NHRA SPONSORSHIP A BARGAIN?

In recent years several stops on the NHRA tour have had problems getting a title rights sponsor. According to the Agent's sources the problem is two-fold. First is just getting someone to pay to be the title rights sponsor and which also requires (or used to) that the title rights sponsor buy a couple hundred thousand bucks worth of television time.

A recent issue of Street & Smith's Sports Business noted that NASCAR's races at the California Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Talladega had opted out. The sponsors that ankled from those tracks included Pop Secret popcorn, Tropicana orange juice, DHL shippers and EA Sports. The asking price for sponsorship for the California Speedway 500 mile event is a cool $2,000,000. That makes the title rights to an NHRA event a real bargain for Corporate America doesn't it? [11-30-2004]

MILLICAN ONLINE AUCTION TO BENEFIT CHARITY

Lehman Racing will auction off four of the Team 104+ Performance Additives/Lehman Racing Elvis Presley-themed crew jersey worn by the team at the NHRA Memphis national event. Four separate jerseys (team owner Peter Lehman, crew chief Mike Kloeber, and crew members Justin Crosslin and Keelin Hooten) will be auctioned on eBay.com beginning Dec. 7 and ending Dec. 10.

Money raised will benefit the "Celebrate Munford" community recreation park in Munford, TN, just outside of driver Clay Millican's hometown of Drummonds. Beginning Dec. 7, direct links to the auction will be available via www.lehmanracing.com. [11-30-2004]

DEPT OF CORRECTIONS SECTION

Our obituary of Les Cassidy contained an error, which we have recently been made aware of. Chris Martin has written this correction:

"On October 15, Les Cassidy did not die behind the wheel of his car in a seven-hour-drive from his Big Pine, Florida home to attend his 11-year-old son Les Jr.'s birthday in upstate Englewood. He did indeed suffer a heart attack during the drive, but it did not stop him from making his appearance at the house, albeit too late. His son was asleep on the couch, so Les Sr., who was feeling disoriented, according to wife Karen, said he would see him in the morning. He died sometime that night or early morning from complications from the attack.

"My apology and condolences go his family and friends, and hope no extra grief was caused by my error." [11-30-2004]

WHICH WAY'S UP?

For those drag fans who may have missed the weekend broadcast on ESPN2 of the 2004 NHRA POWERade Awards show, one item caught the Agent's ear. As part of his speech, new Top Fuel Champ Tony Schumacher addressed the ESPN table with his gratitude saying, "ESPN, we need to make sure you get credit. Our ratings are good - they are getting better every day."

However, according to the prestigious Joyce Julius & Associates Sponsor's Report on households viewing the 2004 ESPN2 show, the total households watching the qualifying, final eliminations and the repeats is actually down 24% over the past three years. As an example, the most watched NHRA POWERade Drag Racing show of 2002 was the U.S. Nationals with 4,985,280 households tuning in; in 2003 that number fell to 2,586,880 households and in 2004 the Indy show declined to 1,830,400 households -- a 64% audience slide! [11-30-2004]

CHANGES IN GILBERTSON CAMP

Bob Gilbertson, owner/driver of the Autolite XP Spark Plugs/Prestone Antifreeze nitro Funny Car, has named veteran nitro crewman Tommy "Tommy D" DeLago as co-crew chief to work alongside his current crew chief Nick Boninfante, Jr. for the 2005 NHRA POWERade season.

DeLago, who has worked with some of the top teams in the sport including Tommy Johnson, Jr., Connie Kalitta, Darrell Gwynn and most recently Don Prudhomme Racing, will re-locate to the Charlotte area and head-up the day to day operation of the team and oversee the final stages of the new 25,000 square foot race shop the team will be moving into this winter.

Gilbertson also named Kevin Fenstermaker, who's worked for Gilbertson the past six years, as assistant crew chief. [11-30-2004]

MOVIN' ON UP AT NHRA

NHRA has promoted Gary Darcy and Glen Cromwell effective immediately. Darcy, formerly Vice President of Marketing, has been named Senior Vice President of Marketing. Prior to joining NHRA in 1998, Darcy specialized in consumer packaged goods marketing at Allergan Inc., a specialty health care company, and at candy maker M&M Mars, Inc.

Cromwell is now Vice President of National Event Marketing; he formerly was Director of National Event Marketing. He joined NHRA in 1997 as Division 7 Director. [11-30-2004]