ELEANOR ON THE LEARNING CHANNEL

The Agent hears from a West Coast TV source that Mike Ashley's Mustang GT-500E Pro Mod which is sponsored both by InfiNet and Unique Performance (and indirectly by Carroll Shelby), will be featured on a new Learning Channel series. The info was first leaked by Ashley's PR person Bobby Bennett Jr but has since been confirmed. The series, hosted by Jason Priestly, has been filming in the Unique Performance shops and will also be filming action of the Ashley's Pro Mod at the upcoming NHRA Houston AMS Pro Mod Challenge races. Cool, Pro Mod is going mainstream. (Jeff Burk photo) [4-15-2004]

EMAIL TRACE NOT TO BURK

DRO Editor Jeff Burk received a nice phone call from NHRA Director of Broadcasting and Video Communications, Jim Trace, saying that he appreciated the letters that DRO had forwarded him regarding the NHRA Televison broadcast. He also expressed sincere interest in what the fans thought and mentioned that he got three or four letters a day. DRO received about 100 on the subject. Trace said that DRO could print his email

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address so that the viewers can communicate the opinions directly to him. His email address is Jtrace@NHRA.com. Let him know what you think. [4-15-2004]

OOPS. GILBERTSON HAS NO SOUL

The three-race deal between Bob Gilbertson and the Caribbean Soul T-shirt company got the old boot from Glen Cromwell, NHRA's Director of National Event Marketing Services. Apparently the NHRA guidelines concerning sponsorship by apparel companies on pro cars which allows them to put a trailer on the midway to sell trash and treasure weren't met. This isn't the first time this has happened to a professional team with an apparel sponsorship.

It would seem to the Agent that as long as NHRA gets their cut of the sales and the racers get some extra money it is a win-win situation. But there must be good reasons or NHRA wouldn't do this kind of thing -- would they? [4-15-2004]