THE BIGGEST NEWS
IN THE FIRST
16 2/3-PERCENT

A few days ago, I rolled out of the Living Room Lounge across the street from the Dragracingonline.com time and temperature tower in downtown O'Fallon, warm and fuzzy from three mixing bowls of popcorn and a half case of King Cobra tall boys. I really had the urge to celebrate, if for no other reason than the fact that I was feeling reasonably upbeat about the shape of our sport at that moment. Earlier that afternoon, I, like readers of this magazine, found out that controlling interest in IHRA had been bought by an entertainment conglomerate called SFX. To me, that certainly qualified as the biggest news of the first ... let's see January, February, 2 of 12 ... 1 of 6, 1/6=16 2/3 percent ... of the year.

As some might recall from our Agent 1320 notes, SFX does not stand for Super Factory Experimental, but the initials of its founder Robert F.X. Sillerman. These guys are old growth redwood big. SFX is the world's largest producer and marketer of live entertainment, and in racing terms that includes the US. Hot Rod Association Monster Jam Tour, the AMA-sanctioned EA Sports Supercross Series, the IFMA Freestyle Motocross, and the National Arenacross Series.

And if that's not enough, these guys backed the recent Britney Spears tour. While my tastes tend toward the Bell Rays, Henry Fiat's Open Sore, Snapcase, and the Mighty John Waynes, I know that supplying the juice for this leaping little lawn ornament requires a ton of horsepower.

With all the grim news of deserting sponsors and occasional gaffs from Glendora and Norwalk, I was more than willing to welcome and, at the very least, find out a little about our new neighbor.

This jolt led to my contacting SFX's main headquarters in New York and setting up a brief interview with the company Motorsports Chairman, Jeff Lewis. New blood, new ideas, a track record of multi-million dollar live entertainment successes, all being hypoed into the arm of the Little Train That Could or Little Train That Might Be Able To... if a few breaks fell their way.

And the breaks just might….

Lewis said his company's move was considered over a decent interval.

"We (SFX Motor Sports President Charlie Mancuso) had known IHRA President Bill Bader and Aaron Polborn for well over a year and had been to a few of their races. We watched with interest and it became apparent that drag racing represented a good opportunity to bring our expertise and resources and link them with IHRA's ability to host a good show. We start from the point that we, sports, racing, whatever, are involved in producing entertainment. People have to come these shows and go away feeling they got their money's worth, that they had a good time. Last year, we produced and presented 250 motor racing events, so we know what we're doing. Involved in promotion and marketing, we are, of course, involved with tickets, but hand-in-hand with that are our concerns for a quality experience, a quality venue, and we have the capital resources to genuinely enhance the fan enjoyment in those regards."

I remarked that another promoter and marketer with considerable capital reserves, the WWF's Vince McMahon, had stretched over to a new sport, football, and all indicators seem to show that he is about to be choke-slammed onto his wallet.

"Well, I think the situation is different here," said Lewis. "Without digging into McMahon and the WWF, we again start from the point that we are in the entertainment industry. We have experience in legitimate racing and horsepower events. I'm not sure what the WWF's was with football, but we are well aware of what we can do and have done."

Lewis went on to add that his desire for a premier drag racing entertainment package might involve some change in the actual racing one sees.

It's no secret that NHRA has a monopoly on the biggest nitro stars in the sport. John Force, Kenny Bernstein, the Johnsons, Gary Scelzi, Don Prudhomme, the Kalittas; all of them flash the big blue oval and, in fact, are virtually synonymous with the California association. While the Paul Romines and the occasional visits by a megastar like Shirley Muldowney spice the IHRA soup, NHRA is the nitro capital of the world. What would Lewis do about that disparity?

"The Forces and Bernsteins? We need 'em," Lewis said. "Again, I go back to our desire to put on the best shows on the market, and that means having the best racers. As for me, I'd do what we can to attract these people to IHRA shows. I would say that you could see Funny Cars at future shows, but this will be more in Bill Bader's area as he formats the competition.

"All in all, we are going to provide the resources to make IHRA competitions come to life. In the area of television, we (SFX) are a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, Inc., which operates 1,170 radio and 17 television stations, and approximately 700,000 outdoor advertising displays. We're not just starting out here. We possess a lot of expertise in producing and marketing entertainment. I've heard it said that the TV package could stand a boost. Let me just say we have the wherewithal to bring it about."

It's been said that one of the hallmarks of capitalism is competition. In fact, without it both sides of a struggle have a tendency to stagnate, which is what I think is or has been happening in drag racing for awhile. Some say that my old company may be getting a little fat and sluggish from a lack of said competition and, if nothing else, The SFX entry into drag racing may signal an end to business as usual in this area, at least for NHRA.

All of us with decades of drag race experience know that talk in drag racing is cheap. SFX could push through, get its feet wet, get bored and disappear like a fast-moving weather front. And, of course, we've all seen high-rollers blow into town with big plans and leave on the evening stage with just a barrel and suspenders. But there is a cool confidence and a strong track record with this new group and the situation appears ripe for some big changes.

They are coming into a sport that very much needs hot wiring in the areas discussed, and 16 2/3 of the way into 2001, they do appear to have the wherewithal to bring it about.

Also see this month's previous column A Statue with Limitations.

photo of Chris Martin by Jeff Burk

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