Re: Thanks ESPN your rotten to the core
It's a very tough spot we are in as sportsman drag racers. I think of the old saying "when you point your finger, theres three more pointing back at you". NHRA and ESPN don't promote us the way we would llike. WE don't promote us either ie. we hide our passion inside a white box, not active in public displays, not pushing/selling/involving the next generation etc.(unless they're your kids) to grow the grandstands and the pits. I have nothing but respect for all of you, but we could all do more to help ourselves. Look at it like JFK would: "ask not, what drag racing can do for you....ask what you can do for drag racing (sportsman that is). The other thing is the cost involved in Class Racing. Can you imagine being seventeen years old, and this is your first INDY. Your walking the pits looking at the sportsman entries thinkin this is what I want. You walk over to Jeff Teuton, Gary Richard, The Skillmans, any of the SS/AH teams, or for that matter any team on the property, and ask "how much dose all this cost"? Walking away with your head down you think "my parents don't have that much in our home" Then last but not least, you can never explain to the casual fan (that used to be in the stands) how you "lost a race" by going to fast. These are the reasons there's nobody in the stands during sportsman competition. These are the reasons you don't get your due from NHRA and ESPN.
We don't race because we are racers, we race because we are competitors. And the biggest competition we face is just keeping the sport alive. In the words of Chris Rock "you better recognize"
Wade Mahaffey
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