GIR’S KEPNER INDUCTED INTO EAST COAST DRAG RACING HALL OF FAME
MADISON, Ill. – There are two things fans can expect when attending a drag race at Gateway International Raceway: great action and Bret Kepner there to provide spot-on analysis and amazing photography. Kepner’s years of dedication to the sport was recognized when he was inducted into the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame as the Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman of the Year Oct. 21 in Henderson, N.C.
“Bret’s talent and love for the sport of drag racing has benefited everyone who has been to a drag race he was at,” GIR Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said. “Bret’s seemingly nitro-powered passion for drag racing comes out in his abilities as a racer, announcer and photographer. Congratulations from all of us at Gateway International Raceway.”
Kepner has attended literally thousands of drag racing events since his first, the inaugural NHRA Summernationals at York, PA, in 1970. His journalism career began at age 18 with editor Jim Kelly of Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine and continued with SS&DI through its demise 22 years later. His stories have appearned in over 50 publications throughout the country and he has announced dozens of NHRA, AHRA, IHRA, and UDRA national events. The drag-racing guru has also appeared in more than 700 television shows as a motorsports commentator since 1984.
An accomplished bracket racers, Kepner is an NHRA National Record Holder in Stock Eliminator. He also operates a free bracket racing school at Gateway International Raceway and is the track’s official drag-racing photography. His photos can be found at BretKepnerPhotos.com.
“Most of my education in drag racing came from watching Bret on television when I was a kid,” GIR Drag Strip Manager Jason Dukes said. “I’ve learned a ton from him and am grateful for everything he’s done for Gateway and for me personally.”
“He must’ve bought ‘em off,” said Drag Racing Online Editor Jeff Burk, jokingly. “He’s dedicated his life to drag racing since he was 16 and no one cares about drag racing like Bret Kepner. He deserves this.”
