NHRA Leadership question
 

Many of you have stated and we all know that the leadership of NHRA lack the "history" of racing or even being members or workers from within. Who would you like to see lead NHRA and why or why not?

Don Garlits
Don Prudome
Shirley Muldowney
Dick Lahaie
Dale Armstrong
Austin Coil
Bob Glidden

These are retired or not in a permanent position within the racing community now.

What are your thoughts on this cold winter night?

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

All but Glidden are "Fuel Queer's" so nothing would change. If you want change then you need some sportsman people involved. Not all X Pro people.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Ricky Smith or Jeggie. Both have run sportsman classes and Jeggie still does now....

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I'm not sure I believe a racer is the best person to run NHRA.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I could think of several folks with a racing background that are very good business people that could lead nhra. Several of them could include The Teutons Jeff and Joe, Dave Wertman, Larry Hill, Mike Beard, Pat Jeffrion, Carl Weisinger, and the list goes on. Could be several people with a knowledge and business and should include both. We have seen what suits that are bean counters only have done. We need people that know and love the sport as it was, not what in has become.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I vote for Pat Joffrion, make Wesley tech director

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

My vote would be for:

CEO:Bill Bader
Head of Racing Operations:Larry Morgan
National Tech Director:Billy Nees

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I'll go with Pat and Wesley also.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Anybody that races could not be a leader. Every decision would be second guessed as slanted towards something to benefit friends / family or self.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Agreed, with Lynwood Dupuy as race control.

Greg

by the way: did ya'll know that Pat and Lynwood are CPAs.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

They get my vote..........But as members we dont get to vote.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Thanks for the thoughts, Jeff, you have a valid point. Maybe a successful track operator would be the best for the position. I just wanted to get the mind going in this frigid time. Keep up your thoughts.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

i know Pat is

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I think maybe Ray Charles could run it better

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I don't think Bernie Madoff could do much worse

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

The leaders should have;

Drag Racing background
Good people skills
A sense of fairness
Good organizational skills

Come on, give us some of your thoughts.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Pat Joffrion, but he'd never take the job

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Royce Miller gets my vote.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CycloneFE
The leaders should have;

Drag Racing background
Good people skills
A sense of fairness
Good organizational skills

Come on, give us some of your thoughts.

Julie Jordan

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I worked with Lynwood for years and never knew he was a CPA ............

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Larry nice flag! Semper FI

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

A little DID YA KNOW….

Three years ago I mailed a letter to each board member of NHRA offering to attend their board meetings to offer my input as a racer and as a track owner. A month passed without any acknowledgement from any of the board members.

A month later, after checking the latest aviation reports, I realized that perhaps my letters were lost during a mail delivery plane crash. So, I sent a second letter. Three years later I am still waiting for a reply.

Here is the first letter:

NO PROBLEM RACEWAY PARK, LLC.
6470 Hwy. 996
Belle Rose, LA 70341

December 24, 2008

Mr. Tom Compton – President
National Hot Rod Association
2035 Financial Way
Glendora, CA 91741

Dear Tom,

I would like to begin by first wishing everyone at NHRA the very best of the holiday season. With the current state of our national and global economy, we must continue to work together taking the necessary steps to keep our business of sports entertainment strong and viable.

It is obvious that in times like these, some bold decisions need to be made. In our region, during the past few months, we have seen several drag strips close their doors. Cherokee County and Red River raceways are two that are now closed. Both tracks hosted Lucas Oil events in the past few years.

While area tracks are closing their doors, No Problem Raceway has once again finished the best year ever since we opened our facility in 2001. We suffered through two devastating hurricanes which closed our gates for more than a month. Yet, through it all, we were able to keep our annual revenues increasing, and our net profit before depreciation is up over 200% from 2007.

During 2008 we added over $300,000 in capital improvements. We built a new all-aluminum 1500-seat grandstand on the spectator side; built a new 55’ x 35’ outdoor concert pavilion; purchased $100,000 of new track equipment; and spent $40,000 for new asphalt. All of this was completed using current cash flow; in addition, we reduced our outstanding loan principle by an extra $100,000.

We accomplished this by hard work, making good business decisions, and through diversification of track activities. With State Capital Raceway in our “back yard”, we cannot host successful drag racing events every weekend. We made the decision to work around their schedule and do something different when they host a drag race weekend. We host road racing, test-n-tune, drifting, midnight drags, and concerts while Baton Rouge is drag racing.

Our SportsNationals and Lucas Oil events were not as successful financially as in past years. However, we made up for the decrease in revenues by hosting “specialty” events. Arm Drop Live with Rich Christensen brought more spectators than any of our NHRA races. Area fans are attracted to his style of “heads-up” racing. We also hosted our own arm-drop races that drew large crowds. We now attract a large following of “street racers” that are now comfortable racing at a legal track. In 2008, I personally signed-off on over 50 new competition license applications for these former street guys.

We accomplished this by using “logic” in our conversations with the street racers. When I meet a street racer on a motorcycle at our track for the first time, I usually find their chain guard is not up to tech standards. Instead of giving them the 3rd degree, I ask them, “How many children do you have”? Then I ask them, “And how are you going to explain to them how stupid their father was for losing his left foot when a chain broke, because he didn’t have a decent chain guard”? I then hand them a business card for a local bike shop in his area that sells custom chain guards. When they return to NPR, they make a point to find me and show me their new guard.

I do the same with cars. When I inspect a new racer’s vehicle, I explain how some item on his vehicle needs to be modified. I then tell him, “Look guy, it’s your butt in the car, not mine. I’m just here to make sure that in the event that some other car gets squirrely and knocks you into the wall that you leave here with your butt in the same condition that it was in when you got here”. In my experience, the racers drop any resistance to my reasons for not allowing them to race with an unsafe car. It’s how you handle the customer that makes the difference.

Having been a successful racer, and going through all the hoops, I have been able to put my experience to good use running our facility. In the past, when I was travelling all over the country to different tracks, I was able to absorb both the good and bad attributes each facility displayed. I participated because it was “fun”. I was able to relax with my racing acquaintances each evening, sharing funny stories about our lives and experiences. But in the morning when I put on my racing helmet, they knew that I was nothing but serious until the win light came on.

While a formal announcement has not yet been released, Linda and I spent the past few days meeting with Paul and Carolyn Cartwright. After they got a chance to spend a day with us at our home, I took them to see No Problem Raceway, and they fell in love with our facility. We talked in detail as to how Linda and I work hard to make it fun for our customers, employees and sponsors. Paul and Carolyn completely understand how we feel a responsibility to “our people”. Most are like part of the family. A few racers are just not happy with their lives, period, and we cannot do anything to satisfy those folks. At the end of our visit, Paul, Carolyn, Linda and I agreed to have the Cartwright’s join our racing family. Paul will become track manager, and Carolyn will manage our ticket department. No Problem is a small operation compared to Memphis or Topeka. But, we work hard to operate one of the most financially successful motorsports facilities in the country, and we do it while having fun. Like my old grandpa once told me, “You don’t call it work son, if you enjoy what you do for a living”.

I am not attempting to portray my business style as being the solution for NHRA or its member tracks during this uncertain economic situation. But, I am willing to work with the board of directors to give input from the perspective of a racer, a track operator, a successful businessman, and an individual with years of experience in management and the financial accounting field. While I am not active in “the politics” of drag racing, I am suggesting that it may be good politics for your board of directors to appoint a member from the community of racers and track owners, even if the member served in an “advisory” capacity.

I have previously served on various boards and commissions in my lifetime, and I would enjoy the opportunity to put my experience where it can help our sport most. Thank you for your consideration.



Pat Joffrion



cc: Dallas Gardner
Peter Clifford
Dick Wells
Graham Light

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Wow! Not even the courtesy to reply. Sad, but confirmation of their ivory tower attitude. Just how inept can an organization be?

Pat, your clarity and passion are a glimmer of hope for the sportsman racer, that at some point things may change. Lead on.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Pat,

You wrote an incredible letter and got no reply. It is understandable as to why.

You would end up making them look incompetent! They are doing a fairly good job on their own, but there isn't anyone there contrast just how far off the mark they really are.

Don

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Pat you need to write a how to book for track operators.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

For sure.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Pat got 99% of what we get......nothing, the only answer I ever got out of Glendora was from Pat in Tech. Very few get answers, they dont have time to answer letters. There to busy filling their Golden Parachutes.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I have talked to Pat in tech. Very helpful.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Every time I have had a question or concern it has been addressed by Graham Light , Peter Clifford or Tom Compton in a very professional way .

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

then why would they ignore one of their brightest, most profitable, most well respected track owners?

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

What needs to happen is for the members to get their voting rights back. The members could then elect a board that could hire the CEO and other top management people and set their salaries. I think a board should be made up of sportsman racers, pro racers, track owners, and maybe sponsors. They should fill a term of two years with a maximum of three terms. Elections could happen every two years along with a convention for the members in a nice part of the country. The organization should be run for the benefit of its members. I think track owners, sponsors, and people who hold a competition liscense and race three or four times a year should be eligible to vote.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Mr. Joffrion---Excellent well written letter to the NHRA mgmt. I find it inconceivable that they would not give you the courtesy of a reply even if was only "we got your letter ,will look at it, get back to you soon". But on the other hand I'm not surprised I think they have lots of things to maybe worry about NOW but not so in 2008,least of all a letter from "another disgruntled racer/track owner,whatever" about how the NHRA is being run. They could/should have at least sent a form letter acknowledging receipt of you letter--Well when the IRS agent/agents show up to look at the "books" you can bet there is gonna be a lotta *** kissing going on there--Comp

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Be careful of the toes you step on today because they may be connected to the *** you have to kiss tomorrow. A pretty good policy to adopt in my opine.

Don

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

According to the 2009 tax returns $4.4 million was collected in membership "dues". At an average of $60, this equates to over 73,000 members. Track owners, sponsors and racers maybe comprise 10% of that? So, if the organization is to be run for the "benefit of its members" then how is it equitable to exclude the largest block of people from voting?

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Thanks Julie for a dose of reality.
The LAST thing you would want is NHRA to be put in the hands of the racers.More math.
+ or - 4,000 S/SS racers(number taken out of the air) -:- by 73,000 + roughly 5% of the membership.I don't know the amount of super category racers,but if they're about another 4,000 then that's still a bit over 10%.So to get what we want,screw the fans and bracket racers.
All this talk about putting who we want in is moot anyway.If they are by a miracle equal to the parting of the Red Sea,removed from their positions,I'm sure they will hand pick their replacements.
Remember the devil you know and the devil you don't know.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Greg,

Your comments are the reason I started this thread. IF we were to get the vote, what and who are we looking for? What qualities do they possess?

Julie,

You are correct regarding the member, but remember that out of ALL of those members just how many actually race. "Joe Fan" from Seattle(an NHRA member) may have never heard of Pat Joffrion, why would he vote for him? He may know of Shirley Muldowney and think she can run NHRA. I mean nothing against Shirley, she is just an example of a popular namesake.

Should we be able to vote, can we put someone in that really can do the job needed?

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

I would love to know the answer to that myself!

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

In 1987 when NHRA was granted their 501c6 they said they had 4 classes of members. A lot of organizations have different classes of members some with voting rights and some without. It makes sense to me to have people who participate in divisional and national races to be the ones who vote for a board. No other member would be as affected by things done by the organization as people who participate in these races. I don't think people that don't race or only bracket race would have the interest that divisonal and national racers would have. The bracket racers would be represented by their track owners and the track owners could speak for their racers. People that don't race at all shouldn't have a voice in how the organization is run. I'm not talking about taking a vote on day to day issues. This mebership model is how the SCCA is run with the voting members voting for a board of directors. The board would set a broad policy of how the organization should be run and hire a professional to run it.

I think this would be a helluva lot better than what we now have.

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

sounds great to me. I still wonder why they would completely ignore Pat though?

Re: NHRA Leadership question
 

Because they are ignorant and arrogant. A dangerous combination.