SEATTLE — John Force is, if nothing else, pragmatic.
The five-car team owner and 14-time National Hot Rod Ass’n Funny Car champion cut to the chase when he first heard last Thursday that the proposed sale of the sanctioning body to HD Partners Acquisitons Company officially had fallen through.
“It’s over,” he said. “There’s no use talking about it.”
Actually, Force spoke for many when he capsulized his sentiments: “I feel bad for Tom Compton and his group. They put in a lot of time the last year, working on a deal with HD Partners. And it appeared that everything was ready, but then I guess the timing just wasn’t right. It’s a setback, but we’ve got a great product and we’ll continue to support the NHRA. And maybe this will open up some other opportunities down the road.”
Kenny Bernstein said with today’s squeamish investors, the news was about as welcome but unfortunately as typical as the inevitable dropped cylinder.
“We were very disappointed that the sale didn’t go through, but in today’s economic marketplace, it is not unexpected,” the Top Fuel/Funny Car team owner and Pro Racers Organization President said. “We appreciate all of Eddy Hartenstein’s efforts and enthusiasm for our sport. Going forward, we will work with Tom Compton and his staff, as we always have, combining efforts to continue to grow our sport and its fan base.”
Pro Stock driver and Philadelphia-area businessman Kenny Koretsky once had a fleeting notion to investigate buying the sanctioning body. And his take on the HD shareholders rejection contained a tempting message for future prospects.
“It’s a shame they couldn’t get all the details worked out,” Koretsky said. “I think it would have a been a great venue to bring to a publicly traded company.”
Funny Car veteran Ron Capps wore his heart on his sleeve, saying, “I was depressed the whole day. It was like somebody kicked my dog. We all thought it was that bright light.”
He said he thought of the late NHRA founder (Wally Parks) who died Sept. 28 after giving a thumbs-up to the proposed purchase that was announced last May.
“Wally Parks left the earth thinking everything was taken care of,” Capps said. “He approved of the way it all was going down. So I feel really bad about that.”
But for all his disappointment, Capps has twice as much hope. He joined Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert and Pro Stock champions Jeg Coughlin and Matt Smith at a press conference in Concord, N.C., with O. Bruton Smith exactly one week before. Smith revealed his plans for his fourth NHRA-affiliated facility and announced the Sept. 11-14 Carolinas Nationals.
Based on what he called the “invigorating” experience, Capps said, “I believe the sport is in a good place.”
The HD announcement, he said, simply “put us in neutral for a minute because we’re on a roll right now. We matched or exceeded attendance records at just about every track this past year. And that’s at a time we hear NASCAR is declining in [television] ratings and attendance.
“All we lack is a little funding, a little more sponsorship,” Capps said.