Great American Guaranteed Million to Include Factory Stock Showdown, Massive Purse
/By Josh Hachat
Photo by Courtney Enders
Great American Guaranteed Million to Include Factory Stock Showdown, Massive Purse
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (Sept. 13, 2019)– The Great American Guaranteed Million just keeps getting bigger. Already the first guaranteed-to-win $1 million purse for bracket racers, the massive race added another exciting layer on Wednesday, as promoters Britt Cummings and Gaylon Rolison announced a special Factory Stock Showdown race at the event.
The race, which takes place May 20-25 at Memphis International Raceway, will include the popular class as one of the marquee attractions on Saturday, May 23, with Cummings already receiving commitments from many of the top names in the class.
“We’ve already got 15 verbally-committed entries and I only called 16 people,” Cummings said. “With the million-dollar race finishing up earlier in the day on Saturday, we wanted to keep the show going and have people in the stands.
“For me, this is the class I want to highlight. It’s a badass class, I love what it’s all about and I think the fans and everyone in the bracket racing world will dig it.”
The class has grown – both in popularity and participation – at an incredible rate in recent years, and will be given marquee billing and a marquee payout at the Great American Guaranteed Million in Memphis.
Cummings will keep the same $3,000 entry fee that is in place for the million-dollar bracket race, and it will be a 16-car qualified field.
He noted that 85 percent of the entry money will go back into the purse, meaning the greater number of entries, the bigger the purse. Though he’s still working through the final details, Cummings envisions the payout going to the winner and runner-up.
“With 24 entries, the purse I would like to see is $50,000 to the winner and $11,200 to the runner-up. That’s what I would like to see,” Cummings said.
That makes for a massive payout to the racers in the class, and whatever rules package in place at the time will be used at the event.
Cummings said certified NHRA tech people will also be on-site in Memphis and the class will race quarter-mile.
As far as names, Cummings has received verbal commitments from the likes of Leah Pritchett, the 2018 NHRA champ in the class, Mark Pawuk, Bo Butner, David Barton, Stephen Bell, Arthur Kohn, the Skillman family and several others.
With an impressive list of star power already, Cummings is excited to see it all come to fruition next year as the class gets major billing at one of the top events of 2020.
“These drivers were all excited. They’ve got a lot invested in these cars, running for $2,000, so this is something they want to do,” Cummings said. “They’re excited and it’s going to be great.
“I was 100 percent committed to doing this after watching this class race in Gainesville this year. I saw them go down and nobody in the bleachers left. That’s when I was sold. To see what they’re doing with these cars is phenomenal and I think it’s a great fit for this event.”
Cummings believes it adds another thrilling layer to what will be one of the most anticipated races of the year. But Cummings hints the Factory Stock Showdown won’t be the only major addition to the race, noting there will be plenty of surprises leading up to Memorial Day.
“We’re trying to keep it fresh and we’re excited with all the other things we’re working on for this race,” Cummings said.
Pre-entries open for the Great American Guaranteed Million on Oct. 11.
The race will also include a trio of $40,000-to-win races on Thursday, Sunday and Monday, with parking starting on Tuesday, May 19. Testing kicks off the event the following day, with the first of the Triple 40s taking place on Thursday. On Friday, each racer will get a timed entry and then they will run the opening round and the re-entry round before finishing for the night. Racing for $1 million will start Saturday morning with a time run before the winner is crowned.