Mark’s not the only one to skip the Finals

I just returned from my yearly trek to the NHRA finals in Pomona. I have been going to this race, and the Winternationals since 1970.

It was very obvious this year that attendance was down. The stands appeared to be 50 percent full during the pro qualifying sessions on Saturday. We sat on the west side and it was obvious how many aluminum unoccupied seats were facing us. Over the years, the general admission seats have been pushed further and further down the track. Saturday, it was quite obvious that there were more people in the general admission seats than the reserved seats.

I think it's time for NHRA to reduce the number of reserved seats and expand the general admission seats. It will give the stands a fuller look, which will appeal to more sponsors.

Bill Sampson
Tustin, California

Wait till next year

Alan Johnson's efforts this year! One has to applaud AJR for the effort they put in this year in TF and TFC. For a first year team to go down to the wire to decide the championship is unbelievable. I lost a lot of respect for Alan Johnson when he initially made an alliance with Schumacher a few years ago because I thought that it was based on money alone. I was elated last year to hear that AJ was venturing out on a quest to do his own thing again. A lot of people wrote Schumacher off for this year’s championship, including myself. When you go back and think about the situation, Schumacher should have been able to dominate this year given all the data that AJ left them.

I say next year look out for the AJR camp to rewrite the record books. Now that Larry Dixon has the team behind him like never before, he will be a real threat. (I truly think that Larry Dixon may be the most talented TF driver out there today, not taking anything away from anyone else.)

Doug Pergerson
Cambridge, Maryland

Looking for Earl Powers information

I'm doing research on an uncle of mine who was known as 'The Grand Old Man of Sand Drags" in the early ‘60s. His name was Earl Powers, of Hemet, CA. His Jeep was called "El Diablo". Could you guide me where to search? There was an article about him (w/above title) in a two page spread in an L.A. paper in the mid ‘60s.

Thank you for any assistance.

Richard Goff
Lebanon, Oregon