Dirt
PRACTICE TREE
whom were trying to have their October race
entry covered in January. As in the past, com-
petition to claim the entry to the Million was no
small feat. The first Million saw “Two-Seater”
Doug Foley Jr. in from North Carolina secure the
victory over local competitor Josh Harper. The
second Million Shootout saw two familiar faces
square off in the finals as Midwest .90 racers Joey
Fuesting and Devin Isenhower were left standing.
Isenhowser claimed the victory over Fuesting,
but both of them secured their spots in the final
event, the Racepak Shootout.
The Racepak Shootout included all of the “so-
close” racers to send them home with a RacePak
logger or Pit Mat from Racepak. Closing the deal
was Joey Fuesting in a squeaker against Mitchell
Reaves to take home a Sportsman Logger from
the great folks at Racepak.
After 16 straight hours, 60 pizzas, 30 cases
of beverages and thousands of releases on the
transbrake button, the bright LED lights from
Porta Tree went out, waiting for the cold winter
months of January 2019 to see who will emerge
with cash and entries to the greatest bracket rac-
ing events in the country.
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Walkin’ the Walk
D
ebuting a new race car can be
a tricky proposition, and more of-
ten than not there’s a serious learn-
ing curve involved early on. Rarely
does everything click right off the bat, but it’s
an amazing feeling when things fall into place
in short order.
Such was the case when Bryan Walker unveiled
his 1984 Mustang three years ago and promptly
put it in the winner’s circle a few weeks later when
he won a race at Missouri’s Mo-Kan Dragway. The
Mustang turned out to be such a potent piece that
Walker soon started entering the car in multiple
classes at the same event, and also touring to
several different tracks near his home in Carl
Junction, Missouri.
In 2017, Walker racked up an amazing 17 final
rounds, which earned him four Top Five finishes
in points at two different tracks, while competing
in multiple categories of competition. At nearby
Ozark Raceway Park, Walker won the champi-
onship last year in the No Electronics class and
placed third in Super Pro. Ozark’s bracket points
program is contested on Saturdays, which allows
Walker to also enter the points series at Mo-Kan
Dragway, located a mere 9 miles from Walker’s
house. He enjoyed a spectacular season at Mo-
Kan as well last season, placing fifth in Super
Pro and runner-up in No Electronics. Amazingly,
Walker was less than one round away from clinch-
ing the championship in No Electronics, a class
in which he was the point champion in 2016.
It requires an energetic effort to compete in two
categories with just one car and to make it hap-
pen, Walker routinely runs a round of Super Pro,
then hurriedly returns to the pits and removes
the delay box from the car and then reports to the
lanes for No Electronics. It takes a lot of focus to
stay on top of his game, although Walker seem-
ingly has it down to a science.
So, with his trusty Mustang dialed in consis-
tently, and his driving skills set on kill, there’s
not a whole lot Walker needs to change in 2018,
although he does plan on altering his strategy in
hopes of achieving even greater success.
“I plan on trying a different combination this
year which will make my car faster, so that hope-
fully I can leave second most of the time and
give my competition the opportunity to screw
up first,” he says.
The other aspect of his racing that he looks
forward to revamping is having his family join
him at the track more often in 2018. “I’m a family
oriented person, so I want to have my wife, April,
and our kids, Jace and Brooklyn, with me at the
track,” Walker explains. Some of Walker’s fondest
childhood memories involve going to the local
tracks with his dad, and he’s eager to continue
the tradition with his own kids.
Considering his success in bracket racing,
Bryan says he entertains the thoughts of doing
it professionally. “That’s definitely a dream of
mine,” he confirms. “I’ve got some great people
sponsoring me currently, people like Brandon
Barrentine and crew at BTE Racing and Trans-
missions Parts; Ronnie Briscoe at Scrap Metal;
Andrew at Sign Prints; Dave Lee at Express Auto
and Wes May at May Race Cars.”
Bryan also extends special thanks to his parents
for all they do, and for family and great friends
who support Walker Racing.
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28 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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Issue 130
Bryan Walker excels in Missouri bracket scene
By Van Abernethy