Images courtesy: kocbracketseries.com

The King of the Coast Bracket Series has been a big success over the last eight seasons and will continue in 2012 with six scheduled events. One of the most unique things about this series is that it pits door cars against door cars and dragster against dragster for the first four rounds – something that many racers think is a great idea. Gulfport Dragway in Gulfport Mississippi will host all six events this season. Although Gulfport is a quarter mile track, the King of the Coast series will race race on the eighth-mile.

The classes are Pro Electronics, Pro Footbrake, Sportsman, and Jr. Dragster. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has been expanding over the last 20 years or so and is home to many casinos. For those gamblers that would like better odds than the casino, they can bring their drag car out to these events and try their luck (and skill) at $4,000 or $5,000 for a days work on the track. Many of the series regulars are from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.

The race is a Saturday and Sunday deal with parking and a test and tune on Friday night. As with many big money bracket racing events, there are some wild types of side races and wagers going on. For example, at this event there is a Tournament of Champions, Calcutta, Kinpin, and a Wild Card.

The Tournament of Champions takes the top 32 racers and places them together in the field that comes with a catch. The top sixteen earn a first round bye and the top eight earn a first and second round bye, creating a rather interesting race program. Separate races are run for the electronics and the footbrake classes.

A Calcutta is where a racer puts some money in the pot at the beginning of the event. At the end of the event the racer that is in the calcutta and has gone the most rounds wins half of the pot, while the other half goes towards the series points fund.

The Kingpin award goes to the racer with the most money round appearances in the season. The Wildcard, meanwhile, is a chance a racer can purchase. If your number is called, you advance right into the third round.

At the second race there will be a 5.70 Real Street class and a 4.90 Heads-up class run. If you’re looking for some fun in the sun you might want to head down to the coast and try your luck.

2012 Huntsville Engine King of the Coast Schedule

Event 1- Feb. 10-12-Gulfport Dragway
Event 2- Mar. 23-25-Gulfport Dragway
Event 3- May 4-6-Gulfport Dragway
Event 4-Sept. 28-30-Gulfport Dragway
Event 5-Nov. 9-11-Gulfport Dragway
Event 6-Nov. 30-Dec. 2-Gulfport Dragway