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This month's edition of Lenny's Line comes to you from the fingertips of a just-now surgically repaired Lenster. It was nothing major, but caused a great deal of stress leading up to the operation. I had written a column designed to beat the deadline (for the date with the doc and the DRO deadline), and it reflected the dark mood I was in at that moment. But as fate would have it, that column was lost in cyberspace, so you all won't have to suffer through it! Thanks to advances in anesthesiology and a great deal less post-op pain than was anticipated, I am in a more positive frame of mind. And a good thing it is, too! Apparently, NHRA is having some success in shopping for a series sponsor for next year. As noted by Agent 1320, several non- automotive companies are giving the proposals a good look. Whether you like NHRA or not, it is in the sport's best interest to see them at least maintain their current level of strength. In some respects, NHRA was fortunate to get the TV deal with ESPN. It would be a blow to the whole sport if they cannot take advantage of that kind of electronic outlet. Back to the proposal shopping - don't look too long, NHRA, lest the "merchandise" goes elsewhere. There is no shortage of shoppers out there looking for a deal. Additionally, the quicker a deal for the series sponsor can be landed, the better it will be for the member tracks. A quick look at the 2002 schedule reveals eight national events currently without title rights backers, including the prestigious Winternationals. The economy is a mess right now, but the real powers that be in this country will not let that go on forever. Land a series sponsor, and the individual events will most likely fall into a spot in sponsored land. At least we can hope so. IHRA, IHRA what are you thinking? The Canadians don't like us racers from America. And after a couple of encounters with their customs officials, ya'll ain't gonna like them either! Maybe this is one instance you should have sought out some input from the Glendora gang. They gave up that date they used to have in Montreal awfully easy, if you think about it. Could be a good reason for that. Got a lot of mixed emotions on the Federal Mogul situation. I'm glad to see the company sorting out their financial mess, and I'm glad to see NHRA keep the two eliminators in the mix for 2002. I just don't like them characterizing the restructuring of the FMD and FMFC schedule as a "pay raise." True, they will be running for more money WHEN they race. But a reduction in the number of events may (will) be a reduction in opportunity for some racers. Racers, sportsman or professional, only have so much money to campaign on, and the one or two nationals that were close enough to make may not be available to them now. But I guess it beats having NO national level races to compete at. Post op wish of the moment - make Pro Mod an every race thing. There is no good reason not to do it. I'd lay 1 to 9 odds you could land a Pro Mod Eliminator title rights sponsor within days of announcing such a change. And now that you've thrown out the trucks, they will even have room for their rigs. What's not to like? Somebody explain it to me! And welcome to Tom Hammonds. It's always a tough decision to step away from a way of life, and Pro Sports is just that. But drag racing is a pretty good substitute for the rigors of training camp, so maybe Tom won't miss basketball too much! If you have ever met Tom Hammonds, you have no doubt he can be a tremendous asset to the drag racing community. And that's something NHRA realizes already, I hope. Well, post op fatigue is setting in, so that's it for now. A bit of
health advice before I go. If you have been putting off a procedure
that you KNOW you should go ahead with, make that call! Once you get
in the operating room, it's tangerine dreams and a shorter than expected
trip back to the starting line!
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