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Greg Gay · 02-13-2011, 06:32 PM

When the Olympics began, its purpose was to provide a forum for athletes around the world to compete and determine who was the best in a myriad of different competitions. The judges of the Olympics did not view the winner in Wrestling any different than the winner in Archery. Each Athlete competed to be the best in the category that he entered. The pinnacle of each was just as important as another.

When the NHRA began, a small group led by Wally Parks set out to provide a safe and legal forum for auto enthusiasts to test the performance potential of their vehicles. It was soon apparent that differences in the levels of modifications of vehicles could result in great differences in vehicle performance. For example, some racers liked a wide open set of rules, where they were free to be creative in their performance endeavors. Other individuals were more happy to work within a confined set of rules, where attention to detail resulted in the most performance.

Television came to the Olympics as a means of showcasing the best athletes the world had to offer. However, the Wide World of Sports and the ESPN’s of the world soon realized that they attracted more viewership to wrestling than they did archery. More and more television time was devoted to the categories that turned on the most televisions, and eventually many of the categories were dropped from coverage entirely.

When business managers began to replace the original founders of NHRA, they began to focus less and less on the racers, and more and more on the spectators. And then television came to drag racing, and again the focus became which categories could turn on the most televisions.

When I was in college, I day dreamed of racing at NHRA national events. At that time, I calculated the payday from winning a national event for everything from a fantasy Top Fueler to a fantasy Stocker. Though I don’t remember the actual numbers, I realized that, with contingency, the fantasy Stocker could take home 67% of the payout of the fantasy Top Fuel car. This was for a car that required no crew, and an engine and driveline that should last at least 2 seasons. My direction in drag racing was pretty much decided at that time.

Today, the Stock winner can make only 22% of the Top Fuel winner. The Stock winner does not get shown on television, even though every round of Top Fuel is shown on television. Wally Parks saw this coming, and made a last ditch attempt to stop it, when he came up with his plan on NHRA being run as a true non-profit association, and NHRA Pro Drag Racing being sold as a separate for-profit corporation. If he had succeeded, the fate of sportsman drag racing would have been secured for a long time into the future. Instead, the moneymen realized that they could wait old Wally out, and that’s exactly what they did. I don’t think most of us realize how much we lost when Wally’s plan was scratched.

Now, I’ll be the first one to tell you that I didn’t get into drag racing for the money. If my intentions were to make money, this certainly would not be the route I would go. And, I am a business manager myself 5+ days a week, so I understand leading an organization on the path that makes the most money. But, to go from 67% to 22% is ridiculous. These guys have realized that the thing that brings us back time and time again is ego. An NHRA win is bigger than an IHRA win. A national event win is bigger than a division win. Win the race, and you get your picture in National Dragster for the whole country to see. They don’t have to pay you, as long as that picture gets published. Do you realize that until a couple of years ago, you could not hardly even find a picture of the winner of the Million Dollar Drag Race on the internet? I spent over an hour trying. And this person won almost as much as the combined purse of all 23 Stock winners over the course of a year!

I am as guilty as the next person for letting my ego dictate my racing. For all practical purposes, I know I could do as well financially bracket racing at my local track. But, as the entry fees continue to increase, and the purses continue to decrease, practicality is gaining on ego. Keep heading in this direction, NHRA, and one day, I will not be there.

02-13-2011, 06:32 PM	#1
Greg Gay Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 351 Likes: 9 Liked 227 Times in 50 Posts	NHRA and the Olympics When the Olympics began, its purpose was to provide a forum for athletes around the world to compete and determine who was the best in a myriad of different competitions. The judges of the Olympics did not view the winner in Wrestling any different than the winner in Archery. Each Athlete competed to be the best in the category that he entered. The pinnacle of each was just as important as another. When the NHRA began, a small group led by Wally Parks set out to provide a safe and legal forum for auto enthusiasts to test the performance potential of their vehicles. It was soon apparent that differences in the levels of modifications of vehicles could result in great differences in vehicle performance. For example, some racers liked a wide open set of rules, where they were free to be creative in their performance endeavors. Other individuals were more happy to work within a confined set of rules, where attention to detail resulted in the most performance. Television came to the Olympics as a means of showcasing the best athletes the world had to offer. However, the Wide World of Sports and the ESPN’s of the world soon realized that they attracted more viewership to wrestling than they did archery. More and more television time was devoted to the categories that turned on the most televisions, and eventually many of the categories were dropped from coverage entirely. When business managers began to replace the original founders of NHRA, they began to focus less and less on the racers, and more and more on the spectators. And then television came to drag racing, and again the focus became which categories could turn on the most televisions. When I was in college, I day dreamed of racing at NHRA national events. At that time, I calculated the payday from winning a national event for everything from a fantasy Top Fueler to a fantasy Stocker. Though I don’t remember the actual numbers, I realized that, with contingency, the fantasy Stocker could take home 67% of the payout of the fantasy Top Fuel car. This was for a car that required no crew, and an engine and driveline that should last at least 2 seasons. My direction in drag racing was pretty much decided at that time. Today, the Stock winner can make only 22% of the Top Fuel winner. The Stock winner does not get shown on television, even though every round of Top Fuel is shown on television. Wally Parks saw this coming, and made a last ditch attempt to stop it, when he came up with his plan on NHRA being run as a true non-profit association, and NHRA Pro Drag Racing being sold as a separate for-profit corporation. If he had succeeded, the fate of sportsman drag racing would have been secured for a long time into the future. Instead, the moneymen realized that they could wait old Wally out, and that’s exactly what they did. I don’t think most of us realize how much we lost when Wally’s plan was scratched. Now, I’ll be the first one to tell you that I didn’t get into drag racing for the money. If my intentions were to make money, this certainly would not be the route I would go. And, I am a business manager myself 5+ days a week, so I understand leading an organization on the path that makes the most money. But, to go from 67% to 22% is ridiculous. These guys have realized that the thing that brings us back time and time again is ego. An NHRA win is bigger than an IHRA win. A national event win is bigger than a division win. Win the race, and you get your picture in National Dragster for the whole country to see. They don’t have to pay you, as long as that picture gets published. Do you realize that until a couple of years ago, you could not hardly even find a picture of the winner of the Million Dollar Drag Race on the internet? I spent over an hour trying. And this person won almost as much as the combined purse of all 23 Stock winners over the course of a year! I am as guilty as the next person for letting my ego dictate my racing. For all practical purposes, I know I could do as well financially bracket racing at my local track. But, as the entry fees continue to increase, and the purses continue to decrease, practicality is gaining on ego. Keep heading in this direction, NHRA, and one day, I will not be there.