[Michael Beard]

Announcing at big money bracket racing has gone over the top, everything is so tight that much of the information is understood by the racers, so we get shorthand like, "He's 6, taking 2, dead-on for the win."

Some lines I've heard over the years that have stuck with me....

- First ever $20K Footbrake, at Huntsville, very first pair of cars in eliminations, with a deadpan delivery: "They're .501 and .503, both drivers dead-on... WELCOME to Alabama."

- At the brutal $30K Shootout at the World Footbrake Challenge last year, Jared Pennington: "Both drivers are dead late, they're .015 and .017!"

- I'm announcing at the IHRA Div. 2 Bracket Finals at Steele, Ala in 2000, "Here's Larry Ericksmoen, dialed in at a 5.03 for the 5th consecutive round" (and race director Kurt Kummer slams his pen down on the desk, turns around and sez, "How do you KNOW this?!"

That race was a *blast*, as Hub City's Ralph Abraham brought a remote headset mic. I was out on the guardwall about 300', taking pictures and announcing at the same time, whoever I could remember off the top of my head, and Ralph was back in the tower picking up anything I'd miss off the computer. It was great, because you could hear guys pedaling at the stripe, turn around and point to the stands where the team of that round winner was sitting, and everybody would stand up, yell, and go nuts!

I've posted it before, but Mike Bassin was a favorite growing up, as he helped ignite the interest in Stock eliminator for me, hearing him provide an ongoing history lesson as Stockers ran at the Numidia LODRS when I was a kid.

I like Unk's delivery (and probably picked up some of it from him by accident, when I did the inaugural World Footbrake Challenge).

In the end, it's all about making heroes out of the little guys.