When you talk about pressure-packed bracket racing, it doesn’t get much more intense than a 32-car shootout where the prize is a brand-new race car. That’s exactly what went down during Advanced Product Design Tuesday at the Moser Engineering Spring Fling Million at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Advanced Product Design Tuesday program kicked off with time trials for all competitors, giving racers a chance to dial in before eliminations began for the highly anticipated 32-Car Shootout. With a complete dragster valued at $68,000 on the line, every round demands near perfection.
By the end of the day, it was Cory Costin standing tall, delivering one of the most impressive string of reaction times you’ll see all season to take home a brand-new American Race Cars dragster equipped with a Riggeal’s Performance Fiberglass carbon body.
Bracket racing is often decided by thousandths of a second, and Costin put on a clinic when it mattered most. Over the final four rounds, the Alabama racer was a combined .017 on the starting line, posting reaction times of .008, .004, .001, and .004. That level of consistency is elite by any standard, but Costin backed it up in the final round with a nearly flawless .014 total package.
Lining up against Nacho Rivera from Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico, Costin faced a tough opponent who ran dead-on zero for the runner-up effort. Rivera posted a .029 reaction time and a perfect dial-in run, but in bracket racing, the starting line advantage is everything. Costin’s edge at the tree proved to be the difference.
The path to the winner’s circle was anything but easy. In the semifinals, Rivera edged out Will Holloman in a razor-close race. The two drivers were separated by just nine-thousandths on the starting line, with Rivera getting to the finish line first by .017 to punch his ticket to the final. On the other side of the ladder, Costin delivered one of the most impressive lights of the event, a nearly perfect .001 reaction time to get past Bug McCarty and advance. That semifinal performance set the tone for what would become a dominant final round.
With the shootout complete, the focus now shifts to the main events of the week.
Biondo Racing Products Wednesday will feature a massive 401-car field battling for the first of three $30,000 paydays. It’s just the beginning of a week packed with big-money opportunities at the Spring Fling Million. In addition to the racing, the Fling Team will roll out more than $60,000 in cash and product giveaways, adding even more excitement for competitors throughout the event.
For fans and racers who can’t make it to Las Vegas, every round of action is being streamed live on the @RaceTheFlings channel on YouTube, thanks to support from Hoosier Racing Tire and JEGS Performance.
And for those still looking to get in on the action, gate entries remain open throughout the week.
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