What would Wally say?

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

Wally Parks, NHRA’s founder, has been gone for almost three years now. The sport he loved has changed in that time – not for the better, according to some – and that’s what has gotten my mind to racing.

While the sound and fury over Bruton Smith’s Four-Wide Nationals lingers like nitro fumes on a still afternoon, it’s only the latest example of drivers and team owners venting their frustrations about NHRA management decisions. The fiasco that was track conditions for the Pro Stock and sportsman door-slammers at Firebird International Raceway came prior. As did grumblings about John Force Racing exceeding the testing limits; ESPN2’s production philosophy; prize money; the price of fuel; licensing fees and, well, the list goes from Pomona to Topeka, if not all the way on to Englishtown.

It seems to me that, as time has passed and the desire to show appropriate respect to Parks – and his memory - has waned, racers have become much more willing to speak out against NHRA on what they see as the issues of the day. And do so much more publicly and powerfully.

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