JAMES FINNEY
RULING THE KINGS As the rules/tech committee
coordinator for No Prep Kings, industry veteran Jim
Hughes is tasked with making sure the field is fair
for a range of combinations. Hughes and racers like
James Finney agree the rules should continue to
evolve as the scene develops.
are some of the biggest changes in going from
racing at secret locations or closed sets to be-
ing the main attraction in front of thousands
of fans?
MM: I think the biggest factor for a lot of the
other major guys that are on the show, they feel
like No Prep Kings is theirs. They have a lot of
pride in it – Monza, Doc, all those guys – they
feel like they’re coming out and they’re proving
something to all the fans and all the critics that
said those guys were full of shit.
RM: When we go racing on the street, every-
one gets to bring a select few of their buddies, so
there’s only 50-60 people on a race night. I’ve
done Radial vs. the World, some PDRA stuff,
X275 – I’ve raced everything you can race. It’s
all got the same feel, but No Prep Kings has just
taken it all to a new level.
JH: Most illegal street racing was in a secret
location so it didn’t bring attention to the law and
get shut down. Going to a racetrack and having a
“like-street” condition for traction gives you the
best of both worlds.
LL: Some of us race other venues. I still help a
bunch of customers in other venues. I’m having
more fun over here doing this now than what I
did in any of the rest of it. But I don’t think I was
August 2019
JIM HUGHES
brought in with quite so open arms compared to
some of the other guys, because I came from a
different background, moved right into it and had
pretty good success right from the start.
With the rise in both popularity and huge pay-
outs, we’ve seen more “professional” teams
try to enter the picture. Do you believe this
trend will continue, and how will it impact
the sport/show?
RM: With the money that’s up for grabs at No
Prep Kings, it’s going to be appealing for a lot of
people. There’s a lot of people that are racing in
other venues like drag radial, or Pro Mod even,
and they’re going, “Hey, we’re a talented race car
team that have been successful in this class that
we’re racing in, I think that we could do good at
no-prep racing. And hey, the payout’s bet-ter at
No Prep Kings than many of the other races in
the country.”
JF: Money wins drag races. It just does. For
them to come in, will it hurt no-prep? I think so.
But having said that, I’m pretty straightforward
about the deal. I want anybody that can get into
no-prep to get into no-prep.
MM: I’m gonna tell you right now – it’s a TV
show first. I don’t give a shit who they are, I don’t
care how much money they have. If they can’t
and don’t make good TV, they’re not gonna get
in. And unfortunately, just because you are a
badass in drag radial, doesn’t mean that you’re
gonna come over and start whipping everybody’s
ass and you’re gonna have a fan base of peo-ple
that are going to wanna watch. It doesn’t work
that way.
LL: If you’re a good racer, you’re a good rac-
er. It may take a little bit, but you’re going to
figure it out. I think that it makes – as bad as
this is going to sound – some of the grassroots
guys that raced on the street forever…now that
we’re racing out here on the
racetrack, they’re not quite as
stellar. But at the end of the
day, No Prep Kings is invita-
tion only, and that’s going to
slow some of it down.
We’ve seen the rules tweaked
each season for different
combinations in an attempt
to create parity. Do you be-
lieve the current rules are
about where they should be,
or are there still areas that
can be improved?
JF: The rules will be ev-
er-changing in any sport.
They have to keep it compet-
itive. I hate for things to have
the NASCAR effect, where ev-
erybody has the same damn
car, but they have to or the
money will run away with it.
RM: I’m not a fan of chang-
ing the rules…and changing the rules…and chang-
ing the rules. But with this series being new, it
doesn’t completely surprise me to take two or
three seasons to get the rules where it’s an even
playing field. But in my opinion, everything’s
even right now.
MM: No, it’s gonna change again, and it has
to. I’m not saying that most racers are selfish,
but most racers are selfish. I gotta tell you – and
I feel like I’m more fair than anybody – it’s really
hard to put your personal feelings off to the side
and look at the big picture on what’s best for the
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