AN OPEN LETTER TO STEVE JOHNSON

Steve, you were robbed.

You took the opportunity not to whine about it though or point fingers at everyone in sight. You took the opportunity to show the world what a first class racer and man you are. The NHRA should be proud to have such a hard working, gregarious and talented competitor on the tour. I think nothing short of an equal awarding of the winners purse is in order here. You certainly earned it.

In a world where genuinely good sports/entertainment personalities are hard to come by, I have to think that ANY company considering a "spokesracer" could do no better than to put their corporate dollars into your program.

Terry Spencer
Covina, CA

AN OPEN LETTER TO TOM COMPTON ABOUT INDY

Tom Compton, I didn't enjoy the fact that you had a band playing during racing action, including the Skoal Showdown (are you kidding me!?), one little bit. If I had wanted to hear live music instead of drag racing, I would have set my VCR for the race telecast and gone to a bar. What were you thinking, anyway?

Something tells me this came from your new marketing sharpie, whose previous employer was the Harlem Globetrotters. I doubt if he knows a blower from a bazooka. Do the math. If you attract one new fan by alienating an old one, you haven't helped the sport grow one bit. If you pull this again at next year's Indy, or any race that I happen to attend, not only will I gladly verbally abuse the band off the stage like I did this year, but I'll take a strong look at the "other options for my entertainment dollar" as your announcers call them.

Most Sincerely,

Bill Huseth
Lifelong drag racing fan (so far)

RE-THINK SPORTSMAN AT NATIONAL EVENTS

Jeff, your sympathy for the Sportsman racers is commendable, but NHRA needs to reconsider the program in general at their national events. I love to watch the various eliminator categories including Super Stock, Stock, Competition and both Alcohol groups, but Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street shouldn't be there.

The casual fan usually does not understand a type of competition with a wheels-up start followed by a stalling engine. With the breakout in place the only thing these categories lack is a couple of checkpoints and it could be featured as a quarter-mile rally. Hot dog sales may benefit by the spike in purchases during the running of these eliminators, but there is no other benefit at a national event other than entry fees to the NHRA coffers.

Certainly these racers deserve an opportunity to perform at a top-level showcase, but as it exists this equates to the Daytona 500 having dirt track cars on the undercard. Perhaps points earned at the various divisional points meets could qualify these racers for a mega event that is a culmination for top finishers.

NHRA has enough problems with fans associating with the mutations of supposed versions of street cars competing in the Funny Car class. As mentioned in some articles in your online magazine, Pro Stock is suffering as well. Why would there ever be a wind tunnel used for a class that is called Pro "Stock?" Maybe Gas Coupe would be a better moniker or B/Pro Modified.

Living in Las Vegas, we have the opportunity to attend two national events per year. I go to the first one and skip the second because it doesn't include the alcohol categories or Super Stock. I will attend the points meet the following week so I can watch these great sportsman groupings. So it is not that I don't support the sportsman racers but Super Comp, Super Street and Super Gas have little fan appeal at National Events as witnessed by the empty stands. NHRA should pay attention so they can grow drag racing into a more viable motorsports form of entertainment.

Len Rickards