BENSON,NC– FTR Events, the brainchild of Tim & Dan Fletcher along with Vinny DiMino took 250 pre entries in their first ever event held at Galot Motorsports Park in Benson, NC. Entries sold out in less than a day for this single entry race with 2 20K Main events with a plethora of extras including 2 shootouts, a duck race and a Run For The Money time run session.
Jaymes Rawlings creeps into the waterbox as the sun sets during the Galot 250 at Galot Motorsports Park (Credit: Dylan Biondo)
The track was hot at 12 noon for racers to get their cars dialed in during the test and tune session with a shootout awaiting 32 drivers. The 4K shootout got underway around 1:30 and after a few rounds, the final of Ivan Fuller vs. Tom Dauber was set. Fuller’s Vega left the line first with .015 in his pocket as the dragster of the always tough Tom Dauber tried to chase him down but couldn’t get it done. Fuller took the stripe by .002 to get around Dauber and take home the first big check of the weekend
Ivan Fuller’s Winner Circle celebration after his 4K win (Credit: Dylan Biondo)
WINNER- Ivan Fuller
R/U- Tom Dauber
The first main event day got underway Friday morning with a time run followed by first round in a format where door cars ran door cars and dragsters ran dragsters with a hard separation with a separate bye run down until the ladder round (8 cars or less). The FTR team also had a 64 car $5,000 to win shootout on the schedule Friday night.
In the 20K Mickey Thompson sponsored main event, the quarterfinals rolled out with 6 cars left. The first pair out was Eric Aman in his Cavalier lining up against the dragster of Jake Hodge. Just .001 separated the two on the let go but it was Aman coming back to the semis as he was .015 total to get around Hodge. Second pair out featured Dalton Wilkinson against Eric Thomas in another door car vs. dragster showdown. The Fairmount, NC native Thomas let go .002 ahead of Wilkinson and ran it down to take .014 at the big end to move himself into the round of 3. The last matchup featured the S-10 of Dylan Biondo, son of Sal Biondo, lining up against the Mustang of Will Roberts. Biondo let go .003 and ran a 5.937 on the 5.93 laying down a .010 pack to take out Roberts. Biondo’s .003 gave him the bye run to the final.
It would end up being an all door car final with Biondo waiting to face the winner of Thomas vs. Aman. Thomas had the strating line advantage over his fellow North Carolina local Aman as Thomas was .004 on the tree running a 5.726 on the 5.71 to take out Aman and set the final.
In the final, Biondo had a reaction time advantage of .022 over Thomas and took .008 at the finish line to cash in and take the Mickey Thompson 20K check back to New York.
Dylan Biondo’s Winner Circle celebration after his 20K win (Credit: Taylor DiMino)
WINNER- Dylan Biondo
R/U- Eric Thomas
SEMI- Eric Aman
QUARTERS- Jake Hodge, Will Roberts, Dalton Wilkinson
In the FTR Events $5,000 shootout Brad Butler Jr. was taking on Peter Biondo, who watched his nephew, Dylan, reel in the 20K win just minutes before his own final. Butler was no slouch as he was .001 on the let go and ran dead on with a 4 to be .005 total to defend home turf as the North Carolina driver would take home the big win with a statement run.
Brad Butler Jr.’s Winner Circle celebration after his 5K win (Credit: Taylor DiMino)
WINNER- Brad Butler Jr.
R/U- Peter Biondo
Saturday morning started with a Run For The Money, giving racers the chance to put a dial in on their car and give prizes to the top 3 packages of the time run session. Eden Lukhard got herself a $1,000 check with her first place finish, Tanner Miller got a 2025 Spring Fling Galot entry with his second place finish, and Will Creasman picked up a 2025 Galot 250 entry for his third place finish.
In the Victory Lane Golf Carts 20K Main Event, 6 cars came back for the quarter finals. First pair out featured the Camaro of Thomas Davis lined up against the dragster of David Cox. Davis let go .003 and laid it 6.403 on the 6.40 putting together a .006 pack and earning the bye to the final, taking out Cox in the process. The second pair out was Steph Raynor taking on Justin Holston. Raynor would have the advantage at the starting line, but break out, giving the win back to Holston. The last pair of the round was Donald Webb’s wheelstanding Nova lined up against the dragster of Clayton Roberts. Webb was .014 and ran a 6.108 on the 6.10 getting to the stripe by just .0003 to send himself to the round of 3.
3 cars came back for the semis, and they all had doors once again setting up an all door car final. With Davis on the bye it was Holston vs. Webb to see who would take on the Camaro of Davis. Holston was .000 perfect on the let go and laid it 6.131 on the 6.13 to be .001 total leaving no room for Webb, and setting the stage for our final.
This one was over at the starting line as Davis turned it -.004 red giving the win light and the 20K Victory Lane Golf Carts big check over to Holston who was ready with a .009 light, which was just what he needed to take home the 20K
Justin Holston’s Winner Circle celebration after his 20K win (Credit: Dylan Biondo)
WINNER- Justin Holston
R/U- Thomas Davis
SEMI- Donald Webb
QUARTERS- David Cox, Steph Raynor, Clayton Roberts
Saturday concluded with a $1,000 to win duck race, free to enter for anyone who had not gone a round all weekend sponsored by Hippie Headers. Mark Earnest looked to change the tide for the dragsters as every other winner was a door car, but the S-10 of Ritchie Howard stood in his way. Howard had the advantage at the starting line but broke out, giving the win back to Pennsylvania native Earnest.
Mark Earnest’s Winner Circle celebration after his 1K win (Credit: Dylan Biondo)
WINNER- Mark Earnest
R/U- Ritchie Howard
We wanted to take a second to thank each and every one of our racers for supporting our first race, and thank those watching along with us on MotorManiaTV. Without your cooperation and support, none of this is possible. Looking ahead to next year, we cannot wait to get back to Galot Motorsports Park for not one, but two events, and we hope to see you all back!
EVENTS
