Drag Illustrated Issue 112, August 2016 | Page 10

LETTER from the EDITOR C riticism has never been my bag. Let’s be honest; if you look back through the previous 111 issues of Drag Illustrated, rarely will a negative or condescending notion towards the sport of drag racing be found. Sure, we’ve taken a few hard s tances over the years and questioned some decisions, but we’ve consistently heaped praise and positivity on all things drag racing—including racers, sponsors, tracks, promoters and even fans. I’ve come to realize, though, that a certain amount of critical analysis is necessary for growth. For years, I’ve told those surrounding me that when I look at drag racing I see fertile soil. I understand it’s an almost laughable thought to some; I mean, drag racing has been around for better than six decades so it may be hard to believe opportunities in this industry are bountiful. I also understand everyone may not even share my desire for drag racing to explode into mainstream popularity. I’ve met plenty of people in and around the racing business that are more than satisfied with the level of success they’ve achieved and drag racing’s current place on the sporting totem pole. I am not. I think about the celebrity status, corporate sponsorships and overall A-list athlete treatment someone like, say, Travis Pastrana enjoys and it rips my heart out. To think the X Games didn’t even exist 20 years ago but have somehow produced an athlete who’s sponsored by Red Bull and Subaru (to name just a couple), has a net worth of $30-million-plus and likely couldn’t find a locale he wouldn’t immediately be recognized in is—quite honestly—troubling to me. And all of that from doing stunts on a dirt bike. And please don’t misunderstand, that’s not to say performing dangerous motorcycle stunts doesn’t require immense talent and courage—it does—but certainly no more or less than driving a Nitro Funny Car. There’s no denying that Pastrana is a special character and unique individual, but I’m certain that even if drag racing had someone of equal charisma and intrigue the world would likely never know. Why? Because this sport and especially the National Hot Rod Association remains married to the idea that the cars are the stars. And nothing could be further from the truth. After watching the recently aired and much anticipated live coverage of the NHRA Mile-High Nationals from Denver on FOX, I had all the proof I need to know the NHRA is 100-percent married to this notion. While I applaud NHRA’s in-house production team for its Herculean efforts to educate viewers—many of whom were hopefully new to drag racing—I personally felt the coverage was sorely lacking a human-interest angle. As I continually preach: fast, loud, earth-shaking hot rods are what brought us together, but the people are what bring us back. Rather than present and develop any of the readily available storylines that could spark an emotional connection between a star NHRA driver and a new fan—or legions of new fans, for that matter—the Wesley R. Buck Editor-in-Chief 10 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com show’s focus remained almost entirely on the technological and mechanical masterpieces of modern-day race cars. The horsepower, the noise, the speed, the flames; all these things are great, but alone they’re not enough (in my humble opinion), to adequately “set the hook” and create a legitimate drag racing fan. It’s in our nature as humans, you see, to need stories. An inherent hunger for story hearing, story making and story telling exists within us all from the earliest ages. It’s why we relentlessly heap stories onto our children in an effort to teach them the ways of the world and to engage and develop their emotions. Tell me; why not tell the story of Ron Capps to a multi-million-person audience? Why not introduce him with some pre-recorded segments from his home in Carlsbad, California, or from the Don Schumacher Racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, maybe exploring a little bit of his past. I mean, here’s a guy who’s done it all—driven the rig, worked on the crew, driven the race car, had day-to-day interaction with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme—and was born and raised in southern California, the birthplace of hot rodding. Not only does Capps have an interesting story, a major sponsor and natural charisma, he’s having the season of a lifetime in NHRA Funny Car competition—kicking ass and taking names on an almost weekly basis with yet another serious chance to win his (surprisingly) first Funny Car championship. I could go on in a similar fashion about almost any NHRA racer, of course, but my point is that until we start developing and promoting the personalities that comprise the sport of drag racing—particularly on the professional level—we’ve hit the ceiling of where this sport can go. There’s no way around it. John Force—without question the biggest name in modern-day drag racing—is proof-positive of this concept, except he’s taken matters into his own hands and force-fed (no pun intended) the world his story. But John Force is an anomaly. He’s a natural storyteller, infinitely outgoing, highly skilled and well funded. His winning ways have kept him in front of a camera for a long time and given him ample opportunity to introduce himself and continue telling the John Force story, capturing the hearts and minds of many along the way. In 2016, however; we need new stars. Force, seemingly as able-bodied as ever, remains a powerhouse for our sport, but we need more. We need new, young, exciting and relatable people winning the hearts and minds of fans new and old. Even today, with car counts down in the NHRA professional ranks, we have ample talent and ample personalities in the pits at any given national event with an abundance of good stories to tell. We get it, NHRA. These cars make a ton of horsepower. They’re really fast and they’re really loud. The competition is fierce. The tracks vary in elevation, age, size and splendor. All these things are critical components as props and backdrops. Just remember, though; they’re nothing without characters to bring things to life. I invite you to email me at wes@dragillustrated.com and follow me at facebook.com/wbuck and wesbuckinc on Instagram. Wesley R. Buck Editor-in-Chief wes@dragillustrated.com Scott Dorman Publi sher 615.478.5275 scott@dragillustrated.com Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 will@dragillustrated.com JT Hudson Account Representative 660.341.0063 jt@dragillustrated.com Mike Carpenter Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike@dragillustrated.com Ian Tocher Senior Editor 404.375.4895 ian@dragillustrated.com Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 van@dragillustrated.com Nate Van Wagnen Web Editor & Staff Writer 440.986.1480 nate@dragillustrated.com Bret Kepner Historian/Statistician bret@dragillustrated.com Andrea Wilson Controller 660.349.0847 andrea@dragillustrated.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ainsley Jacobs, Bobby Bennett, Tommy D’Aprile, Lisa Collier, Gordon Columbine, Rob King PHOTO DEPARTMENT: John Fore III (Senior Staff Photographer), Paul Grant (Senior Photographer), Roger Richards, Ian Tocher, Van Abernethy, Mark J. 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