4/29/2008
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We switched our email host and had a bit of a backlog of letters that we didn’t get in a timely fashion. We’ve got a bunch on a lot of subjects, so get comfortable and start reading.
LET’S ALL OWN A PIECE OF THE PIE
Jeff, you are correct in commending the NHRA Management Team for doing what they were hired to do. As you said, that's what Wally Parks hired them to do. But when Wally Parks died the input from the racers’ side died with him. How does the sport grow bigger and get more money into the racers’ pockets? It's simple. Change NHRA from a Not for Profit Organization and go public with it. Let the team Wally Parks entrusted his life's work continue to run the business end as they've done.
Then, take the sport’s greatest ambassadors; Don Garlits, John Force, Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta, Shirley Muldowney, Don Schumacher, Warren Johnson, Ken Black, etc., etc. the list goes on and on, to represent the racers’ side of the business and have a chance to be owners of NHRA as well. These are people that have proven themselves not only as racers but as business owners. They would be able to work with their corporate sponsors and business associates to not only help support the racers with sponsorships, it would give these corporations and associates who already believe in NHRA a chance to reap some of the rewards as the value of NHRA's stock goes up by owning a piece of NHRA as well. Now you have corporate America investing in NHRA to help it become more profitable. Look at what going public did for Microsoft. And what was Bill Gates' secret? He surrounded himself with THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS! Tell me the racers, not just the pros but all the sportsman racers as well, aren't the BEST IN THE BUSINESS!
Last but not least, how many fans out there would buy stock in NHRA if they were able to? I know I would. Why? Because now as a stockholder you have the right to voice your opinion and ideas at stockholder meetings to help the sport become the best it can. Let's stop pointing the finger and saying this is right and that is wrong. If we don't want this sport to fizzle out and eventually die, we as racers and fans need to help the sport we love grow in popularity.
Mark J. Wirth, Sr.
Orland Park, Illinois
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Jeff, another good piece. Way to go! I agree with your statement about the NHRA management answering to no one - That's the problem. I wonder if Wally would like to take back his decision to hire Tom Incompton. The NHRA will never be NASCAR no matter how hard they try and how arrogant they act. So why not position themselves as the premier organization for grass-roots racers? Isn't that how they got where they were before Tom Incompton? It doesn't matter to me - I'll be concentrating on nostalgia racing from here on out. Keep up the good work, you "other writer".
John Martin
Nixa, Missouri