Friday, April 02, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JEFF WOLF: NHRA's vision remains a little fuzzy

Drag racing might not be here today without Wally Park's tremendous foresight in 1951, when he created the National Hot Rod Association.

And we love him for that.

His plan was to provide safe environs for the growing sport of drag racing, and early on NHRA succeeded perhaps better than any other racing association.

But it's 2004 and NHRA needs a new direction and new leaders.

When it comes to doing what's best for its major league NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series, which includes this weekend's event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NHRA has done nothing but spin its tires for at least a decade.

NHRA officials will say their pro tour is second only to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in popularity in this country. That point could be debated. But if it has passed Indy car racing, it's only because the Indy Racing League and former CART series spent the past nine years trying to kill each other.

The past couple of weeks we've watched what must be the worst commercials ever produced to sell drag racing, if not any form of racing. Terrible footage and dumb concept.

The radio spots are a little better, but to say this is the only chance to see an NHRA national event? Did someone forget the pro tour comes back in October?

That's only one move by NHRA that has baffled me. It's the most public one, though cost-cutting moves rumored to have taken place recently also seem to shortchange the racers.

If money is a problem, why does NHRA insist on maintaining headquarters on the West Coast instead of moving to Indianapolis, where some of its top teams base operations much of the year. Has no one at NHRA heard that Indiana -- and Nevada -- offer substantial tax breaks?

The most recent blunder came in an NHRA news release, attributed to Parks, that introduced two new board members -- Graham Light, senior vice president of racing operations, and Peter Clifford, executive vice president and general manager.

Not a bright move. They come from within the organization, but the need is for board members with a greater vision. NHRA has just been surviving, not growing.

If it's going to add board members, why not consider successful, professional racers and businessmen like Kenny Bernstein or John Force?

Certainly an independent NHRA track owner that hosts a pro-tour stop should be on the board. After all, track owners are supposed to be 50-50 partners with NHRA on the nationals.

The good-ol'-boy network in Glendora, Calif., has been good at maintaining the status quo, but drag racing deserves more than that. The teams that often invest their savings deserve more, and fans certainly deserve more.

NHRA and NASCAR were founded within a few years of each other. Look where NASCAR is, while NHRA is in about the same place it was 20 or 30 years ago.

NHRA needs to create a professional division run by people with greater minds than many of those currently in decision-making roles.

NASCAR started out as a way to organize stock-car races and make money.

Making money finally needs to be NHRA's focus -- especially for pro teams. If it always has been, those dollars haven't found their way into racers' pockets.

Jeff Wolf's motorsports column is published Friday. He can be reached at 383-0247 or jwolf@reviewjournal.com.