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10/25/04
Now he's really wondering
Just Wondering ... How
can the president of NHRA compare the makeup and style
of his board of directors to that of NASCAR’s? In
Part 1 of Jon Asher's NHRA piece in the December issue
of Racer Magazine Tom Compton was asked why no one outside
the NHRA management team was nominated to the NHRA board
of directors. He justified the makeup of the NHRA board
by alluded to the fact that NASCAR’s board
has a similar makeup. There is one very big difference
between the France family and the board of directors that
run NASCAR and the board that runs NHRA. NASCAR was
formed to make Bill France Sr. money from the start.
NASCAR board members answer for their actions ISC stockholders,
evidently the no one on the NHRA board answers to anyone
but themselves for the actions they take including awarding
themselves big pay raises.
Just Wondering ... Want to know how the NHRA could get
one of the major networks to broadcast some of their primo
events? The answer is money. Recently the Columbia Broadcasting
System (CBS) announced that they would be broadcasting
seven of the Champ Car series races (Indy 500 style cars)
in 2005 for the price of $10,000,000 plus production costs.
Maybe NHRA shouldn't broadcast all 23 national events and
instead come up with the bucks to get some of the races
like the U.S. Nationals, Winternationals, Gatornationals
and E-town broadcast on a major network. That would be
a step toward taking the sport more mainstream wouldn't
it?
Just Wondering ... Why would John Force let it be known
that he had bought yet another Top Fuel car and was real
close to signing a sponsor for a Top Fuel team, if his
public relations team keeps saying he has no plans to field
a Top Fuel team? With the announcement that Gary Densham
is leaving after this year that would free up one of the
more successful Top Fuel tuners in history, Jimmy Prock.
So a Top Fuel team for Force seems a lot more feasible
these days. 100-1 against are the odds on a Force driving
a Top Fuel car!
Just Wondering ... How many more are confused? I was
reading Chris Economacki's (a man who has reported on all
kinds of racing for over 60 years) column in the weekly
National Speed Sport News where he was unable to understand
how at the recent NHRA event at the Texas Motorplex none
of the Number one qualifiers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and
Pro Stock classes were winners. If he thinks understanding
that is hard just wait until he tries to figure out bracket
racing.
Just Wondering ... Am I the only racing fan that thinks
NASCAR's "Chase to the Championship" is a just
a big yawn? Am I the only one who'd like to be around the
shop to hear the talk should Earnhardt lose the championship
by the 25 points NASCAR deducted from him for his uttering
the dreaded expletive "Shit!" Give me a freakin'
break from the Politically Correct mopes that are bent
on sanitizing racing these days. These are the same geniuses
that almost put Vegas out of business when they tried to
turn "Sin City" into
Mayberry, USA.
Just Wondering ... Am I the only one that would much
rather see Bob Motz's awesome truck be the closer at NHRA
events instead of three or four minutes of lame fireworks?
Just Wondering ... When will the producers for Inside
Drag Racing get a clue and quit showing car after car making
passes at big money bracket races with completely empty
grandstands? If I were the sanctioning body or promoters
paying for that coverage (Oh yes, Virginia, they pay just
like everyone else) I'd ask for my money back.
Just Wondering ... At those big bracket races we see
on TV why don't the promoters let all spectators in for
nothing? They might get a crowd, sell some beer and burgers
and actually develop a fan following. It'd damn sure be
better than empty grand stands wouldn't it?
Just Wondering ... How do you keep the non-fanatic drag
racing fan, racers and sponsors interested in the series
when the Championship is settled with two or three races
left in the season? Here's the Burkster's answer: Once
a class championship is decided, stop the points chase
and start over. At least fans, racers, and sponsors (not
to mention the TV audience at home) would have a reason
to get involved instead of just waiting for next year.
Just Wondering ... Is Whit Bazemore operating under "team
orders" when doing Top End interviews these days?
Just Wondering ... How fast would Top Fuel and Funny
Cars be going if NHRA hadn't instituted rules to slow those
classes down again?
Just Wondering ... Why don't NHRA and IHRA develop a
program that would pay one "Rookie-of-the-Year" selected
from all of their Pro Classes some significant money at
the end of the season and "show up" money for
the following season? If the sanctioning bodies did something
like that, it would develop and reward quality new teams
and drivers and maybe encourage some new teams and drivers
to come into the sport.
Just Wondering ... Am I the only one who is going to
have a real problem believing the NHRA or the IHRA management
or some of the owners of their member tracks when they
use the excuse that they don't have money as the reason
for raising ticket prices and not raising purses, raising
entry fees and cutting the number of laps, raising the
price of a burger and a beer and cutting out the occasional
free tickets for a legend, or, worst of all, give themselves
raises while cutting programs to the bone? Are they kidding
with that act? 
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