By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The SRCA Dragstrip may have gone without a race this season, but drag racing is still on the minds of many in and around Great Bend. On Saturday, Nov. 18, The Outlaw Extravaganza is hosting a Battle of the Thumbs fundraiser for the dragstrip at the Bushton Community Building. Club member and race wife Crystal Zink explained why funds are necessary even with no racing.
"Since they were closed this year, they weren't able to come up with the funds they usually have for their income," she said. "They still have the payments on what they owe the city for redoing the track last year, as well as their typical bills."
The event will feature a pulled pork dinner and silent auction with items from various local businesses up for bid. The Battle of the Thumbs will test the reaction times of competitors. There will be four skill levels in a bracket-style competition as competitors watch the lights of the NHRA Christmas Tree move from amber to green.
"We have a top bulb and a bottom bulb," Zink said. "One of them will have a set roll out, then the other one they get to pick their roll outs. We also have a kids' race for anyone 14 and under who wants to give it a try. We'll have a rookie race for anyone who hasn't raced before but wants to give it a try without feeling like they're going against the big hitters."
Competitors may enter the game up to four times. A cash bar will also be available. The fundraiser begins at 4 p.m. that Saturday at the Bushton Community Building located at 301 N. Main Street.
Monetary donations will also be accepted and all gifts are tax deductible. To find out more, visit the SRCA Drag Strip page on Facebook or Outlaw Extravaganza Facebook page, or call Crystal at (620) 562-0254.