| BOBBY BENNETT: FRIDAY WASN’T GOOD FOR THE IHRA |
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Written by Bobby Bennett
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 16:54 |
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|  An old drag racing friend died Friday, October 16, 2009.
This friend didn’t die of natural causes, it was a slow and painful death; the result of poisoning caused by poor management and arrogance.
With the announcement that its professional show would adopt the equivalent of a Chicago Style format with a winner on each day of a two-day show, for all intents and purposes, the IHRA as a legitimate sanctioning body ceased to exist.
It should come as no surprise since the death knell for the sanctioning body started last year.
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| BOBBY BENNETT: IS THIS FORCE’S UNPARDONABLE SIN? |
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Written by Bobby Bennett
Tuesday, 13 October 2009 16:54 |
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| It appears the questions will never stop.
John Force, after spending a lifetime building his legend, has seen it tarnished by the actions of a single run down the drag strip.
Three races and five weeks after the questionable round against Robert Hight and the subsequent cat fight at the top end, Force, a 14-time champion, is unable to escape the questions surrounding the event.
Set to face Hight once again, this time in the Virginia NHRA Nationals, ESPN2 reporters raised the possibility that Force might throw another race. They went so far as to ask him directly, is this another Indy?
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| THE ADVENTURES OF THE PIT PET, EPISODE 1 |
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Written by Lisa Richards
Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:42 |
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 I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several drag races this year and I have such a great time that I like to write about my experiences. I’m definitely not enough of a motorhead to be able to report on the technical aspects of racing, but I do like sharing the interesting things I see and hear while hanging out with the teams. I was very surprised to learn that many of the teams don’t know each other very well unless they’ve been racing together for years. They recognize the other drivers’ names and their cars and they wave as they pass in the staging lanes, but often that’s as far as it goes. After spending time with various teams, I understand how that happens. There is a lot to focus on throughout the day to ensure that your car makes it down the track in the manner that you expect and walking next door to see if your neighbor likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain is not part of it. So we’ve decided it’s time to devote a corner of the web to getting to know the teams! And since the teams do such a great job of taking care of me, giving me water, and patting me on the head, my dad has started referring to me as the Pit Pet.
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| SUSAN WADE: LET'S FIX FLAWED COUNTDOWN ONE MORE TIME -- WHY NOT? |
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Written by Susan Wade
Monday, 21 September 2009 16:54 |
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 Six of the top 10 nitro-class drivers lost in the first round of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord, N.C.
For three of the four points leaders, it was like a punch to the gut. With some thoughtful restructuring, the homestretch of the season could become exciting without being exclusive.
It hardly seems fair that a driver could perform well all season and mount a decent lead, only to have it dissolved in less than 10 seconds. That happened more than once Sunday at Charlotte, and that's just this year's damage.
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| FROM THE GRANDSTANDS: INDY THROUGH THE EYES OF A ROOKIE |
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Written by Tim Charlet
Friday, 18 September 2009 14:54 |
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 Indy is truly an event you must experience at least once in your life.
My colleague at Competitionplus.com Jon Asher said it best, “If you come to one U.S. Nationals, you’ll be coming back year after year.” And, after attending my first ‘Big Go’, this novice writer now realizes why thousands of die hard drag racing fans religiously make the annual Labor Day pilgrimage to Clermont, Ind.
As fellow Competitionplus.com reporter Tracy Renck and I arrived at the Indianapolis airport, we were greeted by Mitch Johnson, Tampa Bay, Fla., who was attending his 42nd ‘Big Go’. Johnson has experienced a mired of emotions during his tenure as an Indy fan. He laughed as Don Garlits shaved his beard in 1967 and shed a tear when Blaine Johnson and Elmer Trett lost their lives during the 1996 event.
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| FROM THE GRANDSTANDS: DRAG RACING STILL THE BEST MEDICINE |
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Written by Tim Charlet
Thursday, 27 August 2009 14:54 |
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powerful dose of drag racing can be ‘chicken soup for the soul’ for
those who are in need of a remedy. And, you don’t have to be at the
races for the medication to take effect.
While laying in the emergency room a few weeks ago, I crossed paths with a nurse
who opened my eyes with her own heartbreaking story. Much to my
surprise, her story led us both down a path of healing.
After checking into the emergency room at North Suburban Hospital in
Thornton, Colo., doctors found my body lost four-units of blood, due to
internal bleeding caused by a peptic ulcer.
According to the attending physician, years of ingesting aspirin and
ibuprofen for headaches and eating late night carne asada burrito’s
finally caught up with me.
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| UP FRONT: THE MESS THAT IS THE NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION |
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Written by Jon Asher
Monday, 24 August 2009 16:54 |
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UPDATED 08-28-2009 - As they say in football, upon further review it turns out that John
Force Racing did nothing wrong in their recent testing and car swaps
 prior to the race in Reading. I regret having accused the NHRA of
appearing to show favoritism to Force, but the fault for my error lies
directly with the sanctioning organization itself.
The wording of the rule as issued by Graham Light’s Competition
Department varies slightly from the wording in the press release
regarding the test ban policy which was disseminated by the Media
Department. Light has apparently accepted the responsibility for this
error, which resulted in a media-wide assault on the organization.
Despite the hours we spend digging to get the truth for our articles
there are numerous instances in which we’re forced by circumstances to
accept the word of the sanctioning organization as expressed in the
press releases they distribute. One such circumstance is obviously
technical areas regarding rules, points and record procedures and how
races are conducted. We assume that the information we receive through
formal channels, and that which appears on NHRA official sites, to be
accurate and the final word on those topics. The wording of the
release as distributed by the sanctioning organization resulted in many
of us believing that some sort of behind-the-scenes maneuvering took
place to allow the JFR testing, and that now appears to be untrue.
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| MY TAKE WITH STAN CREEKMORE |
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Written by Stan Creekmore
Monday, 17 August 2009 12:54 |
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This is 'My Take'. My feelings, my observations and most importantly my opinions which are being shared with you, the reader.
After twenty six years as a journalist covering the NASCAR circuit I
have spent the better part of this year splitting time between NASCAR
and NHRA events. It has been the best year. There is excitement at an
NHRA event which doesn't exist in the NASCAR world, at this time, at
least for me.
What does exist at both events are fans, rabid fans who love their
sport but also love to complain about their sport. Complaining can be
good, when there is something to complain about.
For example, some fans like to complain that John Force and his teams
get too much attention. Yes, they get a lot of attention, at least John
and Ashley always seem to be in the spotlight. What do you expect? One
is a 14-time National champion with over 1000 round wins while the
other is, at least when in a race car, a chip off the old block.
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| AS WE SEE IT: THE ADRL AND ITS GROWING PAINS |
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Written by Bobby Bennett
Wednesday, 29 July 2009 04:54 |
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If the ADRL is to play on the same level as it aspires to be with the
NHRA and where the IHRA  used to be, then a measure of the Mom & Pop
mentality that helped propel the group is going to have to be brushed
aside.
It was impressive to watch the multitude of spectators come and go in
multiple waves at the recent event in Dinwiddie (Va). When the ADRL
says the crowd was the largest that has ever been at Virginia
Motorsports Park that’s not propaganda. It’s the truth.
Having been at the very first ADRL event, even before it was an
official series, and watching the excitement of their first event, it’s
impressive to see how far the group has come. An even though the lead
man, Kenny Nowling, can work a microphone into submission, he was and
will always be the right man for the job of leading the ADRL.
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| SUSAN WADE: DRAG RACING NEEDS A PROMOTER IN A BAD WAY |
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Written by Susan Wade
Tuesday, 28 July 2009 16:54 |
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|  National Speed Sport News Editor Chris Economaki gave a short but profound answer to Michael Knight, host of VoiceAmerica.com's The Race Reporters radio show June 24 on the Internet's Power Up Channel.
Knight asked Economaki whether the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500 is America's premier race. Replied Economaki, "The Daytona 500 is important because it is heavily promoted. The Indianapolis 500, unfortunately, is not heavily promoted. It's presented and managed well, but it isn't promoted well. That is the big difference. You have to beat the drums for your event, and the Indianapolis 500 doesn't have a drum-beater."
Neither does drag racing.
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Editorials
I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several drag races this year and I have such a great time that I like to write about my experiences. I’m definitely not enough of a motorhead to be able to report on the technical aspects of racing, but I do like sharing the interesting things I see and hear while hanging out with the teams. I was very surprised to learn that many of the teams don’t know each other very well unless they’ve been racing together for years. They recognize the other drivers’ names and their cars and they wave as they pass in the staging lanes, but often that’s as far as it goes. After spending time with various teams, I understand how that happens. There is a lot to focus on throughout the day to ensure that your car makes it down the track in the manner that you expect and walking next door to see if your neighbor likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain is not part of it. So we’ve decided it’s time to devote a corner of the web to getting to know the teams! And since the teams do such a great job of taking care of me, giving me water, and patting me on the head, my dad has started referring to me as the Pit Pet.
