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Walker, Burch, Dadas and Folk Shine at ‘Fall Brawl’ Presented by RT Promotions in Gainesville

Chris Simmons photos

As Florida’s winter big-money bracket racing season ramps up, RT Promotions hosted the 3rd annual Fall Brawl race, sponsored by FB Trailers, at Gainesville Raceway. The event featured three full days of racing with strong car counts across Box and No Box classes. 

The event began Thursday night with a warmup gamblers race, where Gary Williams, of Bradenton, Florida, drove the “Boss Lady” Camaro, owned by Debra Anne West and Scott Rod, to the final round picking up a $5,000 win. 

On Friday, the $25,000-to-win race kicked off with with more than forty No Box racers competing late into the night. The final four included Jeff Gatlin, Gage Burch, Curtis Peek, and Tony Gambardella. It was Burch and Peek who faced off in the final round where Burch, of Palmetto, Florida, ran a 5.91 on his 5.90 dial over Peek’s 6.46 on his 6.44 dial, and picked up the win. 

The Box field drew over 300 entries where Friday’s final four included Nicole Markwart, Matt Schell, and Matt Dadas who was still in competition with two entries. Markwart took out one of Dadas’ entries in a close race before Dadas went on to the final round in the other. In the final, Dadas, of Vermilion, Ohio, cut a .019 light and ran dead on his 5.91 dial to get past Markwart’s .019 and 4.52 on a 4.48 dial. He secured the Box win, joining his best friend and teammate Gage Burch in the winner’s circle. 

“When it comes to events, Rob [Reynolds], his crew, and the Gainesville staff put on a great and fair event for everyone,” Dadas said. “Plus, there’s nothing like going rounds with your best friend.”

While cool temperatures stuck around for most of the weekend, Saturday’s $50,000 purse delivered some of the hottest matchups. The final four in No Box included Lucas Walker, Tony Gambardella, Kenny Bevins,and Nick Hastings. Walker and Hastings advanced to the final round, where Walker cut a perfect .000 light after Hastings turned it -.022 red, giving Walker the No Box win. Walker earned a $3,000 bonus in the borrowed “Cool Whip” Camaro, owned by Dan Bouldry, before being put on the ladder of seven in the main event. In the Box final round, Walker, out of Murray, Kentucky, faced off against heavy hitter Ryan Barnes and cut a .010 light running dead on his 5.42 dial to pick up the win and $50,000 check. 

“Fall Brawl did not disappoint, we had a successful weekend in Gainesville. Took the No Box win then went on to win Box for $50,000. The car was unbelievable, and I managed to do my part,” Walker said.  “Thank you again Dan Bouldry for the opportunity to drive such a nice race car.”

On Sunday, several heavy hitters battled it out for the final $25,000. The final four in No Box included Mike French, Travis Logan, Marcus Crews, and once again, Gage Burch. French met Burch in the final round where Burch claimed his second No Box win of the weekend with a .020 light running dead on his 5.93 dial.

“Pretty good start to the winter tour! Ended up winning No Box 2 of the days at the Fall Brawl,” Burch said. “Matt [Dadas] also won the $25,000 race on Friday, so the team is off to a hot start.” 

Burch won the No Box side and a $1,500 bonus before joining the remaining Box entries. It was a Folk vs. Burch final round where Nick Folk, of Durand, Illinois, cut a .002 light against Burch’s .010. He went on to run 5.14 on his 5.13 dial to pick up the event’s last $25,000 win.

Follow RT Promotions on Facebook for the most up-to-date information on future event dates, payouts, and more. 

This story was originally published on November 18, 2025. Drag Illustrated

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