Courtesy Peter Biondo

Bristol, TN — The weather proved to work in the racers’ favor during ATI Performance Products $30,000 Thursday at the RAD Torque Systems Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries at Bristol Dragway. Exactly 425 drivers staged up for Round 1 to chase after the first main event big check of the weekend.

In the quarterfinals six racers remained – half door cars and half dragsters including Michael Paschal, Mike Barber, Chris Ferguson, Josh Baker, Matthew Holmes, and Michael Jackson. Ferguson was .008 and took .003 at the stripe to move past Baker, while Barber was .005 with a substantial advantage on the tree for the win over Holmes. Paschal continued a dominating streak as he was .009 and dead-on eight against Jackson to earn a spot in the semifinals.


At three cars, Ferguson ended Paschal’s streak by laying down .010 total for the win. Barber took a solo trip down the track with a .012 light.

In a final where either competitor would be a first time Fling event winner, Barber won by way of a double breakout after running just three-thousandths under. Ferguson, who had the advantage off the starting line with a .009 light, ran five-thousandths under. Not only did Barber collect the $30,000 payday, but he will start the Fall Fling Points chase off in the lead.

Moser Engineering $100,000 main event Friday will see the 25 drivers for the Fall Fling Reaction Time Challenge hit the track to try their luck at collecting $100 cash for a “double-O” light. If they let go perfect, they win $1,000 and the opportunity to come back and do it again for $10,000.

There will be a special announcement during opening ceremonies in the morning from the Fling Team regarding the 2024 event schedule.

Everything will be streamed live as it happens on the MotorManiaTV YouTube channel free to the viewer courtesy of JEGS Performance and Mickey Thompson with new exclusive content produced by the Fling Team.