IS IT JUST ME, OR...

11/7/03

S IT JUST ME, or isn't the new/old Mustang Nitro Funny Car of Dan Horan and Dale Pulde just about the coolest thing to come along this year? I'm not a big fan of the nostalgia drag scene, but I do have fond memories of late 1960s funny cars, and the Horan / Pulde ride does the era justice, to say the least! It runs quick and clean, burns an 80% dose, and looks right doing it. Has someone (Pulde) finally hit upon the right combination needed to launch a viable nostalgia Nitro program? Will nostalgia Top Fuel racers abandon their "transformer" rigs and join the second Funny Car revolution? Hey, it's still early, but the Goods Guys' embracing of the new / old floppers at select events can only help. Stay tuned, and hopeful.

IS IT JUST ME, or are today's professional racers a little thin skinned? During last weekend's telecast of the NHRA Las Vegas race, I noticed that certain "team" Nitro racers seemed determined to add their 1 1/2-cents worth of commentary regarding the racing press' preoccupation with the "team orders" issue. Even stranger, the interviewers evidently felt the need to apologize, sort of, for asking the questions. You would think, since these racers are paid professionals they could shrug off the questions-whatever they are about-and focus on putting their best face forward. If these folks feel oppressed, maybe they should lift their gaze from the next lap down a track and get a glimpse of what the real press does when they smell a story. It's no holds barred, and your next-of-kin get thrown in to the breach as well. I mean, these are soft ball questions, and there is no accountability at the end of the day anyway. NHRA has made it clear it they don't care what teams do or don't do, so why not a no-comment and on to the next round?

IS IT JUST ME, or has Pro Mod lost much of its momentum? I would bet you a thin stack of dimes that Nitro Harleys currently generate as much buzz as Pro Mod does. At what point does an exhibition class experiment lose its viability? I actually like Pro Mod, I just don't think it's going anywhere as an NHRA class unless and until NHRA removes the exhibition label, finds a series sponsor and pays a point fund. (And open it up to all comers, 16 cars at all shows, by the way.) As it is now, it's just a vehicle for certain people to play at an NHRA national event and/or curry favor from God-knows-who. Come on, make it a real deal, or find a different way to popularize the class.

IS IT JUST ME, or is the world becoming more aware of NHRA as something other than a grease-head pastime? Via e-mail and National Dragster comes word of a new survey that heralds NHRA drag racing as a good value for marketing efforts. The Sports Business Journal included drag racing for the first time ever, significant since the SBJ is primarily a stick-and-ball sports oriented publication. I should state here that I haven't read the full report, just what NHRA has supplied. What I did notice was that the report doesn't necessarily say that sponsoring racecars is a good value, but spending money with NHRA is. Of course, if the outside world (sponsors) don't think highly of the venue (NHRA drag racing), then they won't spend any money with the racers anyway. At worst, the report is a step in the right direction public image wise. Bottom line-any clip you can put in your own proposal is a clip worth having!

IS IT JUST ME, or do we all get overcome with the notion of NHRA national events as the be-all, end-all of professional drag racing? I am guilty of that, as last month's LL column shows. But even I can be enlightened. Via e-mail, I have become acquainted with Rich Bailey, a racer who competes in NHRA Top Comp Eliminator in the Pacific Northwest area. Married, with two young girls, Rich has parlayed a race and display schedule into a profit -- making racecar operation -- no mean feat at any level. Even more impressively, he has been a sponsored racer since he came into the sport as a competitor in 1997. Not a big winner by anyone's account, he manages to deliver value to his marketing partners through his off-track activities. He has an effective, but unextravagant web site that helps him deliver the goods. In short, he isn't doing anything that most of us couldn't do, if we were simply of a mind to do it. Here are a couple of examples Rich gave on how to deliver what sponsors are looking for: "We're not afraid to let the kids sit in the car. Parents are sometimes surprised that we do this, but I jokingly tell them I do more damage in a weekend then all the total amount of kids can do in a season."

"I feel it's more beneficial to the sponsors and to the sport for people to see the car at places where you would least expect to see a dragster. Such as at a baseball stadium or a business trade show. We don't let the car just sit there we try to provide as much interaction as possible without being aggressive."

"Once we did a display at a furniture store which was in a poor location. I thought it would be a slow day. However, the radio station promoting the event sent information about it to the local schools. The Capitol car ended up being the main attraction. I had these really nice Race Against Drugs posters I was signing and some of the kids and parents were waiting in line for a signed picture for over an hour. I signed 200 posters in a little over two hours. I couldn't believe it and neither could my wife."

If you are looking for a way to be a paid racer, maybe you (I) just need to look around and see some of the other ways it can be done. You could start by logging on to www.capracing.com to see a reality, instead of mere theory.

IS IT JUST ME, or are you looking forward to cold weather too? Just kidding - I'm not either. But I am looking forward to the 2004 season, and the new stories that it will bring. Stay tuned into Drag Racing Online, as Editor Jeff Burk and others bring back the good stuff from this winter's trade shows and Hot Stove League meetings. Later!

leonard@dragracingonline.com