Garrett Howell and Brian Cireddu claim $20K each during the Loose Rocker ATI Fall Footbrake Frenzy XIII at Piedmont Dragway.
JULIAN, NC – The final Loose Rocker event of the season gave footbrake racers their time to shine with two $20K races. Co-promoters, Michael Beard and Anthony Walton adjusted the race format to work around the cold weather forecast and the new plan worked flawlessly.
Over 300 entries raced down the eighth-mile during the ATI Fall Footbrake Frenzy XII at Piedmont Dragway and MotorManiaTV was on site to live stream all the action.
Summit Racing Equipment Friday $20K
Friday’s $20,000 race, presented by Summit, was completed on Saturday due to the dropping evening temperatures. First round saw 322 entries roll into the water box and seven rounds later only eight drivers remained.
In the first pairing, Jed Knarr had a perfect light and took the double breakout win over Mason Fix. Jacob Ritchie ran dead on his dial but was left mathematically ineligible beside Garrett Howell who was .014 and one above for the win.
Both drivers run two above their dial ins, but the .007 reaction time of Dallas Glenn helped to illuminate the win light while Trish Witt’s .025 light left her .022 behind at the stripe. Nearly identical reaction times created the closest run of the quarterfinal as Ernie Humes takes a .006 margin of victory over Seth Phillips.
Semifinal
In almost poetic fashion, Humes lays down nine total to advance into his ninth Loose Rocker final round while Knarr breaks out by 3 thou for the loss. Glenn is left mathematically ineligible beside Howell who uses an .020 package to move into his first Loose Rocker final round.
Jed Knarr and Dallas Glenn
Final
With $20,000 at stake, two deep staging North Carolinians ease their Mopar machines towards the starting line. Howell has an .015 advantage on the tree and runs one above his dial to take the .002 margin of victory over Humes.
Garrett Howell adds his name to the Loose Rocker leaderboard by claiming his first win, while Ernie Humes now sits with five wins and four runner up finishes.
ATI Performance Products Saturday $20K
Saturday’s $20K would be completed on Sunday, which also happened to be the warmest day of the event. By seventh round, the 317 entries were narrowed down to only seven drivers: Rodney Lunsford, Ernie Humes, Nasty Nick Hastings, Seth Phillips, Brad Plourd, Anthony Fetch, and Brian Cireddu.
Phillips had an .010 reaction time advantage but winds up .002 behind at the finish line as Lunsford runs dead on for the win. Fetch has a 5 thou starting line advantage and takes .006 at the stripe to take the win over Humes.
Cireddu has a .002 light and takes the double breakout win over Hastings while Plourd earns the last bye run of the race and coasts into the semifinal.
Semifinal
Cireddu uses a starting line advantage to package up Lunsford and advances into his first Loose Rocker final round. Fetch is .021 total to leave Plourd mathematically ineligible and gets ready for his second Loose Rocker final round.
Rodney Lunsford and Brad Plourd
Final
A couple of long distance drivers each wheeling a Camaro stage up during the second $20K final. It’s all over at the starting line when New Jersey’s Fetch is .001 red while Cireddu is .011 green to take the $20,000 check back to Ohio.
Brian Cireddu claims his first Loose Rocker win only two months after cashing in for $10K, while Anthony Fetch adds a second Fall Footbrake Frenzy runner up to his resume.
Loose Rocker Promotions
Four first time Loose Rocker Promotions winners were crowned in just one week during the 10th Annual American Doorslammer Nationals and the Fall Footbrake Frenzy XII. Although their season has just finished, the crew is already looking forward to an action-packed 2022!
You can find more information and the event schedule by looking at the Loose Rocker Facebook page or website.
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Jessica was born into a family of drag racers and fell in love with the sport at a young age. She began competing at 13 and has been hooked ever since! She even met her husband at the World Footbrake Challenge VII. Jessica works full time as an Ultrasound Technologist but spends almost every weekend chasing win lights at IHRA and NHRA bracket races.
You can contact her at Jessica@dragchamp.com or on her Facebook page.
