We have a hard time labeling even the most educated enthusiasts as true "hot rodders" unless they have actually drag raced their cars. We're talking about heading to the local strip, "dialing in" with shoe polish on the windshield, and taking a crack at both consistency and sharp reactions to compete against the locals in a round by round dash for cash.
Nowhere is this exercise more impressive than in the B&M Racer Appreciation Series and its crown-jewel event, the B&M Millon Dollar Drag Race. Here you'll find the best racers in the world duking it out for the biggest potential prize in drag racing. This Memphis finale is more than just a bracket race, as multiple events and numerous prizes within the race have more than 445 racecars lining up at the gates days before things get going.
For the street machine set or those that drive cars similar to them, no event within "the Million" is bigger than the Mickey Thompson Footbrake Invitational, presented by Popular Hot Rodding. Mickey Thompson put up $2,000 to win, $1,000 for the runner up, $500 for a semi-final birth, and $250 for getting past first round, not to mention a 2 for 1 gift certificate toward a set of tires for all sixteen participants. To qualify for the Invitational, one had to finish in the Top 10 among Footbrake class points earners in the B&M Series or be among the selected six racers from around the drag racing community. This had the best "non-electronics" racers (bracket racers whom simply stall the converter against the brake pedal and swap feet at the light, rather than relying upon a transbrake and electronic delay box for performance and consistency) chasing the seven race series for a chance at facing off in an abbreviated ladder like you'd find in the Big Bud Shootout for the NHRA stars. The racers were more intense than NHRA pros, too!
They take this racing seriously and the staging lanes were filled with big-block and small-block doorslammers specifically prepped to run the number. Most cars ran the Memphis 1/8 mile in between 6 and 8 seconds, so by comparison you'd see 9 to 11 second runs from them at 1/4 mile tracks. More importantly, these guys are deadly on the .500 sportsman tree, with the majority of runs featuring sub-.550 second reaction times. If you don't think that's a big deal, try doing it consistently in your hot rod!
Among the other events on the grounds were Thursday's Simon Racing Products Gambler's race for a free entry into "the Million," $20,000 to win events on both Friday and Sunday named the "Barker Trailer Sales Twin 20s," the Jeg's "Clash for Cash" Shootout (for "electronics" race winners in the series), the K&R "Reaction Time Shootout" for quick leavers within the B&M Series, and the Goza "Tighten it Up" Challenge for index heroes. Make no mistake, however, all eyes were on Saturday night's giant prize, where Joel Reynolds took home more than $200,000 for his efforts! "The Million" name is a bit of a misnomer, as only after signing up 500 entries (215 cars actually entered) allows the final prize reach such heights, but even reaching a fifth of that makes it drag racing's biggest payday. Buybacks, sidebets, and deal making among opponents only add to the excitement. Series promoters paid out $520,000 that night!
Check the B&M Racer Appreciation Series schedule for 2003 at www.bracketnews.com, find a race near you, and take advantage of their "race for free" program where participating GM Performance Parts dealers can offer you a free tech card and shot at the True Street field. Collect enough points in the Footbrake class and you too could be participating in this year's Footbrake Invitational at "The Million" in Memphis, held September 25-28, 2003.
The Invitational final round was filled with suspense, as two hard-working kids in their Novas pounded their way through three rounds to duke it out for $3,000 in purse. Steven Fleming, from Lexington, Kentucky (far lane), was just a tad later than eventually winner, Chris Wiley, as both drivers tried to "dump" each other, covering the brakes to avoid breaking out and encourage the other to do the opposite. Wiley's .532 light was coupled with a 7.619 ET on a 7.60 dial in, compared to Fleming's stellar 7.459 on a 7.45 dial in. In footbrake racing, it rarely gets closer. Both cars were great examples of PHR bracket cars, with small-blocks, small tires, and bolt-on traction bars. | 
Chris Wiley had a winner's circle crowd that would have made the biggest and most famous families in drag racing duck for cover! These people can in giant numbers from Pell City, Alabama, to root him to victory. As for this writer, he finally achieved his dream of giving away a trophy like his old man did in those 1970s photos from Irwindale, Seattle, and OCIR--pretty cool. | 
On a weekend when the footbrake cars were among the stars, one of our own took home the big title. Joel Reynolds, from Adamsville, Alabama, used his Chevy doorslammer to eliminate seemingly dozens of dragsters to take home more than $200,000 in "The Million" bracket race on Saturday night. |
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Rarely does a slow-reacting door car beat the odds against nimble dragsters, so credit Reynolds for excellent driving and car setup. Interestingly enough, runner-up Claude DeBonis won his way into the show by taking the Gambler's race and it's free Million entry on Thursday night! |  |