PRO ALCOHOL DRAG RACING

“ If you think about it , drag racing is the only major motorsport in the world that doesn ’ t have a limit on how many parts you can use during an event , or even during race day ,” Hool says . “ The whole destroying engines and ‘ Hey , I ’ ve got more in the trailer ’ thing , that ’ s got to stop or this sport as a whole is really in trouble . Even Formula One , the richest racing series in the world by far , still limits their teams to three engines , three complete power units , per year . Drag racing in general , not just alcohol racing , is going to have to start taking a look at that . You can ’ t limit costs or performance by telling racers what they can bring . You can only limit costs and performance by telling them how many they can bring . We ’ re going to institute that .”

Hool believes limiting the number of parts used will be more effective than limiting the development of those parts .

“ If you want to bring a better set of cylinder heads than what I have , if you ’ re talented enough and if you know enough to put a better set of heads together , bring them ,” Hool asserts . “ We ’ re opening up that kind of technology . We ’ re not going to have any cylinder head rules . But you can only bring two sets .”

PADR ’ s mission is not just to reduce the costs associated with alcohol racing , but also to increase the opportunities for publicity and revenue .

“ We are working hard to provide the highestpaying prize package and the best promotional programs available in alcohol racing ,” says Hool , who also notes there won ’ t be entry fees for PADR teams . “ We are working with tracks that love Alcohol Funny Car racing to make sure that alcohol teams are ‘ the show ’ and not the program filler cars that are stuck in the staging lanes as spectators leave the facility . The best drivers in drag racing , driving the toughest cars to drive

in drag racing , deserve better , and that ’ s why we are here .”

The series has already attracted the attention of sponsors . DMP Awnings came on board as the official awning supplier , and NGK Spark Plugs recently signed on as the official spark plug and ignition technology company . They ’ ve also labeled it the American Energy Pro Alcohol Drag Racing series to promote U . S . oil and gas initiatives .

“ We ’ re in contact with almost 20 different energy companies across the nation right now to see if they want to get involved with their advertising dollars and help the series out a little bit ,” Hool says . “ We ’ re going to hopefully spread the word about American energy , including the average guy out there putting a hole in the ground to get oil out . We ’ re going to highlight those small companies .”

Several current touring Top Alcohol Funny Car drivers , including Kevin ’ s brother Kris , have already committed to competing in PADR ’ s inaugural season . The ultimate goal , though , is to entice entirely new teams to make the jump up to the class . Hool believes PADR ’ s unique format will level the playing field while also giving younger teams with smaller budgets the opportunity to make more passes and gain the experience necessary to compete with established teams .

“ We have raced full-time , for a living , competing in 15 to 19 races per season , for almost 15 years now ,” Hool says . “ We have done all that on a very modest budget . You can race competitively on a budget and you can make money . We want to bring that experience to Pro Alcohol Drag Racing and build alcohol racing back to healthy levels .”

Hool realizes his goals are bold , and the series ’ approach is a unique one , but he ’ s prepared to step out and take on the challenge . He sees the need for change in the alcohol racing community , and he feels PADR might offer the solutions to some of the problems plaguing the class .

“ Many have asked how we are going to do all this ,” he says . “ I answer , ‘ I don ’ t know , but if we wait until we know everything , we are going to be too late .” DI

56 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 184