YA’ALL GONNA MAKE ME LOSE
LOSE MY MIND !!
 Lately,
I’ve taken to listening to a bit of rap music. I know, that’s
probably a bad sign, given that I’m a 46 year old white guy from
Missouri. But I listen anyway, and the “lose my mind” riff
is one I can currently relate to. I’ve got about half the lyrics
down (probably all I need anyway) and I use it most often for “blood
up” music when I go out to take on the dice table or waste some
wages on the ponies. Works pretty well too!
In fact, DMX’s title line rattles my skull every time I watch
a drag race on TV, or even think about the state of affairs in Y2K drag
racing. More and more, I’ve come to believe the sport’s problems
are much more deep-seated than what camera angle is used or who is interviewed
when or a facelift for Indy or any other damn thing that the hosts of
the self-anointed take every opportunity to declare! No, I think drag
racing needs to decide just exactly what it really wants to be when
it grows up!
Does it want to be live-fan friendly, good for the racers (pro and
sportsman), and true to it's roots? Or would it prefer to march onward
towards live TV, Prime Time competition with the stick and ball monoliths
and all that? Either way, what’s happening now isn’t gonna
work for either approach.
Current NHRA / IHRA drag racing is a fence straddler of the first order.
It takes care of the live gate, with weekend-long marathon eliminations
- find me a true fan of the sport who is in a hurry to leave a drag
race - HAH!! Didn’t think so!! And televised versions of the same
fare show you just enough of what went on to induce the sofa-ride version
of road rage. It’s probably a good thing all the racers are busy
racing, instead of watching what isn’t on the show. I doubt they
would stop at sofa rage!
All kidding aside, the people who own the deal(s) need to swallow hard
and figure out if they are up to the task. Hey, Dirty Harry said it
best: “A man’s got to know his limitations.” If ya can’t
“take it to the next level” (no bonus points for who spoke
that gem, and then didn’t do it) and put a good product on the
air, then sell the broadcast rights and step back and let the professionals
do their thing.
Failing that, maybe it’s high time the powers that be took a step
back, re-examine the 1320 landscape, and took care of those who MADE
them. That would be racers who race, fans who come to the track, and
us who pretend to be journalists so we can go to the races. (Just kidding
about that last group - we’ll show up whether they want us to or
not.)
Sorry, no news this month. Just a lot of ranting. It’s not raving,
because I’m still making sense (to me anyway). I guess that’s
what happens when you listen to rap music. I think I hear the dice table
calling - or is that the post call for the Kentucky Derby? Later!!
That’s enough for now. Don’t forget to e-mail
with any and all rants.
photo
by Jeff Burk
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