03/04/08
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FAST FORWARD
Heath Daniel in a recent letter said "when a commercial or John Force’s face shows up on my screen. I know that either one, if watched in its entirety is going to waste at least the next five minutes of my life." I could not have said it better myself! I challenge anyone who is not mentally ill to sit down and watch the entire three hours of an ESPN2 telecast without pulling their hair out.
I watched the first hour of Phoenix yesterday, and then taped the final two hours - it took me only 35 minutes to replay and watch the actual racing. If the ratings for NHRA drag racing are up, it must be because people have fallen into a dead sleep while watching. Then again, if it pays the bills - so be it. I'm just glad they invented the VCR.
Ron Tursovsky
Reading, Pennsylvania
RE: Aussie Summer Nats
Awesome photography!
Blair Alderton
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TRACKS
When I was a teenager in southern California we had 3 race tracks: OCIR, Irwindale and Lions. All great tracks and as we all know, one by one they all went away. And we were left with Palmdale which is now closed, Fontana and then Pomona which is never open to anybody but NHRA and the driving school.
I guess after the Banning project finally died it is now plain to see that for a full 1/4 mile racing for the local kids it's Fontana once every 2 months. With all of the people in SoCal who have the funds to do a project like this nobody took over the faltering Banning project. Fontana is a good place but it isn't interested in Wednesday or Friday night racing because they still don't have lights since they moved the track. It just appears that nobody cares anymore that John Force and some of the pros who still have shops out here travel all the way to Vegas to test. They don't even go to Bakersfield anymore because it has been so let go.
Now that property has dropped in value, maybe somebody will step up and open up a multi use facility instead of another football stadium for a pro team that will never come.
Jim Burkhalter
Lakewood, California
MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVILS
The NHRA is an organization controlled by a small few for the benefit of a smaller few. It has lost sight of its goals and purpose. The fuel class will be a lost cause, unless we return to the days of personal innovation and take the corporate racer out of the picture. Now the man with the most money hires the best people and orders the parts so far in advance that the little man can not even buy them when he has the money. The nostalgia class will go the same way. The very wealthy will ruin that, just like they have the NHRA.
Robert Brown
Punta Gorda, Florida