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Drag racing needs our own Danica. The next one will certainly
be Ashley Force who has grown into her coronation gracefully.
It’s been cool to see her growth and maturity over the
past few years, hey what’s not to like about her?
But my choice for that next likely candidate, after Ashley,
is alky dragster pilot Hillary Will. She’s got a good
head on her shoulders, she's a heads-up driver, has good media
skills and drives a good machine, but she’s not living
in her father’s shadow.
SOMETIMES SHORTER IS BETTER
I’m sure if you read this column with any regularity,
you know that I’ve grown to enjoy 1/8-mile drag racing
and my favorite local track is Irwindale on a Thursday night
(as Homer Simpson would say, “mmm... Martin’s
Louisiana sausages”).
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But now SoCal has another one almost open at Perris Auto Speedway
and the thriving 1/8-mile in Barona near San Diego. I absolutely
prefer 1320 feet of racing surface, but an 1/8-mile dragstrip
is no shame and nothing to fear. With the sky-high values
of land, especially large parcels within city limits, spectators
and racers had better get used to 660 feet. It’s time
for some forward-thinking aftermarket manufacturer to step
up with an “I Broke 100 MPH on the 1/8 Mile” club
for street legal racers.
The wheels appear to be coming off of the drag strip “development”
in Banning; the proposed Fall 2005 completion date has disappeared
from the Drag-City website. While there was so much alleged
“work” and evidence-of-progress paper trail, sponsors
are scaling back their support, reportedly car and trailer
dealers want their equipment back, but most significantly
the extension of the City’s Conditional Use Permit expires
on August 15, 2005 and, according to the FAA there are still
no negotiations to acquire the 20-acre FAA-controlled parcel
needed to complete the “project”. The promise
of SoCal, big time nitro racing every Saturday night is drifting
off like so much smoke from a water pipe.
1/8-mile drags are becoming a reality. Strips are actually
getting built, drag racers are racing there and promoters
are selling tickets, sodas and tacos without the hoopla and
glowing promises of pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Some funny alternatives to current Drag-City swag can be found
at: http://cafepress.com/bragcity and you can really buy official
“Banned from Banning” merchandise at http://cafepress.com/bragcitystore.
One last thought on this whole Drag-City charade. How could
the beautiful lengths of pipe built by Pat Foster to replicate
the legendary Surfers dragster even be considered “the
Surfers” car without the participation and tuning prowess
of Tom Jobe and driving ability of Adam Sorokin? Shame on
you, All American Racing LLC, without their involvement it’s
just a copy with absolutely no history. 
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