Drag Illustrated Issue 159, August 2020 | Page 8

LETTER from the EDITOR It’s a good year to be a bracket racer. I know it’s a bold claim to say it’s a good year to be a racer of any variety, given the atmosphere of turmoil and uncertainty facing we’re dealing with this year. But as far as I can tell, bracket racing stands to weather this storm better than just about any other form of drag racing. Unlike so many heads-up racing sectors, bracket racing doesn’t rely on spectator admission fees and corporate sponsors for funding. Almost all payouts and other event costs are covered by entry fees, and anything that isn’t covered is usually picked up by sponsorships from participants with successful businesses or from manufacturers of products used by the participants. Not relying on spectators has allowed most bracket races, from local points races to big-money events drawing hundreds of racers from across the country, to continue as scheduled or slightly postponed while so many heads-up races have been cancelled, postponed or moved to different locations due to local limits on spectator gatherings. I know the sportsman crowd hears it enough as a negative from the heads-up contingent – “bracket racing isn’t a spectator sport” – but it’s turning out to be a blessing in disguise. With so much going on in the sportsman racing community this year, we knew our 10th annual Sportsman Issue had to reflect that. Leading off the issue is our cover feature on Steve Sisko, who earned the richest single-weekend payout in the history of drag racing when he won the JEGS-SFG $1.1 Million and backed it up with a $100,000 win Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief the following day. He has a relatable story, and he’s been chasing a win of this magnitude for more than 25 years. Sisko was one of over 600 racers who paid anywhere from $1,700 to $2,000 to enter the first round of eliminations at the $1.1 million race. With the country in the middle of one of its most challenging and uncertain periods in recent history, that kind of participation is incredible. It says a lot about the health of bracket racing, as does the event’s title sponsorship from JEGS Performance, one of the industry’s biggest players. Between their sponsorship and the fact that the Coughlin family brought a fleet of cars to compete in the event, it’s clear JEGS sees value in sportsman racing. Kyle Riley and his SFG Promotions crew aren’t the only promoters benefiting from record car counts and bountiful support from sponsors. Senior Editor Josh Hachat spoke to Riley and a few of his competitors for this month’s roundtable feature, an inside look at the business of big-money bracket racing promotion in the age of COVID. The promoters Josh talked to had some very encouraging things to say as the season rolls on into the late summer and early fall. The good news doesn’t end there. From classrecord payouts in Top Alcohol Funny Car and motorcycle bracket racing to new sponsorships and successful events, we’ve filled this issue with as much positive news as we could find. If you have even more good news to report, reach out via the methods below and drop us a note. We’d be glad to share it. Feel free to email me at nate@dragillustrated.com and follow me at facebook.com/nitronate1320 and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter. Wes Buck CEO / Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 wes@dragillustrated.com Mike Carpenter COO / Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike@dragillustrated.com Scott Dorman Publisher 615.478.5275 scott@dragillustrated.com Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 nate@dragillustrated.com Nancy Koeppen CFO 573.552.5551 nancy@dragillustrated.com Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 will@dragillustrated.com JT Hudson Sales Executive 660.341.0063 jt@dragillustrated.com Josh Hachat Editor-at-Large 740.627.1423 josh@dragillustrated.com Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 van@dragillustrated.com Caroline Fox Customer Service / Office Manager 660.988.2313 caroline@dragillustrated.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ian Tocher, Ainsley Jacobs, Kelly Wade, Bobby Bennett, Brandon W. Mudd, Tommy D’Aprile, Allyson Johnson, Pete Epple, Craig Cook PHOTO DEPARTMENT: John Fore III, Van Abernethy, Rick Belden, Tara Bowker, Shawn Crose, Jason Dunn, Paul Grant, Chris Graves, Ron Lewis, Joe McHugh, Gary Nastase, Mark J. Rebilas, Roger Richards, Cole Rokosky, Chris Sears, James Sisk, Ian Tocher ADVERTISING SALES: 615.478.5275 SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE: 660.988.2313 customerservice@dragillustrated.com DRAG ILLUSTRATED MEDIA, LLC PO Box 674, Kirksville, MO 63501 P: 660.988.2313 F: 660.665.1636 www.dragillustrated.com Copyright © 2020 by Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. Printed and mailed by Royle Printing in Sun Prairie, WI. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. PHOTOS: TARA BOWKER, GARY ROWE 8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 159