by Michael Knight Thu, 2016-02-18 08:52
I could see this one coming a quarter-mile away.
NHRA’s Brave New World of self-produced TV coverage on Fox Sports is exactly one race old. And, sure enough, some “Go Back to ESPN” deep thinkers have already taken to social media to share their insights.
By Dave Densmore Tue, 2016-02-16 21:34
I’m sure the Environmental Protection Agency does many wonderful things to protect our natural resources but, like any bureaucracy, it also seems to create projects designed simply to justify its own existence.
A case in point is a proposed regulation hidden within the most recent rules package the EPA submitted to Congress. Simply, if enacted, it would make it illegal to transform a street car into a race car. On the surface, it sounds like a joke, but when you dig deeper, you understand that while it may be silly, it’s no joke.
What it is, is ridiculous and ridiculous on so many levels. .
Written by Jon Asher Tue, 2016-02-02 14:32
At a moment in time that may be the most critical ever for the National Hot Rod Association a decision has been made by management, one that escapes logic. We’re talking about the abandonment of providing championship points for national elapsed time records in the professional classes.
Think, for just a moment, about “where” NHRA is as the 2016 season dawns. A brand new and seemingly promising television package with FOX Sports is about the debut with at least one untried studio commentator. There's also a new Pro Stock. Meanwhile, outside of the broadcast center there’s the ascension of Peter Clifford to the top management position. While that promotion came more than six months ago, this year will mark the first time Clifford has been the sole decision-maker, so this puts him squarely in the spotlight.
Written by Bobby Bennett Tue, 2016-01-05 15:00
Optimism, op·ti·mism, /ˈäptəˌmizəm/ - hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
While I have written professionally now for almost three decades, the upcoming NHRA season marks the most optimistic new season in a long time.
While there are those who find fault in the Glendora gang regardless of what they do or attempt to do, in looking at the recent moves being made behind the scenes, I see a genuine attempt to fix wrongs perpetrated over the last decade.
by Michael Knight Thu, 2015-12-31 16:12
A hearty Happy New Year’s to all CompetitionPlus.com readers.
That being said, it’s time for this column’s annual listing of the year’s Top 10 stories in the Business and Politics of Drag Racing.
by Susan Wade Thu, 2015-11-12 17:00
Diversity in NHRA drag racing, taken in the historic sense, undeniably is a right fulfilled, a blessing, a mark of acceptance, welcome, and forward-thinking.
But frankly, in its practical sense, diversity has become an exhausted buzzword.
With Top Fuel’s Antron Brown and Pro Stock’s Erica Enders clinching their respective series championships last weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the tattered old blanket has been hauled out of the closet and paraded around again.
BY Dave Densmore Thu, 2015-09-24 23:37
Contrary to the dictates of conventional wisdom, I believe that paranoia is contagious, just like the flu. I suspect this because there was a time when I didn’t have it – but now I do. Mine, I’ve decided, is the result of years of exposure to the most potent natural source of the paranoia virus: John Force.
The 16-time Champ never has given an interview after which he hasn’t expressed concerns that he might have offended someone. I call it “interview remorse,” the day after need to call everyone in your phonebook and apologize. The problem is that while he is paranoid about offending fellow racers, the NHRA, fans, sponsors, vendors, the occasional midget (i.e., ‘little person” for the PC-sensitive), he just can’t stop talking.
by Susan Wade Fri, 2015-09-18 23:57
Anytime a panel of so-called experts undertakes a project to name “the best” athlete in any kind of category, it inevitably encounters both unbiased and unjust criticism.
But ESPN’s recent attempt at identifying the Best Female Athlete Ever is at best incomplete without the mention of three-time NHRA champions Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey or Pro Stock champion Erica Enders.
However, the National Hot Rod Association also has missed a golden opportunity. Perhaps NHRA officials have missed it for the same reason "Street Outlaws" producers and participating NHRA member racers have ignited the controversy: the NHRA has been a poor judge of how to attract a crowd and a TV audience.
Written by Jon Asher Thu, 2015-08-06 10:43
A relatively minor activity that was part of the California Nationals in Sonoma may ultimately become a major factor in the future of NHRA Drag Racing. That activity was the Pro Bike Battle, which included the eight competitors who had amassed the most points during qualifying at a year’s worth of previous national events. The race was to have been sponsored by Miramonte Records, the same firm which backed the program last year, but when they apparently failed to provide NHRA with the funding for the Battle, their name was removed from the program’s publicity. More importantly, the purse for the race, which was originally posted as $61,000, was dramatically reduced by NHRA to $10,000, half of which came from Sonoma Raceway. The total payout including the qualifying money was to have been $75,000.
Dave Densmore Mon, 2015-07-20 18:00
It’s no secret that new NHRA president Peter Clifford inherited a litany of problems that for years were ignored in the apparent hope that they would fix themselves.
As a result, at his first press conference, he identified six initiatives he wants to address during his presidency. Not unexpectedly, his No. 1 priority was NOT doing away with 1,000 foot racing. It was putting in place a workable TV package.
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