The second annual Laris Motorsports Insurance Mini Million presented by Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels returned to Gainesville Raceway for a multi-day schedule of big-money bracket racing, drawing competitors from across the country to race for major payouts. The event followed the traditional Florida five-day style format, featuring a major race each day along with specialty awards, raffles, and bonuses.
Racing kicked off Wednesday with the VP Racing Fuels Warm Up $20K event. Jeff Gatlin was the last remaining No Box racer, laying down a .019 package over Steve Roehers in the final round. With the No Box win, Gatlin moved into the main event. The semifinal round included John Brown, Michael Carpenter, Spencer Massey, and a bye run. The Wednesday final paired Carpenter and Massey, but Carpenter went -.007 red on the tree, giving Massey of Dallas, Texas, the first win of the event.
“We’re all out here to have fun and try to turn win lights on and I love it,” Massey said in a post-race interview. “The Million, the Folks, they put on spectacular events and that’s why I drove all the way from Texas to be here in Gainesville, Florida.”
On Thursday, Gage Burch of Palmetto, Florida, secured the No Box win, earning a $1,000 bonus and moving into the main event. Burch continued his momentum, advancing to the Abruzzi Racing Transmissions and Converters $40K final round, where he defeated Anson Brown with a .013 light, ran dead on his dial, to secure the victory. Burch swept both the No Box and Box races on Thursday, earning valuable points in the Mark Williams points chase.
“It was just an unreal day. It seemed like even when I messed up, the win light still came on so I’m just thankful to be here,” Burch said.
On Friday, Burch continued his dominant weekend by claiming his second No Box win and more points before joining the main event. The semifinal round of the Competitive Suspension $40K race featured James Brown, Jayden Lawler, Will Holloman, and a bye run. North Carolina teammates Lawler and Holloman both advanced to the final round and agreed to split the purse rather than race each other, concluding the second $40K event.
“We were down to our last gallon of gas, so we made a decision to just stop right now,” Holloman joked in a post-race interview. “It feels great, especially when we can both make a final. It’s definitely a good feeling,” Lawler added.
On day four, John Duane picked up the No Box win and joined the main event. The Brodix Cylinder Heads $40K was eventually narrowed to four racers: Scotty Gibson, Jason Lynch, Brendan George, and a bye run. The final round featured Lynch and George, where George from Gainesville, Florida, put together a two-thousandths total package to secure the win and the $40K payout at his home track. George was .001 and dead on 1 his 6.13 dial against Lynch’s .011 and dead on 5.62.
“I just wanted to take a minute to thank the Folk and Connolly family,” George said. “They run a great event. I wasn’t going to run many events this winter, but this was the one I wanted to pick, and they just always have a great event.”
Sunday wrapped up five days of competition. Lucas Walker of Mayfield, Kentucky, claimed the VP Racing Fuels No Box title and a $1,000 bonus before entering the main event. The final four included Cory Gulitti, Kevin Brannon, Nick Folk, and a bye run. Folk and Brannon advanced to the final, where Folk laid down seven total with a .003 light dead on 4 on his 5.11 dial, to earn the final $40K check of the event. The win also secured Folk second place in the Mark Williams Enterprises points chase, behind Gage Burch, who won the points chase, earning himself a custom-painted EZ-GO golf cart, courtesy of Over Kill Motorsports.
In addition to the tight racing and big payouts, the event featured numerous prizes, awards, and special recognitions. Larry Langley of Naples, Florida, won the Folk Race Cars dragster raffle. Multiple $100 Summit Racing Equipment gift cards were awarded for “Trip Zip” accomplishments, along with $500 Drag Race Solutions gift cards for “Ultimate Package,” $500 Stainless Works cards for “Best Losing Package,” and $500 Ultimate Drag Parts cards for “Buy Back Bad Luck.” Amy Farrow was honored with the Moser Engineering “Girls Just Wanna Race” award. Anthony Dagostino earned the “Perfect Light” award and a Tony Morris Carburetors Twin Blade Carburetor. Saturday night featured a Racer Appreciation Dinner with an open bar, and racers enjoyed complimentary coffee and doughnuts in the staging lanes each morning. Adam Bitzanis earned the Digital Delay “Longest Distance Award” after traveling from Montreal, Canada, while Austin Logan won a $50,000 Laris Motorsports Insurance policy giveaway.
Once again, Folk Promotions delivered a highly successful Mini Million at Gainesville Raceway, continuing their racer-focused approach and strengthening their reputation as one of the premier big-money bracket racing promoters in the country. For more information on future events, visit www.themilliononline.com or follow their page on social media.
This story was originally published on December 2, 2025. 
