If you follow bracket racing and hit the different chat boards and racer forums you know that Scotty Richardson, Luke Bogacki, Jason Lynch, Frankie Parrish, John Laboose Sr. and Jr; David Rampy, Dan Fletcher, etc. regularly pile up season winnings in excess of $100,000. They seem to be in the final round a lot and get a lion’s share of wins. We read that they win a couple $50,000 races, some win two or three national events a year and some become World Champions. Last year I read where Scotty Richardson won in excess of $200,000 bracket racing!
There is no doubt there are dozens of racers bringing in between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Remember they enter in excess of a hundred events a year. Not separate events; they bring two or three cars to each event, which reduces their expense per event. Could you race better if you raced in a hundred or more races per year? I believe you know you could.
At almost every big dollar bracket race there is the “split” of the money. Seems most common in the semis and finals, but at some races with $50,000 and more to win it can occur a couple rounds earlier. Why does this happen? Simple, it protects your chance to
take home a decent pile of cash. [Note: I always try to see if the other racer wants to split, even at a local bracket race. I could never agree that after six rounds for maybe $200 why the next round (the final) should pay $700 to get R/U and $2,000 to win. Always seems better that a race like that should pay $1500 to win and $1200 to R/U.]
I have to believe it isn’t enough to make a living at it. Let’s see, they have to have a durable tow vehicle that goes cross country at will to get to the next big money or national event. That takes either a good diesel motorhome or a Freightliner style motorhome conversion. Either way, ring up over $100,000 for that. It is pretty much standard practice to haul at least two cars with you, if not three or four. That means a super duty trailer with a lift and space for the cars, ring up another $45-$60,000. Travel expenses are probably closing in on 75 cents per mile with a rig like that, not counting any mechanical problems. Would $100,000 in winnings be enough? I don’t think so.
The one common factor for each of the professional bracket racers was there was “hidden support” for their race program. They either had a sponsor who provided the truck and trailer, they got free cars to drive, engines were provided by sponsors, or they have a source of income outside of racing. Some were contractors who could get a lot of time away from the job, some had wealthy families who could afford to provide great parts and expense money even if the driver hit a losing streak. Some get a lot of support from manufacturers so parts, spare parts, and car building expenses are reduced because of this support. Only one racer I talked to said he could do it 100 percent by himself if he had to. He was also the first to say he was glad he didn’t have to do it on his own, as the pressure to win might change everything.
I admire every one of the guys I spoke with. They are an example of something you could ONLY do in the United States of America. Similar to the legendary riverboat gamblers that dotted the West in the 1800’s these professional bracket racers rely on their skill, the pressure their opponent feels when they line up against them, and their uncanny ability to judge the finish line at 170+ mph and “read” by instinct what the other racer is doing.
After this research do I feel like there are racers all over the country that could win enough to survive? Sometimes. It also depends on where you live. If you live in the Southeast part of the United States you can race 10-11 months and probably race for $2,000 to $10,000 to win a couple times per week. The main problem, and the obvious one is: If you don’t win you won’t be eating and then you have to quit. In the end, do I think bracket racing can be a real job? No, but it sure would be fun to give it a try sometime.
I hope to meet some of you at the Moroso 5-Day Bracket Championships Nov. 13-17. 
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