W Mr. Dirt W
THOUGH FEW TAKE THEIR WORK AS SERIOUSLY AS
KEPNER, HE’ S ALSO KNOWN TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AT THE TRACK. IN THIS SHOT, HE HANGS OFF THE BACK OF A GOLF CART ALONGSIDE NATIONAL DRAGSTER’ S
KEVIN MCKENNA WHILE THE LATE SCOTT“ BUBBA” BARNES WORKS THE WHEEL AND PEDALS.
On His Complex Personality
“ The funny thing about Bret is how many see him as egotistical, arrogant, know-it-all. Heck, after meeting him, my own mother said what a prick he was! Nothing is further from the truth, but it takes some time to see the caring side of him.”
— SCOTT SPARROW it or not, Bret can listen! However, when it comes to drag racing history, it’ s best to just let him ramble and educate you.
Sparrow says one of Bret’ s pet peeves, perhaps his greatest within the drag racing sphere, is journalists or commentators writing or talking about a sport they have never competed in. In the late‘ 90s, I was in St. Louis visiting Bret and had a chance to go observe one of his drag racing classes at the Gateway. After that, we talked about why I should race as it would give me a much better perspective. It was probably a year later when I was back at Gateway covering a race of the newly formed National Street Car Association. It happened to be a rare off-weekend for Bret, so he came to the track and once again began harping about me never racing. This time I took the bait and entered their radial street tire class, which was a bracket class. Bret entered the class as well in one of his then-famous and feared bone-stock Ford Taurus rental cars. I was driving a‘ 93 Camry Station Wagon.
I vividly recall him giving me the Bret Kepner Drag Racing School education before I ever got to the staging lanes. I did as he said during testing and in qualifying. After each run, he’ d look at my time slip and give me tips. If I recall, it was a four-round race, and to be honest, I forget if I had a bye. Regardless, I went rounds and actually beat some people far more experienced than I was. How? According to Bret, it was the fact that I never raced before, which turned out to be an advantage. My racing mind was essentially pure and not filled with a ton of different strategies, which allowed me to just do what I was told
KEPNER AND THE LATE ANNOUNCER BRIAN OLSON
without questioning or overthinking it.
I ended up in the final round against, you guessed it, Bret. Yeah, he kicked my ass. When we got back to the pits I shook my head. He laughed and said,“ I sure wasn’ t going to teach you everything I know!” Sure, I was racing a 17-second station wagon, but it still gave me the something standing on the sidelines never did, and a better understanding of what the process of drag racing is, and what it actually feels like to drive on a dragstrip, even if it was in a really slow car.
Joe Castello, creator of the WFO Radio livestream and podcast, NHRA media personality, and announcer, says that in many ways, Bret is the gold standard when it comes to drag racing knowledge. Bret invested so much of his personal energy into knowing and understanding the history of the sport. For many, following in Bret’ s footsteps is very intimidating. I know for sure I will never know as much as Bret. The thing I respect most is his ability to bracket race. Don Garlits told me the story of Bret leaving a Masters Entertainment shoot to go bracket race in a rental car. He would win the events as Mr. Dirt, a fact that impressed Don Garlits, and me.
It was a thrill when I finally met Bret and I was able to ask him some questions. I understood very quickly why his opinion is held in such high regard. My favorite thing I have learned is how Bret learned to be a photographer. Matt Polito and Competition Plus legend Roger Richards both held Bret high on their lists of fellow photographers to share a wall with.
Bret has had an impact on many announcers such as Al Tucci, who shared this comment. Bret Kepner is one of the best announcers in drag racing. His knowledge of the whole sport and racetracks is unmatched by anyone. Bret is quite simply the greatest historian we have in the world of drag racing.
Any article about Bret Kepner must mention his yearly trek to Utah. Going to the salt flats for Speed Week is a hot rodder’ s dream. It’ s the ultimate pilgrimage, and Bret told me he never missed a day of SCTA Speed Week for 31 years. Bret spent 26 years as a member of the timing officials team. Bonneville is different from drag racing. It’ s all about speed and setting records on the flat, low-friction surface.
Bret has also been an animal lover his whole life and is known for his giant Flemish rabbits and many rescues of cats over the years. Kepner and longtime girlfriend Marianne Schultz currently share their home with several rescue cats. DI
112 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 201