Some say that the days just before and directly after December 31 hold important opportunities; they say those days are a time to close the door on the experiences of the previous year and to welcome the new year and all of the possibilities it may hold. Longtime drag racers Bo and Randi Lyn Butner, along with Bradenton Motorsports Park co-owner Victor Alvarez, can think of no better way to make the most of that golden time than to bring racers together to run for big money on one of the most popular dragstrips in the country.
The idea will come to life December 29-January 2 at Bradenton Motorsports Park (BMP) in Bradenton, Fla., where racers from near and far are invited to ring in 2027 with the inaugural New Year Resolution 5-Day Bracket Race.
The conversation for the New Year Resolution Race sprouted earlier this year when Bo Butner was at BMP driving Brian Corradi’s Pro Mod entry during the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
“You know, car guys are drawn to one another,” said Butner. “Vic and I got to talking about cars, and of course that leads to talking about racing. Vic knows the world of heads-up racing really well, he knows everybody, and he’s got some good stuff going on at Bradenton Motorsports Park. It’s one of the best tracks in the country for all types of racing – definitely during the winter months. I said, ‘Man, we ought to do a bracket race,’ and he said, ‘Let’s talk about it.’ It just grew from there.”
Alvarez, a businessman and racer who understands the sport from every angle, was immediately interested.
“Bracket racing has been such a huge part of Bradenton Motorsports Park, especially in the winter,” said Alvarez. “We wanted to go in a direction that was more racer-friendly than what we’d done before, and we felt we could do a better job. This seemed like the ideal opportunity for that, so we jumped on it.”
The New Year Resolution Race will kick off with Trailer Tuesday presented by RightTrailers. The festivities of the day will include a 128-car battle with a dream trailer up for grabs, as well as a $5,000 cash prize for the 32-car Jr. Dragster Shootout. Big money prizes are also on the line for the runner-up, semifinalists, and quarterfinalists in both races.
Four $50,000 races will take place across the remaining four days of the event, with $10,000 and $5,000 prizes awarded to runner-up and semifinals finishers, respectively. Round money will begin with third-round winners.
“We wanted to put together a nice bracket race with good money and prizes, and when it’s over, we want the racers to ask for more,” emphasized Alvarez. “I’ve always found that the best recipe for throwing a really good race is to have like-minded people involved, people who truly care about the sport and put the racers first. Bo and I both want these racers to enjoy it and come back to Bradenton Motorsports Park, and our goal is for this to be the first of many. I would love for it to be an every-year thing and to be talking about this race in 20 years.”
Butner, who was one of the key promoters for the successful Southern Sportsman Showdown in Valdosta in 2021, sees this new event taking wings and becoming a tradition for bracket racers across the country.
“We love Florida, we love Bradenton, and I’ve raced there a lot,” he said. “It’s a great time of year and a central location. The facility is awesome, and we all want the same thing: for the racer to have the best time ever.”
Entries are currently open at TheFOAT.com. Additional information can be found at facebook.com/2027NewYearResolutionRace and in the coming weeks on the official Bradenton Motorsports Park website racebmp.com.
The post New Year Resolution 5-Day Bracket Race Set For Bradenton Motorsports Park first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
