Must Read Commentary

[Pat Joffrion]

Remember when all of the ?new? rules and regulations of the NFL went into effect 10 years ago? It became known as the No Fun League. The powers that be at the NFL decided to make some changes for the players to ?enjoy? themselves. So what if a guy spikes the ball in the end zone? You get my drift?

What I find lacking at most drag race events is the lack of FUN. So, what do we, as racers and track owners, do to bring excitement back to the sport? Think about the following: There are two things in this world that we cannot change? The weather and decisions made by God.

When planning a race, one should study the historical weather patterns. Notice how we at No Problem Raceway moved our Lucas event from the fall to the spring. That was done to get the race out of ?hurricane season?. October has historically been the driest period in Louisiana, but if a storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, a racer would be forced to decide, ?Do I go, or do I sit this race out?? The majority of drag racers in D-4 are from the Dallas area, which is a 9-hour tow. Even though we had perfect weather in 2004, the car count suffered because there was a hurricane off the coast of Cuba.

As for decisions by God, I am referring to those made by the powers that be. Just because a schedule is posted, or a race date scheduled, does not mean that it is in the best interest of the racers, fans, or sponsors. The race director (aka/ God) needs to be flexible and understanding when even the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. When the run order is out of whack, it should be changed, and not left alone just because it was printed that way.

It is unacceptable to most to have something jammed down their throat. As a track owner, I have seen my ?requested? event dates get shuffled around, bumped up, or moved back. The big dogs rule, and that being the case, the national event host tracks get first choice on the dates for their Lucas Oil events. The smaller tracks have to make do with what else is available. But advertising and scheduling races on dates that historically have less than a 50-50 chance of happening have an adverse effect on the racers and the track operators.

Let me make it clear that I am not complaining. My group of employees and our D-4 NHRA staff and crew work their butts off to see to it that our events go as smoothly as possible. They completely understand my goal, that we must satisfy our racers, fans, and sponsors. No matter what date I am given, I will do my best to make it work. And that brings me to the final item. If the racers get together with the track managers to help find additional sponsors, the track can use this money to host ?fun? races.

It doesn?t have to be a major sponsor, nor does it have to be big buck sponsors. We raised over $14,000 from car dealers, hardware stores, engine builders, auto repair shops, chassis builders, insurance agencies, and others to offer our racers an extra opportunity to have some fun. The average sponsor put up $500, but if you get enough of those $500 sponsors, the track can offer some serious winner and runner-up purses BEFORE 1ST ROUND OF THE EVENT!

During the JEGS Cajun SportsNationals, we ran a free race on Saturday for Super Street, Super Gas, and Super Comp. Each winner received $1,000, the runner-up got $500, and the racer with the best package in the final round received a bonus $500. Now, one might ask, where do you fit such a race into a tight schedule? My response? loosen the schedule and do some math.

If you have 64 cars in a category (let?s say S/G) and you give them 2 time trials, you end up with 64 pairs of cars going down the track. Now, if you run a race with 64 cars, you still have only 64 pairs that run down the track. Use random pairings and lane assignments, and it does not take much longer to run a 64 car race than it does to give 64 cars 2 time trials. Those super guys and gals had more fun doing a free race, and you would have thought that the winners had just cinched the world championship! They had fun, and that?s what?s missing at most races.

Now racers, it is up to you to find some sponsors, then approach your track operators to see what they are willing to do to bring more racers (and more fun) to their events. If they don?t want to accommodate you, leave them alone. Find another track that will listen. Someone out there should be willing to let the racers have some fun. This is America, and we racers do have a choice, and a voice. Our voice is heard the loudest when we speak with our wallets.

Pat Joffrion 4308 SS/KA

DISCLAIMER:
The thoughts and ideas expressed in the above commentary are in no way directed towards the following:
NFL (National Football League)
NHRA (Never Heard Racers Argue)
IHRA (I Hate Raggedy Automobiles)
AHDRA (All Hogs Drag Race Alone)
CDRA (Cajun Drag Racing Association)