DIALED IN
ST. PATRICK’S CLASSIC
that these days existed,” smiles Walton. While
the event has been on their schedule for a while,
Beard even confesses that the race wasn’t even
heavily promoted, yet word somehow got out
in a big way.
The format for the St. Patrick’s Classic is a
tried-and-true formula with payouts of $5,000,
$10,000 and $5,000 in Top E.T. and Footbrake
classes. Buybacks were promptly cancelled in
Virginia because of the skyrocketing car count,
and the advertised $100 round money was in-
creased to $150. Furthermore, after the rains
came through on Friday, a back-up plan of run-
ning a pair of $10Ks throughout Saturday and
Sunday was put in place.
“Guys don’t have to win the race or get to the
split to pay for their weekend race bill,” says Beard.
Priced at $290 for a weekend entry, most racers
feel as though they’re getting excellent value for
their money, which is what Loose Rocker strives
to provide. There’s been multiple purse increases
over the years, with no entry fee increase. No less
than a dozen contingency sponsors also kick in
cash and products to sweeten the pot.
While mega-payout races are common in
bracket racing these days, Beard and Walton
say they’re content to stay in their lane and do
what they know. “We’re in it for the long haul,”
explains Walton. The Loose Rocker brand special-
izes in putting on events the masses can afford.
“If it takes every penny you’ve saved up for three
months to enter a race, then we’re not going to
see you for a while, and that’s not good for the
sport. The economy needs to continue to cycle,”
says Beard. “The $290 entry fee is nothing to
sneeze at – it’s still a sizable chunk of money – but
we want to make it to where you can afford to go
and race somewhere next week, too.”
The Loose Rocker philosophy has proven to be
a sustainable business model over the last eight
years and based on their season opener, it also
suggests there’s still a huge market for five- and
ten-granders. “We don’t have some magic formula,
we simply create races that we would want to go
to ourselves,” explains Beard.
Both Beard and Walton are racers, with Walton
being the original race promoter of the two. It
wasn’t until one of their favorite races was can-
celled years ago that they decided to put their
heads together, thus creating Loose Rocker Pro-
motions, which is a title their wives fully sup-
ported from the beginning. “Jill and Stacy say it
describes us perfectly!” Beard laughs.
The duo started their promotions with just
a single event in the early years, then added a
second. Eventually the number of events they
promote rose to six, which is a reflection of the
Loose Rocker roster for 2019, including the
brand-new Super Doorcar Challenge, held at
Piedmont Dragway May 17-19. Loose Rocker will
hold a total of three events at Piedmont this year,
as well as a stop in Darlington, South Carolina,
and then return to Virginia Motorsports Park
in August for the 4th annual Colonial Classic
presented by Calvert Kettle Corn.
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 144