The new PRO2 association led by former U.S. Nationals Champ Steve Johnson reportedly were aware two or three weeks before the Mira Monte Records-backed event that the NHRA had failed to collect the sponsorship money for the shootout race, but still dithered about for a couple of weeks minimum before threatening to boycott the event a few days before the race. It’s a business syndrome known as “paralysis by analysis”. 

In the end the Pro Stock Motorcycle group showed no real leadership, solidarity or backbone, and instead did exactly as they were told by the NHRA and raced for one-sixth of the prize money the NHRA had advertised for a year or more. In that process the racer group probably gave up any hope of ever having a say in their future.

On the other hand, by their actions the NHRA management and new president Peter Clifford strengthened the perception of fans, racers, and sponsors that they are penny-pinching bullies at best and incompetent at worst. If Mira Monte Records didn’t pay the bills to cover the Pro Stock bike race, why didn’t NHRA management simply kill the race?

A better question is how did the NHRA management allow an obscure record company to sponsor a class and race without getting the funds in the bank before the season started? Does anyone doubt that President Peter Clifford and the NHRA could have found $60,000 in the budget to keep their word and reward their racers for their year-long support of the race?

I think Mr. Clifford and his team blew an opportunity to demonstrate to their professional racers and teams that he is more than a CEO whose only real mandate is to save the company money, but, alas, he only strengthened the perception that the NHRA management’s only real job is to enrich the company at the expense of the racers.

Legally the NHRA team may have been within their rights not to pay the advertised purse, but that doesn’t make what they did the right thing to do.

Just Wondering ...The decision by the NHRA to have the Pro Stock teams face their cars forward in the pits has by all accounts been very popular with the fans. So why not make it mandatory for the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams do the same?

Just Wondering ... How much will it cost NHRA Pro Stock race teams just for the parts to convert their cars from carburetion and hood scoops to electronic fuel injection and flat hoods?

Just Wondering ... Is Tom Compton is on the “short list” of possible replacements for the outgoing IndyCar president?

Just Wondering ... Will the NHRA be interested in buying the Topeka track if the city can’t find a new leasor?

Just Wondering ... Am I the only fan/racer that wished that NHRA national events were a Friday/Saturday program instead of a Thursday through Sunday marathon?

Just Wondering ... NHRA has three races in a row at Englishtown, NJ; Epping, NH; and Bristol, TN, on their schedule. Why not call that group of races the “Eastern Swing”?

Just Wondering ... Why not make one of NHRA’s 2016 national event tour stops a FIA Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Mod and Top Fuel Bike Championship points race and add international flavor to the NHRA championship? I think that many European racers would make the trip to race with their colonial counterparts. Because they are so close to major ports I think Englishtown or Houston could be good choices.

Just Wondering ... Do NHRA national event tracks make more net profit selling tickets or food and beverages? The answer is food and beverages -- and that applies to all tracks.

Just Wondering ... Drag racing consistently has the closest races in all motorsports with wins and losses often determined by thousandths of a second. Wouldn’t it be cool for spectators if the scoreboards were able to show the margin of victory for the winner regardless of class?

Just Wondering ... Did you know that the PDRA Pro Extreme doorslammers are one of the very few drag racing classes I know of where traction control devices are legal? According to former PDRA Pro Extreme racer Mick Snyder, the faster cars in the class quit using traction control devices because it slows them down!   

Just Wondering ... Will the fact the NHRA multiplies any Countdown points awarded at the U.S. Nationals by a factor of 1.5 mean that many racers who normally would have a comfortable points cushion going into the event will now have to worry about a fellow racer having a career weekend and accumulating enough points to bump them out of a spot in the Countdown?

Just Wondering ... Now that the NHRA management realizes they had to make rule changes to save Pro Stock from extinction -- and not seeing even one Pro Stock team owner/ racer publically threaten to quit over the rule changes -- will NHRA management grow a pair, find a third party to advise them, and do something similar with rules for the nitro classes? Either NHRA management changes the rules or pretty soon the norm will be 10-12 competitive teams at each race and a half dozen teams just at the event for the qualifying money. It’s almost that way now!

Just Wondering ... Can we now safely assume that NHRA national event track “partners” are still making a reasonable profit holding one of those races? I sure haven’t seen any NHRA national event track operator offering their track for sale or opting out of hosting a national event. My guess is the track management and the NHRA made money by the Brink’s truckload before the crash of 2008 and, while they aren’t making the profits they once did, they’re still making a good profit today.