THE GOOD OLD CARS

NHRA dead? As someone who used to live and breathe drag racing, I can only say "good riddance." Almost everyone who writes a note to DragRacingOnline.com is of the opinion that they died a long time ago. Maybe a new beginning is in the offing. I can only hope. In the meantime, I will occupy myself by continuing to attend nostalgia shows whenever possible.

Jim Deorio
Claymont, DE

IS THAT PEACH PIE?

What happened? Where was Bruton Smith? As a 30+++ NHRA member/owner, where did my piece of the pie GO?

Bob Benson
Peachtree City, GA

THE NEW BUSINESS OF DRAG RACING

If there was any doubt that NHRA was following NASCAR in creating a profitable "reality show" it has been confirmed. Funny Car or Car of Tomorrow - brand identity has been removed and the cars are no longer the stars. Marketing of personalities and corporate logos will be the main functions on the new for profit NHRA agenda. Win on Sunday and sell on Monday is as dead as $3.00/gal gasoline.

With all the money Toyota is throwing at racing it is only a matter of time before, like the IRL, Honda vs Honda, both NHRA and NASCAR will be Toyota vs. Toyota with driver personalities the marketing ploy. You already are seeing the beginnings as Chevy, Ford, and Dodge logos are no longer mentioned on the TV broadcasts. I am not the only one that has noticed that the announcers never say "it's a Chevy vs. Toyota" battle for the finish. It's always about the driver, and his personality or style, and the fan following that gets the most talk.

This is consistent with the new type of quasi-sports media spectacle being marketed today. UFW, UFC, Monster Trucks or whatever you call it - it's not a sport - it's about the selling of personalities. NHRA will now, more than ever before, be selling the "Force Castrol vs. Brut Capps." All will be racing identical cars with eventually the fake bowtie or blue oval gone. Pinks is a perfect example. We all know this is not real drag racing, but it sells.

Another example is the so-called manufacturers midway. It's a shell of its former self. Racing parts and manufacturers’ representatives have been replaced by sponsor sites and t-shirt sales. Rock climbing walls and cologne have what to do with drag racing?

Sportsman racing will be dead. The revenue will not be enough to keep it alive and we all know what corporate promises are worth. Sportsman racing is really for the participants - totally inconsistent with the new NHRA mandate. So I see a gradual diminishing of the sport.

I hope all of us that race as sportsmen can get together and either form a new organization or get our local tracks to drop the NHRA affiliation and go with IHRA or AHRA certification.

If NHRA wants to run a media-event circus moving from track to track, so be it, but I have stopped caring about the pro ranks - with the same drivers winning every year, and I foresee no change there.

I feel a little sad that even Wally Parks sold out, but the big money was too much temptation. And the bean counters that have been running the NHRA didn't really care for the sport anyway. For them this is just another corporate merger that will improve the bottom line.

Result - I want to get off a sinking ship ASAP. I'm so disgusted I'm peeling the NHRA decals off my stuff so nobody accuses me of being part of this sellout.

JD Moore
Los Angeles, CA 

 

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