7/16/04

RUSSELL FAMILY THANKS

Ian, Thanks for writing such a nice article. I too saw so many things on ebay and was very frustrated by them. Of course there is nothing we can do to stop it. I guess that is just how some people are. We will be launching the Darrellrussell.com memorial site next week. It will be a memorial tribute to Darrell and the wonderful life that he lived. The good thing is it will be there forever. . .I will guarantee that.

Thanks again for writing the article and more importantly thinking about us. At a time like this we need all the support that we can get.

Sincerely,

Chris Russell (Darrell's brother)

PAT ON THE BACK FOR TRACK

I would like to commend the folks at St. Louis Dragway (Gateway International Raceway) for their preparation of their track. My husband has been a fan of Gainesville for a long time, but at this year's ProStar race, the track was excellent. He stated that this track may be the best 1/4 mile in the U. S. Just thought that these people deserved a pat on the back.

Sincerely,

Sharon Hand

MARKETING EVENTS AT IHRA

That was the best article I have ever read that summarizes the problems in drag racing right now! Great job! I also love NASCAR and the Sunday afternoon shows and the commercials are EVENTS! You are so right that why can't the power monger vindictive Mr. Peaco see that. I am e-mailing a copy to him! As I said I haven't seen any one article that puts it all together in such a succinct way as yours. Keep up the good work and thanks for not biting your tongue and really telling the way it is. It's a shame more people in the industry aren't as free to do so. I am a Keith Stark fan all the way and what you are saying echoes the predicament IHRA has put he and other A/Fuelers in. The top fuel racers are so predictable ... who cares? The big money boys will have a walk in the park and I guess that's the way Skooter wants it.

Phyllis Geiger

WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THAT?

That was an interesting editorial, I know that there needs to be changes to make it more interesting and I can think of one right away that would help a bit. It's time to go back to the 1 vs 9, 2 vs. 10, 3 vs. 11, 4 vs. 12, etc format. I get sick of seeing the easy wins in the first round at a national event.

Not only would it make for tighter action, it would also give the privateer hope that if they get into the field they would have a chance to go a round. I can't imagine anyone busting their hump with older pieces, no high-dollar sponsor, a younger crew chief and the like saying on Saturday night. "Wow we got into the field for tomorrow I can't wait to run number 1." But I could see them saying "We're in the field now, we have a chance."

That's the way they used to run the ladder. I could never figure out why they changed it. If they are worried that there is no incentive to qualify higher then double the qualifying points for the top half of the field. But hey, I've only been around for 32 years, what do I know?

Best,

Greg Guarinello