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BALL OF CONFUSION
For a while there, this was starting to look like an unusually orderly
drag racing season. Everything was going along pretty much according
to Hoyle, with racers of all persuasions chasing their respective "world"
championships, servicing their contracts (if they had any), and doing
their part to stimulate the drag racing economy. As of late, however,
the do-do has decidedly hit the fan.
Let's start at the top. And that would be Winston. We are talking about
the business side of drag racing. Like 'em or otherwise, Winston has
been the biggest financial player in modern drag racing, bar none. For
sure, Winston's involvement with drag racing represented the biggest
advertising bargain they ever could have hoped for. No, I don't pretend
to know how much money the RJR folks poured into the 1320 sport over
the years. In times where the tobacco industry took more shots from
all comers than any legitimate business in U.S. history, NHRA drag racing
stood ready and willing to provide a highly visible venue for Winston
to spread it's message through. It has been the kind of support and
access Winston could not have bought from many sources, regardless of
how many dollars would have been offered. That's what I mean by saying
"a bargain for Winston."
Ever since the Tobacco Agreement came about, most of the smart money
was on Winston dumping drag racing for Winston Cup and NASCAR. So it
should have surprised nobody when that is exactly what happened. The
most widely held assumption was Winston would leave because they "had"
to, not because they wanted to. That well may be true, but written references
to the voluntary nature of compliance with the Agreement persist, leaving
the cynical among us to question recent developments. Given the great
value drag racing supposedly delivers, let's hope that RJR did indeed
have no choice but to pour all of it's sports marketing budget into
NASCAR. Because if they did leave when they could have stayed, that
does not bode well for NHRA's search for new significant and long-term
corporate investors. You and I will never know the hard core truth on
this subject, but the business world probably already does. The clock
is ticking on NHRA's search for a new alliance, and the drag racing
community is waiting.
Next subject. Pro Stock Trucks. Oh wait a minute, there aren't any!
At least there won't be any next year. This subject makes certain people
happy, although I can't for the life of me understand why. Oh, I'm aware
a check of the DRO archives will reveal me as one of many who didn't
like the trucks. But my objection to them was the instant elevation
to Pro status, without a real trial and error and education period.
I felt NHRA was making a knee-jerk reaction to NASCAR's success with
their truck series. Looked like an apples to oranges deal to me, then
and now. If the truck thing would have been a little less like C Altered
and a little more like Pro Mod, for instance, it might have worked out.
But once NHRA made the commitment to host a truck series, they should
have stuck with it. Two years isn't a fair test of anything in the business
world. Whether you like the trucks or not, consider these facts.
Fact #1 - An awful lot of racers dropped an awful lot of money on parts
and pieces. They did so because they wanted to step up and be considered
Professionals. They most likely are not enchanted with the prospects
of returning to the land of a thousand indexes, or a 96-truck/car round
one in Super Gas. Once one thinks of himself as a Pro, it is a bit unrealistic
to expect that person to retreat to the sportsman ranks.
Fact #2 - There were no short fields in Pro Stock Truck's short history.
That translates into a lot of entry fees and pit passes. A quick dose
of math shows that NHRA is apparently willing to kiss off a six figure
income generated by the Pro Stock Trucks -- that's every year, sports
fans! All of this well may be a big "so what" to other racers and fans
involved in other eliminators, but just you consider this. If NHRA is
willing to 86 a group of racers who showed up, spent tons of their own
money to do so, and put on close, competitive racing, what makes you
think YOU couldn't be NEXT! Really, you have to wonder what the real
criteria for inclusion actually is. If you figure it out, tell the Pro
Stock Truck guys the answer.
I guess what really gets me upset with the truck thing is NHRA's stated
reason for doing so. Their overriding reason seems to be to free up
more TV time for the other Pro categories. Come on now, fellas! You
must think we don't watch televised drag racing. On the average broadcast,
Pro Stock Trucks barely register a blip on the radar, in terms of how
much time they get. And how much more time do we really need to interview
Connie Kalitta fer chrissakes! (Just kidding, Mr. Kalitta, your name
just popped into my head.) No kidding, if this is the big sticking point,
the whole issue needs to be rethought. Even at this late date, the truck
contingent would probably come back, God help em! It's not like they
have a lot of viable alternatives at the moment.
And now for some closing thoughts on the recently departed ADRA. You
know, the nostalgia racing group that never was. Or at least not for
long. Without a doubt, the worst part of the failure of this business
entity, save for the money all the racers and investors lost, is the
loss of opportunity for the drag racing fans to see the work of Dean
Papadeas. He had been slated to provide the television coverage of the
ADRA tour, but with no tour happening, not to mention no payment for
services rendered, that ain't gonna happen. And that is a certified
shame.
I did have the opportunity to view a rough cut of Dean's work at the
Fallon, Nevada ADRA event, and it would have been good, maybe great
viewing for all drag fans. DP's reputation is well established via his
Main Event videos, but it would have been interesting to see his particular
visions and talents applied to a full coverage drag racing TV show.
Maybe that will happen for DP someday, maybe it won't. If it doesn't,
the drag racing public will be the poorer for it!
Oh by the way, I am shopping around a deal to run a Top Fuel car next
year. Yeah, I know, nobody who actually knows me can believe it either.
Some of the responses I have received from corporate America have been
interesting, to say the least. Actually, to get any response at all
is encouraging in its own insane way. Anyway, if there is anyone out
there who has lost their mind and has some (lots) of money they no longer
need, I am available. To run a Top Fuel car, that is. More details to
follow, at a later date.
| Later! |
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racer4339@aol.com
photo by Jeff Burk
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