Overstepping my Boundary and Loving It.

Now since I have begun writing this for lack of a better term Op Ed piece, about six years ago, I have been proud of some of the things I have written, and to all six of you who read it, I thank you so very much for being that loyal.

I am going to go off the reservation on these next couple of points. However, there is a tie in to nostalgia racing.

Now I have to say with all honesty that I feel that the NHRA made a good move by changing over to Fox Sports 1 as the carrier of their programing. The ratings are up, and I am still getting used to Tony as the color commentator. Nevertheless, it is not an easy job, and Tony is just getting his feet wet, so one has to give Mr. Pedregon at least a year to get up to speed.

Change is not easy and many of us thought Mike Dunn was hitting his stride and doing a damn fine job, but it is what it is.

My other point has to deal with what is the NHRA’s lack of publicity when it comes to drivers not named Force.

NASCAR has huge stars in its ranks, but one of them has not to this point won a race. She has one pole position and yet gets a serious amount of airtime. Danica Patrick gets massive amounts of airtime if she crashes (which happens frequently) or if she runs in the top twenty (which doesn’t happen as often).

Now, before one of the six of you gets a burr under your saddle, I am not down on Danica or other lady racers. I am the exact opposite. Ladies who race are awesome. The car has no earthly clue who is driving it, so it is all up to that individual in the car and their abilities. If ladies can get it done, all the better.

This is where I think the NHRA needs to put a huge marketing push on. It is looking to attract new, younger and diverse fan base. Antron Brown is the only man of color to win a major motorsport championship, winning the NHRA Top Fuel World Champion twice, once in 2012 and again in 2015. The NHRA has had four women who have won World Championships (Shirley Muldowney {TF}, Erica Enders-Stevens {PS}, Angelle Sampy {PSM} and Jackie Alley {Super Stock}). This year, three of the first four national events saw women dominate. In Top Fuel, Brittany Force and Leah Pritchett took wins at Gainesville and Phoenix respectively. Alexis DeJoria took the win at the Vegas event in Funny Car to continue the trend of ladies dominating.

Well, this brings me to the subject of this second section of the article. I know that either DSR or JFR are figureheads of our sport, especially in the professional ranks.

There have been print and television stories and features ad nauseam concerning the Force daughters and their exploits on and off the track. If you look at the Mona Lisa every day, day after day, it just becomes another painting.

However, I feel that society and the fans of the sport, and myself have been inundated and beaten over the head with the Force family.

Therefore, if I were king for a day, I would begin a marketing campaign with Leah Pritchett. Why Ms. Pritchett, you ask?

Not to be disparaging to other drivers, but Leah has a vast and varied background. She started from the ground floor in Junior Dragsters at the age of eight. She then transitioned from juniors to bracket racing, then into Nostalgia Funny Car racing with her father. Making the jump to the professional ranks, she has driven Pro Mods and Funny Cars, before reaching the pinnacle of Top Fuel.

Every step along the way Leah has won. Pritchett has won the March Meet; to many in the sport winning the March Meet is akin to winning a national event. Furthermore, she has won a championship in Nostalgia Funny Car racing as well.

Pritchett has also won three times in Pro Mods, said to be by many the most difficult cars to drive in all of drag racing. She has also qualified a Nitro Funny Car at a Big Show race in Reading, Pa.

Add to it that Leah is not just another pretty face. (Which she is.) She is intelligent, educated, articulate, understands the media and marketing aspects of the business. She is the one finding most of her sponsors. She works well with the media and does not run from a camera. She is constantly working on something to benefit the team.

Speaking of working, Leah is unlike many of the drivers these days. She can actually work on the car as well. I have personally seen this girl elbow deep in a bell housing clutch dust covering her face like a fresh coat of Covergirl make up. She is not afraid of getting dirty, understands the mechanical aspects of the car, and has the skill set to successfully work with the crew if the need arises.

The point I am trying to make is that this young woman is the complete package when it comes to drag racing. Pritchett runs the gamut, from the parts washer in the shop, to the driver’s seat, to a television interview, to a meeting in the boardroom. Leah Pritchett worked hard and in my opinion has been perfectly groomed to be the new face of the NHRA.

NASCAR gets so much traction from a woman who honestly has done nothing performance wise in the sport other than being a female in Cup racing.

The NHRA is missing a prime opportunity to turn a page and start a new chapter in the way to market the sport we care about to the younger generation. I feel the powers that be are missing a giant opportunity to showcase a young person who has worked her butt off to get to where she is. It is a story that I feel needs to be told, and would be hugely beneficial.