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But what about the casual fan who may only have caught a few broadcasts on TV and just knows Force is a real character whom he'd like to meet? Or what about the thousands of NHRA fans that obviously planned to attend the race and might have liked the chance to collect a few autographs and conversation with their heroes without the distractions of the event surrounding them?

Would it not have been worth it to publicize the restaurant event a little more aggressively? I can't help but think the results would have been a lot better if a little more had been spent on advertising.

It's got to be embarrassing for NHRA -- and discouraging for its champions -- to come into its primary sponsor's corporate hometown and lay a promotional egg like this one. I realize there's got to be a lot of "i"s to dot and "t"s to cross at every national event, but I would've thought particular attention would be paid to the Atlanta race -- at a track owned by NHRA and just a short drive from POWERade headquarters. Force, Dixon, Coughlin, and Savoie deserved better.

DRIVER COMMENTS

While at the race on Saturday morning I had the opportunity to participate as co-host of my friend Doug Allan's Motorsport America radio show, along with Kirk Barnett of Barnett Performance in Atlanta. We did a live two-hour broadcast from the pressroom on 680 The Fan, with NHRA stars Gene Wilson, Angelle Savoie, Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Whit Bazemore, Jeg Coughlin, and team owner Darrell Gwynn. It was a great experience and I want to thank Doug and let him know I look forward to doing it again in the regular Monday night slot sometime soon. Special thanks also are due to NHRA's Robert Vizcarra, who was instrumental in setting up and coordinating our guests' appearances.

I do have a point here, so bear with me. The drivers mentioned above, along with all the other usual suspects when it comes to TV and major magazine stories, are well versed in what's required for a good interview. Sure, some are friendlier or more forthcoming than others, but they all at least know how to give a decent quote, even if it may sometimes be a somewhat cliched response.

Unfortunately, I find that not to be the case with all drivers. In Atlanta, I went in search of a few of the lesser-known up-and-comers in the sport, hoping to bring DRO readers some "drag racing from a different perspective." I mean, we all know Warren Johnson is driven to win, but I thought, what about Taylor Lastor or Ben Watson, two young guns who also enjoyed good showings in Pro Stock that weekend?

So I spoke with both drivers, and while they were certainly cordial, neither offered much perspective in their answers. Of course, neither knew me either, so that may have factored in their responses, but I didn't expect them to spill their guts on a moment's notice or give away any speed secrets, I just wanted to hear something I could tell our readers about.

Besides, I could have been a writer for USA Today or some similarly far-reaching and influential outlet, so it just doesn't make sense not to provide some quotable material that I'd want to bring to an editor.

Now, I don't want this to sound like sour grapes from a disgruntled reporter, because I really have no quarrel with these racers, not in the slightest, but c'mon guys, throw me a bone I can chew on when I ask a question! One-word answers and meaningless phrases like, "We're real happy," just don't cut it when there's a story to be told. And I still think you both have good stories to be told!

Though not widespread by any means, this is a recurring problem. Beyond the established stars, drag racers sometimes seem to lag behind their roundy-round peers when it comes to press relations and publicity initiatives. Now, I'm not advocating everyone develop a Force-like persona (that would be just too exhausting for everyone involved), just that it wouldn't hurt to pay attention to making your efforts sound interesting when someone asks. Even if it's pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, if you show enthusiasm, we writers can get more enthusiastic about describing your program.

Many sportsman racers and pros alike seek to emulate NHRA's best when it comes to timeslips and paydays, but if they'd also emulate the stars' efforts to look and sound good in the media, those paydays might come that much sooner -- and then they could pay for those better timeslips! As usual, it all comes down to the Benjamins.

Race safe and race smart,

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