NOSTALGIA RACING HAS PROBLEMS IN THE MIDWEST
Jeff Leonard: Please don't pour the vinegar just yet. My name is Scott Anderson, crew chief for the Frantic Fueler, a 5-second fuel dragster located just west of Chicago. I agree that those of us in the Midwest are having issues getting REAL events and exposure of said events to make much impact on Nostalgia Fuel Racing. I would also say many track owners are tired of putting out a lot of money in advertising, just to get rained out or worse not have any spectators show up.
Part of the issue is "Nostalgia" as a title: not ONE person under the age of 45 really cares about what happened in 1972. Now at Hot Rodding events that cater to our elders (those who lived it firsthand) that may have actual Fuel racing at them, the participants would rather spend their time sipping Kool-ade in the shade and fun running their own rods down the track than watch four pairs of Fuelers battle it out.
Having such events in the middle of summer, during the day is as ridiculous as it gets. We once raced in a final with an ambient temp of 115 and a track temp over 149 degrees. I'm sure all three people left sitting in the stands really enjoyed it. The age of our fans is getting older by the minute, and the younger generation, those under forty, seemingly could care less.
As an entertainment venue we need to understand that "downtime" is our enemy, and track announcers NEED to talk, build some excitement and help the crowd understand the vehicles in front of them. Other racing entertainment venues offer young girls parading
around in bikinis, jello wrestling and loud "rap" music to attract young male viewers and/or participants. It's more a party with an occasional drag race than a true automotive event. Just go head and break that out at a "Nostalgia" event and old Elmer and Martha will be high tailing it out of there as fast as the old flat tire will carry them. When they return home they will use this new fangled thing called the Internet to blog about what a rotten time they had at the event, sending a clear message to the track owners not to EVER do that again.
Now, bring in 5-second Pro Mods and the excitement of mid- to low-six-second fuel dragsters becomes a much less attractive package. Add to that the COST of traveling, fuel, oil, and spare parts, not to mention hotel rooms and feeding your all-volunteer crew, it's a wonder ANYBODY does this stuff. There isn't enough exposure to attract a large-scale sponsor for this type "hobby" racing. The sanctioning bodies are not supporting "HISTORY" either, yes I know they have a Hot Rod Reunion, ask any of the racers if they got paid enough for their efforts, I'll bet not.
Don't get me wrong, we are match racing and actually doing it the way it used to be. Barnstorming from state to state in a pickup truck stuffed with guys listening to the same old CD's and enjoying all the fans who decide to check us out. We also are running with some of the best people, the other teams who make this enjoyable, friends one and all. If not for that, you would be hard pressed to justify your habit.
You asked,
Scott Anderson
COUNTING THE BUCKS
I'm not knocking Evan Knoll. Quite the contrary...God bless him and all that he has done and is doing for Drag Racing. But the question arises, How many teams can he continue to sponsor for a given period of time before the "money well" runs dry? I know he's a very astute businessman and no doubt spends "wisely" his racing related budget, but I wonder if he may be better off sponsoring fewer cars for a longer period of time. Even the Schumacher multi-car team concept is waning in numbers. Sooner or later, something may give and there'll be a larger number of teams and related personnel unemployed. Just a thought.
Jim Millard
Toronto, Canada
FLYIN’ DOWN TO RIO
NHRA-not for profit. I think they meant not for anyone else’s profit.
After looking at their tax papers, I wonder where they could have buried the money. I am buying a shovel and going over to Wally’s house and then over to Compton’s house to dig under the pool.
Hope the IRS is in a good mood. If you don't hear from me, I will be in Rio, researching snow cone cup manufacturing to enhance the NHRA bottom line.
All in fun, no.
Gene Wagner
Boca Raton, FL
