All Gas, No Easy Rounds: Grudge On The Gate 2 Delivers

Permits were pulled. Cars were unloaded. And history was written right in front of us.

We hit the streets of Memphis this weekend for Dennis Bailey and Shaye Kelly’s Grudge on the Gate 2, one of the largest legal single-class street race in history, 114 cars deep. What started as a bold idea turned into a record-breaking statement that the street racing scene isn’t just alive, it’s actively evolving.

For those unfamiliar with the street racing scene, these racers don’t care about numbers. It has always been, and always will be about more than the slip. It’s the bragging rights, the grit, the reputations, and everything in between that defines this niche of drag racing. It strips the sport down to its origins: the streets. Memphis didn’t just pull off an event, it set a new benchmark.

You could tell from the moment you pulled up that something was different. Crews were moving with purpose. Drivers were locked in and ready to settle scores. Spectators brought an eagerness that was contagious. There wasn’t a single draw that felt easy or like a car was going to coast through a round. Every pass carried weight, the kind you feel in your chest when you know neither driver is going to lift.

What made this event historic wasn’t just the numbers, it was the energy everyone brought to the table. Typically, street races are chaotic, but this one was different. It was organized and planned with incredible attention to detail. There were vendors, pit setups were immaculate, and each race was run as efficiently as possible.

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After narrowing it down to the semifinals, the energy shifted again. It came down to Wes Snow vs. Michael Newcome and Nick Magers vs. Brandon Stanley to determine who would battle it out in the finals for a total payout of $18,240. In an event where even the early rounds had you on the edge of your seat, the intensity of the final rounds was on another level.

The crowd was shoulder to shoulder, and it seemed like every phone was in the air to capture the final moments of this historic event. When the finalists rolled to the starting line, it felt like everyone was holding their breath. One hundred fourteen cars had been narrowed down to two, Michael Newsome and Brandon Stanley, and everything was riding on one last hit.

When the drivers launched, the noise from the crowd was almost as loud as the cars themselves. That’s what separates an event from a movement, and Grudge on the Gate has clearly established itself as one.

When the win light came on, Brandon Stanley had done it, crossing the stripe first, locking in his place in Grudge on the Gate 2 history, and claiming the $14,692 purse. Michael Newsome finished as the runner-up, taking home $3,648.