I read something a couple years ago that was a quote from Jeg Coughlin. He had raced at the 5-Day and won the 5-Day points championship. To paraphrase what he said in the interview, Jeg said: “I am as proud of this Moroso 5-Day Championship as I am of any of the Pro-Stock titles I have earned. To win the Moroso 5-Day title, against the best racers in the country, is a major accomplishment and I am extremely happy to put that trophy right up there with my NHRA national event Wallys.” That speaks volumes of not only how tough of an event it is, but also the sense of accomplishment he had to beat the best bracket racers in the land.
I have had several racers contact me about the event and what has been happening there in recent years. Some had negative comments and most were still thinking it is a great event. A close friend of mine, Bruce Kaul, is not only a past Moroso 5-Day Champion (November 19, 1993) but has attended EVERY 5-Day Moroso event since 1981. That my DRO friends, is what tradition is all about!
Rather than listen to rumors and hearsay about the event and its future, I thought it was best for DRO readers to go directly to the source and see what the plans are for one of America’s premier bracket racing events. I called Moroso Motorsports Park and talked to Joanna Montante, facility publicity director. The following is the interview we had. I trust it will answer questions and maybe create enough interest that you might consider making the Moroso 5-Day Bracket Championship one of your “racing traditions.” Besides the racing, it is a great place to go in November and enjoy the warm weather before winter sets in.
Interview with Moroso Motorsports Park (MMP) management:
DRO: When I was first looking into returning to the 5-Day some racers told me it was going to be moved up to late October. I now see it has been set for the week before Thanksgiving. That is a more traditional time and I see that all five days are during the week, why?
MMP: We decided to keep our 5-Day event at about the same time of the year, this year the dates are November 13-17, even though a couple other bracket races in Florida moved
their dates ahead of ours. We did decide that by running the event Monday through Friday it will make travel easy for the racers who have limited vacation time left after a season of racing. They can travel over a weekend to get to the event and then travel back home over a weekend, minimizing lost time from work.
DRO: What has made and will continue to make the Moroso 5-Day something “special” for racers and families who attend the event?
MMP: We have made some changes to the event format. The races during the week is one. There will be no buy-backs; there is now an eighth-mile race scheduled for Tuesday, a Race of Champions on Wednesday, a “Race for the S-W Dragster” on Thursday, a $10,000 points fund, the 25th Anniversary Casino Party where all the proceeds go to three charities, the American Cancer Society “walk program,” D.R.A.W., and the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. We will also be giving out special prizes all week for all sorts of things, like best losing package, red-lights, longest tow, etc. We also have a kart track on the property that will have rental karts available, beautiful beaches and dozens of golf courses only minutes away.
DRO: With bracket cars getting faster and faster every year, what can the participants expect from MMP as far as track prep?
MMP: Our drag race manager and his crew will do everything they can to make the track safe, fast and as equal as possible so the racers will decide the outcome of the race, not the track.
DRO: It looks like a great week of racing. I can hardly wait to bring my son down for his first 5-Day as a driver. Thank you for your time and I hope the Moroso 5-Day Bracket Championship is a “tradition” for another 25 years.
I received a list of past winners from Moroso and when I looked it over I was pretty amazed. Bud Champ, a friend of mine who raced at my track, Cedar Falls Raceway, was the first 5-Day winner in 1981. After that there are names you still see in the winner’s circles across the country. David Rampy was possibly in the most final rounds, Kenny Underwood dominated for a few years, and the Folk family names are all over the history of the event and, as I mentioned, earlier Jeg Coughlin Jr. captured an event win and overall point’s title a couple years ago. Next month I will try to get the entire list of winners and runner-ups printed in my column. It is actually some interesting reading to see the names that have scored memorable wins at the Moroso 5-Day Bracket Championships.
If you just can’t make this year’s event be sure to follow the action with the DRO “same day coverage” of all the action. If I can convince Jeff to let me go nuts with photos we should have some great photos too.
If you have some experiences you want to share about the 5-Day just drop me an email and we will try to get some of the letters in the next DRO that comes out on October 8. 
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