9/14/05

BELIEVING BEARD?

First, I read your website every day and mostly interested in NHRA, not the MDRL Minor Drag Racing League or IHRA as some know it. I have always found I can trust your sources and in your defense, you are right a lot of the time when reporting, but you and your team total blew it with the Lee Beard rumors. I know I can't trust the NHRA website to give any honest details or true stories about the true happenings in big time drag racing, I rely on you for that, at least I used to and think you will lose credibility after this.

I think it took balls to print Lee's msg and that is what I think the Agent is all about, it does take the wind out of my sails that dragracingonline.com was so off and drug Lee's name through the mud, as if he hadn't been through enough working for Schumacher.

Darrell Allison

BURK REPLIES

First, everyone needs to read the intro to Agent 1320 it reads in part "news, notes and nonsense from the world of drag racing and beyond."

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The contents of Agent 1320 aren't always meant to be taken too seriously. Occasionally we poke fun at or comment on the general state of drag racing and when we get it, put up news and information pertaining to the sport.

As for Lee Beard's "setting the record straight" I suspect that if what we printed originally wasn't all (or mostly all) fact Lee Beard wouldn't have reacted in the manner that he did. The only facts that we may have had wrong was the money issue and the truth is that the only people that know those facts for sure are Lee Beard, his employers and Don Prudhomme and they aren't speaking on the record about that. I ran Beard's reply because it was the right thing to do, not because I believed what we printed initially was totally inaccurate. -- Jeff Burk, Editor

NOT BELIEVING BEARD?

"Shit," someone should tell Lee Beard to grow up. The letter I just read about his signing with Snake Racing was just ridiculous! It read as if a high schooler wrote it in defense of himself. Seems to me that if he felt he had to defend himself to that extent there must have been some truth to the original story. I think I can figure why Schumacher got rid of him in the first place, he is a total idiot and a black eye to the NHRA.

Sandy Siwik

JOHNSON TEAM THANK YOU

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for the support we received following the U.S. Nationals. Drag racing is a family sport and it was proved after what happened. People that I would never expect came to our side to show support like a family.

To Whit Bazemore: Thank you for your support, after I left the track Tuesday I felt a lot better.

To the entire ESPN staff: Thank you for the coverage you showed Monday evening; you stood up for what you believed in.

To Steve Johnson: You proved that you are a champion to the entire world Monday. The way you conducted yourself after seeing the video speaks volumes about you as a person. Today in Heaven, John Myers and Dave Schultz are celebrating your victory.

Shane Maloney
Steve Johnson Racing