BUSHTON – There will be drag races in Bushton on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Community Building, 301 N. Main here.

There won’t be the roar of the engines, squealing of tires nor the smell of burning fuel in the air. This will be the Battle of the Thumbs, a virtual racing fundraiser of sorts for the Sunflower Rod and Custom Association’s historic drag strip west of Great Bend, said Crystal Zink, an organizer for the event.

“It’s a game of reaction times,” she said. 

Racers will sit in chairs facing a large screen with a projection of the race track’s starting line. “It’s like their sitting in an actual car at the race track,” Zink said.

The will have their thumbs on a button. Once the lights on the light tree flash, or drop, the participant who releases their button first wins.

Registration starts at 4 p.m., a pulled pork dinner at 5:30 p.m. and races start at 7 p.m., with a silent auction held throughout. In addition, time trials and practice runs will take place in the time leading up to the first race.

There will be four brackets:

• Top and bottom bulb for experience racers with an entry fee of $40.

• Youth for those 14 and younger with an entry fee of $10.

• A rookie bracket for unexperienced drivers with an entry fee of $20

Each driver can race four times in their bracket, Zink said.

She said they have enough sponsors for the event that all the money raised through the fees goes to the track.

Those wanting to take part don’t have to sign up in advance, she said. “They can just show up at the door.”

For more information, contact Zink at 620-786-0254, Summer Zink at 620-786-9727, or visit the SRCA dragstip Facebook page.