williams, Richard Jelich and Rob DiMino.
DiMino faced off with Washington and two dead-on the dial runs ensued with DiMino taking the reaction time advantage and the win to earn himself a dragster. His brother Vinny was the recent $50,000 Shootout winner at the Vegas Fling three weeks earlier so the DiMinos are on quite a roll. However, in the other half, Jelich had problems but Williams would have been tough anyway scoring a triple-zero perfect reaction time anyway for the win.
The final might have been anticlimactic as both racers were slated to go home with a brand new dragster but there was definitely some bragging rights on the line.
For the final, Williams left first on a 6.19 dial-in to DiMino’s 6.02, but it was Williams with the reaction time advantage that made all the difference in the world for the win light and his choice to go home with a brand new American Race Cars dragster.
Next up is Warm-Up Wednesday sponsored by Yukon Gear & Axle. Stay tuned to all the action with the live Internet video feed all week sponsored by JEGS and Steve Schmidt Competition Engines. Visit www.bracketraces.com to view in addition to keeping up with any K&N Spring Fling announcements.
