DIALED IN
Cody Pollage was no different
than any other race promoter at the
onset of a brand-new season of racing
roughly six months ago, as his CP Promotions
schedule was more robust than
it had ever been. But out of nowhere came the
challenges of 2020, the likes of which no one
had anticipated. Regardless of the adversity,
though, Pollage began to meet those challenges
head on and hold some heavily attended bigmoney
bracket races just as soon as it was
humanly possible.
To be clear, Pollage’s region of the country is
in a much warmer climate than most and he was
actually able to sneak in a great event at Louisiana’s
No Problem Raceway in February shortly
before 2020 really began to fall apart.
“We were headed to Texas in March for the
scheduled running of the Texas Two Step event,
but it got rained out, so it was rescheduled for
April,” Pollage explains. “But of course by then
COVID had hit and so the rescheduled date was
also cancelled. So, here we are in June finally
getting to run the first of what was originally
intended to be a 5-race series here at the Texas
Motorplex.”
Despite the disastrous early innings of the
year, anyone who finally dared to hold an event
was greeted with such an overwhelming turnout
that finding enough parking was often difficult.
Pollage’s Texas Two Step at the historic Texas
Motorplex was no different, as racers poured in
from far and wide to throw their hats in the ring
of collecting a huge payday.
Things got kicked off on
Friday with bracket racing
ace Johnny “Bracket Racer”
Ezell striking first to collect
the $10k payday in Super
Pro, getting past Kendal Little
in the finals. Both drivers
were deadly off the starting
line, with Ezell leaving first
with a .002 reaction time,
and Little right on his heels
with a .008 light. Ezell’s 4.78
was two numbers off his
dial-in and good enough to
take home the opening prize.
In Friday’s No Box showdown,
Jake Howard got
past Brandon Umberger on
CODY POLLAGE
Sandlin collected a $12,500
payday.
On Sunday, John Alonzo
III made his efforts count in
the Super Pro final when he
got past Rodney Costlow, en
route to $20,000 in prize
money.
In Sunday’s No Box showdown,
Max McGlothin held
off Brandon Umberger for
the $5,000 payday. If you’re
keeping score at home, Umberger
indeed went to the
finals all three days of the
event, on a very successful
outing for the Grand Junction,
Colorado, resident.
a double breakout run. Howard collected $5,000
for his efforts.
In Saturday’s Main event, $50,000 was on the
line in Super Pro, with Carson Wheeler and Josh
Burrow meeting in the finals. Wheeler’s driving
on Saturday was spectacular, as the 18-year-old
from Wichita, Kansas, clinched the victory with
a .004 light and dead-on his dial-in performance
to slide past Burrow for his biggest payday of his
young career.
“Prior to this I won a $7,500 race in Tulsa.
Things just fell into place and the car was amazing,
I couldn’t have asked any more of it...I guess
it was just my day!” beams Wheeler.
In Saturday’s No Box finale, Chad Sandlin used
a holeshot to hold off Brandon Umberger, as
CP Promotions returns to Texas Motorplex
in July with the scheduled running of the Night
Under the Lights race, featuring Friday and
Saturday night races. Also in late July through
early August, CP Promotions will visit Pine Valley
Raceway in Lufkin, Texas, for the Texas Summer
Bracket Frenzy.
“In September we’re doing a race back at the
Texas Motorplex on Labor Day weekend where
we’ll have three 20-granders on the top and three
5-granders on the bottom,” Pollage says.
CP Promotions will close out the 2020 season
with a final stop at the Texas Motorplex on Halloween
weekend, which will be the season finale
for bracket racing at the Texas Motorplex as well
as CP Promotions. DI
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