July 26, 2007 — NHRA Shows Its Hearts

When it counts most, family and friends take precedence over competition.

The second pairing of Sunday’s Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals was a scary, frightening affair for anyone in Kent, Wash., or watching at home.

Ashley Force lost control of her Funny Car after both she and Kenny Bernstein tried to pedal their machines down the track. Force’s Funny Car whipped around and hit the wall almost head-on before spinning around again and catching on fire, the car’s body folded back on the chassis.
 
ESPN’s cameras showed Force’s family — including her father and 14-time champion John — watching the wreck in horror, unable to do anything while the 7,000-pound Funny Car whipped around on the right lane with the 24-year-old strapped inside.
 
When her car came to a stop near the centerline, Force climbed from the car seemingly unhurt and no worse for wear. Her father, however, arrived on the scene via his red scooter, and then nearly collapsed onto a golf cart after checking on his daughter’s welfare.
 
One of the first people to come to Force’s aid was Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon, who appeared out of nowhere like some guardian angel even before the Safety Safari reached the wrecked Funny Car. Dixon helped Force climb from the car, and then faded into the background when the elder Force and others arrived on the scene.

Dixon later explained that he knew what it was like to be in Force’s situation and that he just wanted to make sure she was OK after going through such a crash.

But Dixon did more than just come to Force’s aid; he showed the heart behind the NHRA community. During Funny Car competition, Dixon was a mere bystander. Yet he reacted quickly, going above and beyond as he hopped over the wall in his unzipped firesuit to be there for another drag racer in any way that he could.

Sometimes just being there — in life, not just in racing — speaks volumes of good sportsmanship and, above all else, caring and humanitarianism.
 
But Force was not the only family member to witness such compassion in Kent on Sunday. John Force faced Jack Beckman in the final round of Funny Car eliminations, but lost to “Fast Jack” when his own Funny Car let go in smoke and flame. After completing his run, Beckman headed back up the lane to check on his opponent before celebrating his victory.

Apparently to the NHRA community, everyone’s wellbeing is of the utmost importance, even in the heat of competition.
 
Perhaps John Force said it best during his post-race interview when he forgot to plug his sponsors, a faux pas in the racing world.
 
“What are they (the sponsors) going to do? Cut me?” he asked. “I don’t care. My kids are well.”

July 19, 2007 — The Business of Being Jr.

Impact of Earnhardt's decision hitting pocketbooks all over.

Think back to the Budweiser commercial that depicted Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announcing his number change from No. 8 to 6.7. Near bedlam erupted as fans reacted to the switch.

The commercial was comical at the time, but since Earnhardt announced his departure from DEI in May, the cataclysmic, earth-shattering power to such an announcement has become a reality.

It's been more than two months since the announcement, but I still can’t wrap my brain around the financial implications of Earnhardt’s decision.

At first glance, Earnhardt’s move means that Junior Nation will have to buy new apparel, diecast and other merchandise to show its loyalty, especially now that Budweiser announced it will not follow Earnhardt to Hendrick Motorsports. That also means that fans won't be buying Earnhardt items already sitting on store shelves and stocked in warehouses ready for purchase.

When you begin to think about the numbers, you begin to realize the financial ramifications.

Motorsports Authentics, which is co-owned by International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports, Inc., estimates that the company will lose $15-20 million in 2007, a chunk of which is directly related to Earnhardt.

“More than half of the decline is associated with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s decision to leave DEI at the end of 2007, resulting in lower merchandise sales in multiple distribution channels,” an ISC statement reads.

There’s also the buying power of the NASCAR faithful to consider. NASCAR has some of the most sponsor-loyal fans in all of sports. Heck, even I’ve chosen one home improvement store over another just to be loyal to a particular driver.

So when Earnhardt drives for a new team and new sponsors next year, will his fans automatically stop drinking Budweiser products? Will they stop wearing Wrangler jeans, eating Ritz crackers and shopping at Bass Pro Shops? Will sales of Frosted Flakes — or whoever sponsors the No. 5 in 2007 — skyrocket?

“There’s so much connected to Junior through his sponsorships that we won’t be able to retain,” says John McKenzie, president and CEO of Motorsports Designs, creator of RaceWraps. Though Motorsports Designs will continue its relationship with DEI, the company will lose Earnhardt as a client when he switches to HMS in 2008.

Perhaps the most important question is what color will Junior Nation be wearing come Speedweeks? Maybe Kasey Kahne will finally be able to claim that the sea of red in the grandstands is really his fans. That is, of course, if Kahne doesn’t pick up Budweiser sponorship in the near future, but that’s a topic for another time.

New colors, new sponsors, new teammates — everything will be new to Earnhardt and the Earnhardt faithful next season. Regardless of what other changes happen this silly season, everyone is now fully aware of just how much weight Earnhardt pulls in the racing world.

July 12, 2007 — A World of Discovery

The NHRA gained a new fan in Bristol

For the last eight years, I’ve been a die-hard NASCAR fan. To me, stock-car racing was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Occasionally, I found myself tuning into the Indianapolis 500, but my heart always lied with NASCAR.
When I joined NSSN a few months ago, my exposure to different forms of motorsports increased, and I soon took a more active interest in other types of racing, including open-wheel series, sports cars and sprint cars. Even given this new curiosity, though, I continued to shy away from drag racing, still unable to grasp what was so great about watching dragsters racing each other in a straight line.

ON THE WAY: Robert Hight heads out for his qualifying run at Bristol. (Sheena Baker Photo)

So imagine my surprise when I found myself at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway last weekend for the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
I admit I’ve been tuning into ESPN2 during the last few weeks to watch NHRA action, but that was mostly so I’d be able to write intelligent headlines for Susan Wade’s stories when Monday morning rolled around at NSSN. Part of me was also interested in the drama this season, especially surrounding the John Force entries after Eric Medlen’s death in March.
Even so, if anyone had told me six months ago that I’d be eagerly attending my first NHRA event, I would have laughed in his or her face.
Yet, there I was perched on the balcony above the staging lines, enthusiastically snapping picture after picture — 98 snapshots on the day — as the Pro Stock, Top Fuel and Funny Car machines rolled beneath me toward the starting line. I was so engrossed in capturing the sights of Thunder Valley that I missed the first Top Fuel run of the day — Hillary Will — and I jumped at the sound when her dragster took off down the dragstrip. I laughed at myself and continued taking photos as Cory Mac, Bob Vandergriff, Jr., Larry Dixon and others rolled below me.
After a while, I moved inside the press box and watched run after run as the dragsters let loose fast and furious — and with an incredible roar — through the valley. Even though I knew what would happen every time the Christmas Tree progressed from yellow to green, each time provided an adrenaline rush. It was literally a thrill a minute, unlike in other forms of racing that can get drawn out during long green-flag runs.
Sometime during the Top Fuel runs, everything clicked for me and I realized that drag racing is cool.
When I first saw John Force, the face of NHRA drag racing, as he prowled the staging area, I held my breath. A few months ago, I would have told you that he was some crazy, old guy who had won a gazillion races in a funny-looking car. But somewhere along the line, I had earned a general sense of respect and muted reverence for the 14-time champion, and I likened the experience to when I had first seen Richard Petty atop a hauler at Darlington Raceway in May.
Even though my knowledge of NHRA and drag racing is still very minimal, I surprised myself by using terms like ‘E.T.,’ ‘staging’ and ‘nitro.’ I was more stunned when I picked out Don Prudhomme — a name I had never heard before six weeks ago — and recognized the machines of Jeg Coughlin, Brandon Bernstein and Robert Hight.
What had happened to stock-car loving Sheena?
Apparently, my progression to a well-rounded motorsports journalist hit a speedbump in Bristol, Tenn. Last weekend, NHRA earned a holeshot win in my book. I arrived in Thunder Valley an interested party, but I left a fan.