Cover photo credit: Terry Ferrell
Have you ever stopped to think about how a single second can change everything? In fact, for us drag racers, it can be as little as one ten-thousandth of a second…but I digress.
I’m not sure if it’s just how my brain likes to process things, but I typically like patterns. Consistency. Routines. From the way I check my tire pressure to even parking in the same spot at work, I’m pretty much a creature of habit.
On the other hand, life is messy. It’s spontaneous and unpredictable. You can believe you have everything planned out, but you soon realize you’re wrong. Even though it may rattle my inner perfectionist, those little surprises force life to be interesting.
And often times they make for a good story. 😉
Cheesin’ at the World Footbrake Challenge
Photo credit: Terry Ferrell
World Footbrake Challenge VI
In 2012, Dad and I decided to make the trip from Greer, SC to Bristol, TN to compete in the BTE World Footbrake Challenge VI. At the time I was 19 years old and only hauled a car about 10 minutes away to the local track, maybe twice.
For this adventure, I’d haul the truck and enclosed trailer 2.5 hours on the interstate and across a couple mountains. Dad was following me in the motorhome towing his open trailer with his wagon. No worries, I didn’t run anything or anyone over.
Other than successfully making the trip to Bristol and back, we didn’t make much noise during the event. There were a few round wins but no $10,000 checks in our pockets. Regardless, we had a great time and knew we would be coming back the following year!
What I didn’t know, was how influential that following year would become.
Photo credit: James Young Photography
World Footbrake Challenge VII
In 2013, the World Footbrake Challenge included two special McCarty Auto Parts 16-car Shootouts; Ladies Night Out and the Senior Citizen Challenge. Of course, I jumped on the opportunity to race in Ladies Night Out. Fun fact: I still use the JEGS bag that Coalburg Racing Promotions gave all the lady entrants that year!
The Shootouts were scheduled for first thing Saturday morning before the $10K main event. Unfortunately, during second round of Friday’s $10K, I broke the second gear sprag in the transmission. After talking to the BTE representatives on site, they suggested to shift from first to third gear and continue the weekend. What’s the worst that can happen since it’s already broken? 😂
Eventually, I make it to the semifinals in the Ladies Night Out Shootout before missing the tree and losing to my friend, Jamie Southards. The late Susan McMillan won the race and, to my knowledge, is still the only woman to win during a World Footbrake Challenge event.
As you may have heard before, the 2013 WFC is where I met my best friend and husband, Cody Spears. Without going into all the mushy details, that fact will always keep the WFC close to my heart! 💗
Shortly after meeting Cody, I graduated college and moved to Tennessee to begin my ultrasound career. Every year since, I have lived 30 minutes away from my favorite race and have made a few laps each year. One of these days I’m going to earn one of those big checks…
Wheeling a broken Buick during the 2013 WFC
Photo credit: Joanne & Mark Walter with dragstory.com
World Footbrake Challenge XIV
Fast-forward a few years to 2020, where Coalburg Racing Promotions made history twice in one season. At the World Footbrake Challenge XIV, 550 entries made the first round call shattering the 2019 record of 489 entries. This not only created the biggest crowd during a World Footbrake Challenge event, but was also the largest single class of cars to compete at Bristol Dragway during their 55 year history.
Just two months later, the Coalburg crew returned to Thunder Valley with the BTE Labor Day $100K. Also known as the largest paying Footbrake-only event in the history of our sport. On a smaller magnitude for the rest of the world, but fairly significant in my eyes, this was also the first time that I was asked to write race recap articles directly for a race promoter. More notably, the race promoters of an event for which I have attended for nearly a decade! Cue enthusiastic super fan. 🤩
“Working” during the BTE Labor Day $100K last year
World Footbrake Challenge XV
As Coalburg Racing Promotions gears up for two huge events in 2021, I’m extremely excited to be part of the team!
I’ve been asked again to provide the daily recap articles for the 15th Anniversary BTE World Footbrake Challenge July 1-4 as well as the BTE Labor Day $250K September 2-5, 2021.
Aside from spending time behind the keyboard, I’ll also be pulling into the staging lanes in my wagon. That’s right, I’m working double duty! So if you see me running around like a crazy person, bear with me or hand me a water, because I’ll probably need it. 😂
Photo credit: Terry Ferrell
Every Moment Matters
Circling back to the beginning of this post, so many things have transpired over the years just because a girl and her Dad wanted to go racing. One seemingly insignificant decision aligned a million puzzle pieces of my life to fall into place.
If not for that moment, I doubt I’d be living in Tennessee and most likely would have never met Cody. We wouldn’t have the life we enjoy or our crazy cat, Peanut. How boring would that be?
Who knows if I would have started a blog about my racing, which led to working at DragChamp, and eventually writing on behalf of the WFC.
I wouldn’t know the awesome co-workers at my full time job. Actually, I’d probably be working at a hospital in South Carolina having to take call and cover some weekends, instead of my lucky Monday-Friday gig! Which is a pretty nice schedule for a racer, by the way.
Photo credit: Terry Ferrell
If you widen the lens on this train of thought, if it wasn’t for drag racing – where would any of us be?
Who else could feel your pain when you had an .05 reaction time advantage only to get behind 1 thou for the loss? More importantly, who else would even understand what I just wrote? 🤔
I’ve made countless lifelong friendships because of this “hobby.” Even with different backgrounds, time zones, ages, and car choices (hello, all of you wild Mopar fans), there’s this family-like connection within our sport.
Although the on track rivalry is fierce, the companionship between racers is unmatchable. Whether someone needs to borrow an air tank or swap out a transmission, you can bet there will be a dozen hands willing to help out.
We compete, sweat, laugh, celebrate, and even mourn together in the racing community.
So the next time someone says, “It’s just a race.” I hope they realize that when you dig deep and really think about it…drag racing can be so much more than that.
It’s not a race at Bristol without Cowboy! 😁
See y’all at the World Footbrake Challenge,
