Drag Illustrated Issue 143, April 2019 | Page 8

ooking back, I can’t remember what exactly had me so wound up. Having gotten to know myself and my tenden- cies a little better over the last few years, honestly, it likely wasn’t much – a couple cups of coffee too many, too little sleep, Pro Mod cars being parked on gravel at a national event, a Pro Stock session not getting any TV time, etc. I have my moments now, but in the winter of 2011 it didn’t take much to get me on the rev-limiter when it comes to the sport of drag racing. While I don’t remember my inspiration, the reaction to my first long-form opinionat- ed editorial here on the pages of DRAG ILLUSTRATED, however, I remember quite well. “10 Things NHRA Must Do” went to press right prior to our annual pilgrim- age to Orlando, Florida, and to the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in the 60th issue of this magazine. I couldn’t have been prouder to stand in our tiny 10’ by 10’ booth and hand out copies. Ranging from altering the sanction’s focus from cars to personalities, embracing Pro Modified and considering racing varying distances, it’s hard for me to fathom having the intestinal fortitude nearly a year ago to even say these things out loud hardly removed from my mid-20s, let alone put them in writing and send them directly to 10,000-plus people. I meant what I wrote, though, and I’m glad I did it. Matter of fact, I wish I’d have said more back then when the stakes didn’t seem as high and the pressure to play nice and operate in a politi- cally correct fashion wasn’t as significant as it is now. That said, though, I’ve personally never felt a stronger responsibility to speak up and speak out than I do today, and it’s not because I’ve become jaded and cynical as I’ve aged. It’s because, in my opinion, there’s never been a better time than right now for the sport of drag racing to experience an explosive growth spurt, and I believe we’re due, but it will not happen so long as we continue to operate with a scarcity mindset. How is it that amongst Discovery Channel’s best- performing pieces of content are related to racing or hot-rodding? How is it that Donald “Duck” Long is laying the groundwork to pay $100,000-plus to the winners of his two premier small- and smaller- tire eliminators next spring? How is Kyle Seipel overselling bracket races with nearly $2,000 entry fees? How are a group of 32 street racers packing out facilities around the country with fans paying a premium to watch them run a mere five rounds of racing on an unprepped track with the score- boards turned off? How are we hosting a $100,000-to- win Pro Mod race in Denver, Colorado, with no entry fee? How is it that racers-turned- reality-television-stars Jus- tin “Big Chief ” Shearer and Shawn “Murder Nova” El- lington boast nearly a million followers on social media? I can tell you one specific reason why these things have happened, and that’s simply being focused on the possi- bilities that exist instead of the challenges. I don’t want to single anyone out, but I do believe at the highest levels in our sport every new idea, new approach or even slight deviation from traditional thinking is met with im- mediate negative reactions stemming, I believe, from a scarcity-based mindset. As a result, I believe we’ve spent the bulk of the best economy we’ve had in years focused on preservation rather than growth, on familiar territory instead of new frontiers. I’ve been labeled a dreamer and unrealistic on innumer- able instances, but I’ve got no qualms with blue-sky thinking, and I believe our sport needs more of it. Blue-sky thinking made all the monumental hap- penings in the sport of drag racing a reality, and I’m certain the same possibilities exist for profes- sional drag racing. The German statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe famously said, “At the moment of commit- ment the entire universe conspires to assist you.” Well, it’s time for a commitment. Not to surviv- ing or maintaining, but to growing, thriving and reaching whatever new and exciting levels exist for what is inarguably the great American Motorsport. A society filled with short attention spans? No prob- lem – a single drag race can be over in under four seconds. A world fixated on individualism, standing out from the crowd and embracing diversity? Have you seen these paint jobs? Have you met these driv- ers? We’ve got men and women, young and old, of every shape, size, creed and color – all competitive, potential champions. Are there hurdles? Are there existing challenges and will there be more? Absolutely, there will. Of course. Regardless, we must not waste another moment, another year of record-setting crowds and performances to start putting together a vision for the future. And let me close by admitting this won’t be easy. There will be hurdles and struggles along the way, perhaps some casualties in the form of events, facilities, classes, significant changes in format and the like. We can’t let that stop us from getting excited about the possibilities that exist, and start working toward achieving them. Wesley R. Buck Founder & Editorial Director 8 | Drag I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com I invite you to email me at wes@dragillustrated.com and follow me at facebook.com/wbuck and wesbuckinc on Instagram. Wes Buck Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 wes@dragillustrated.com Scott Dorman Publisher 615.478.5275 scott@dragillustrated.com Mike Carpenter Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike@dragillustrated.com Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 nate@dragillustrated.com Nancy Koeppen Chief Operating Officer 573.552.5551 nancy@dragillustrated.com Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 will@dragillustrated.com JT Hudson Sales Executive 660.341.0063 jt@dragillustrated.com Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 van@dragillustrated.com Josh Hachat Editor-at-Large 660.988.2313 josh@dragillustrated.com Caroline Fox Customer Service / Office Manager 660.988.2313 caroline@dragillustrated.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ian Tocher, Ainsley Jacobs, Kelly Wade, Bobby Bennett, Brandon W. Mudd, Tommy D’Aprile, Will Hanna, Sadie Glenn PHOTO DEPARTMENT: John Fore III, Van Abernethy, Rick Belden, Tara Bowker, Shawn Crose, Jason Dunn, Paul Grant, Chris Graves, Ron Lewis, Will McDougle, Joe McHugh, Gary Nastase, Mark J. Rebilas, Roger Richards, Cole Rokosky, Chris Sears, Jason Sharp, James Sisk, Ian Tocher ADVERTISING SALES: 615.478.5275 SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE: 660.988.2313 customerservice@dragillustrated.com DRAG ILLUSTRATED MEDIA, LLC 902 Kings Road, Kirksville, MO 63501 P: 660.988.2313 F: 660.665.1636 www.dragillustrated.com Copyright © 2019 by Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. Printed and mailed by Publication Printers in Denver, CO. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Issue 143 L FOUNDER’S LETTER