Gilbertson to skip NHRA Event in Topeka

[none]

The Tulsa race was RESCHEDULED because of rain,to be run June 23......will Gilby spend the money to return ???
Topeka is only about 300 miles......

 

[Angus]

Didn't qualify. But he is the first alternate if someone else no-shows.

 

[you]

Phillip,

Read some of the other posts here and figure out whether Autolite/Honeywell are paying Gilby enough money in their sponsorship package. If it was a bottomless pit (which we know it isn't) he wouldn't have to go to these drastic measures by skipping an NHRA race here and there. I'm sure he keeps Honeywell informed of this and they could step up their committment with extra $$$$ if they were that concerned.

BUT, I have to agree with several others about how he can justify skipping an NHRA race in the same general vicinity as the IHRA race in Tulsa he just went to and failed to qualify at. HUGE BUMMER THERE. I would spend the money and just stay nearby and hit the NHRA race after that kind of disappointment. His logic of making or not making the long tow to one race for IHRA is the same as for one NHRA race, and the only thing I can figure is he felt he HAD to go to the IHRA race since he actually could have a chance at winning the championship in IHRA but realistically doesn't have that chance in NHRA. I doubt that Gilby has two different transporters, one for NHRA and the other for IHRA as I know he carries the IHRA body with him in the transporter he takes to the NHRA races.

Anyway, all his detractors are entitled to their opinions, but it would be nice if they could put themselves in his (Gilby's) place for a day and see what he goes through just to stay out on tour. It's NOT his only job like most of the touring Pro's, so he has other obligations and concerns outside of drag racing to consider.

WOW!! It happened again and by one of the same people! Kurt, please see post #4 on this thread. You'll notice that I was quoting from that post.

 

[Paul]

The Tulsa race was RESCHEDULED because of rain,to be run June 23......will Gilby spend the money to return ???
Topeka is only about 300 miles......

E-Town is closer then Tulsa, I guess we will find out in a few weeks if he shows up in E-Town.

 

[DragFan2]

WOW!! It happened again and by one of the same people! Kurt, please see post #4 on this thread. You'll notice that I was quoting from that post.

Phillip, I realize that Paul Miller was the one who ragged on Gilby about the Autolite sponsorship this time (post #4) and you were just chiming in. And yeah, I was probably one of the people that dissed you last time, and this time Paul deserves it.

Someone who doesn't follow IHRA posted that he wondered if Gilby will try and go back to Tulsa on June 23rd for the make-up race even though Gilby didn't qualify. He is 1st alternate I believe, so if someone else doesn't make it back he could sneak in the show, but I doubt he would drive back unless he was guaranteed a spot in the 8-car field.

Beat a guy while he is down why don't you.

 

[davey]

I feel that since I don't know what his deal is worth, the logistics of moving his team around, the actual cost of running (IHRA vs. NHRA), and a host of other factors it isn't my job to speculate or criticize anyone.

Only Bob knows all of the factors and it's his decision. He also seems to be a capable businessman or he wouldn't be where he is at in life.

Lastly, he is a racer and I'm sure if he could be out there he would.

 

[Paul]

Phillip, I realize that Paul Miller was the one who ragged on Gilby about the Autolite sponsorship this time (post #4) and you were just chiming in. And yeah, I was probably one of the people that dissed you last time, and this time Paul deserves it.

Someone who doesn't follow IHRA posted that he wondered if Gilby will try and go back to Tulsa on June 23rd for the make-up race even though Gilby didn't qualify. He is 1st alternate I believe, so if someone else doesn't make it back he could sneak in the show, but I doubt he would drive back unless he was guaranteed a spot in the 8-car field.

Beat a guy while he is down why don't you.

Let’s see, Densham and Wilkerson (full time NHRA racers) should be at E-Town, so Gilby will be in the field if he returns. So Kurt, what do I deserve to get Daddy? I posted my opinion and I stand by that. Autolite is not getting any exposure by Gilby staying home. I understand and respect the fact Gilby is spending his own cash, but I am looking at this from Autolite's view. I am pretty confident when Autolite signed up with Gilby they were under the expectations that the car would be at every race. If I was Autolite, I would take my $$ to a team like Jim Head who is making the commitment to race the full schedule on his own dime, so there is some sort of assurance their brand will be on a FC at every race. Again, these are just my opinions.

 

[T.Smith]

If I was Autolite, I would take my $$ to a team like Jim Head who is making the commitment to race the full schedule on his own dime, so there is some sort of assurance their brand will be on a FC at every race. Again, these are just my opinions.

Please...if it's truly $5000 per event...why would Jim Head want the headache?

Just for your information, some teams are independent because they choose to be.

If it's so important for them to have their name out there every weekend, why not take the $5000 and have a seat on Wilkerson's quarter panel.

 

[davey]

Please...if it's truly $5000 per event...why would Jim Head want the headache?

Just for your information, some teams are independent because they choose to be.

If it's so important for them to have their name out there every weekend, why not take the $5000 and have a seat on Wilkerson's quarter panel.

Excellent points.

 

[Paul]

Please...if it's truly $5000 per event...why would Jim Head want the headache?

Just for your information, some teams are independent because they choose to be.

If it's so important for them to have their name out there every weekend, why not take the $5000 and have a seat on Wilkerson's quarter panel.

I understand some teams choose to be independents, but Jim has gone on the record and said he would welcome some extra $$. If Autolite is only giving $5k per race ($115k per year), I would check the sanity of the owners accepting so little for a major sponsorship. I would think a side of a potential top 10 FC is worth a lot more then this.

 

[davey]

If I recall correctly, the Hartman's / Smith's stepped away from this deal when it was up for renewal and basically parked the operation.

 

[J.C.]

I would think a side of a potential top 10 FC is worth a lot more then this.

It's worth exactly what a sponsor is willing to pay and what an owner is willing to accept.

There are owners out there who run their operation soley from sponsorship sources, and they run their racing operation like a for-profit business. If this owner has no major sponsorship, they park the operation because it doesn't make business sense to run out of their own pocket.

Others will run out of their own pocket and take anything they can get from sponsors. These are the professional hobbyists who are going to run no matter what. These guys race because they love drag racing and have the means to race with or without a sponsor.

I'm not qualified to say which owners fall into which camp, but it is fairly obvious in most cases.

 

[none]

If I recall correctly, the Hartman's / Smith's stepped away from this deal when it was up for renewal and basically parked the operation.

That was the T/F deal, which went to the Carriers. I`ve got a pretty good idea how much of a budget Corys got from Honeywell and I`d bet Gilbertsons deal isn`t in the same zip code (not that Corys got a huge budget).

 

[DragFan2]

Please...if it's truly $5000 per event...why would Jim Head want the headache?

Just for your information, some teams are independent because they choose to be.

If it's so important for them to have their name out there every weekend, why not take the $5000 and have a seat on Wilkerson's quarter panel.

Tony, I don't know where the $5,000 per event figure came from, but that sure ain't much when you consider what 4 qualifying runs and hopefully 4 runs in eliminations adds up to, and that's without blowing up a bunch of stuff.

I seem to recall there is another funny car team out there with Autolite XP as an associate sponsor, and maybe more than one. Can't think of who they are right now but I know I have seen it on someone else's car. You could say that Gilby is definitely giving a TON of exposure for Autolite/Honeywell for their $$$, whatever amount it happens to be. Between his car, transporter, and tow/crew van I would say they get alot of exposure, when they are at the races. Gilby did not plan to skip all these races when the year started you can bet on that.

Paul, as I stated in my post, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Your point is a valid one. Tim Wilkerson and Jim Head as well as Gary Densham have their own deals with their sponsors and if they can stay out on tour, then great for them.

 

[Nunz]

There have been some real good posts on this thread. The bottom line is that Gilby does this because of his passion for the sport. He loves to race. This sport is supported much more by sheer passion than big corporate budgets. It's really 180 degrees from where NASCAR is right now. Those guys are building tremendous net worths racing cars for a living, while except for a select few, our "Pros" sacrifice their net worths to stay on the track. It's really backwards, and I don't see it reversing anytime soon.

 

[none]

Didn't qualify. But he is the first alternate if someone else no-shows.

QUALIFYING ISN'T CLOSED.....all fields are still open. So he could still qualify !!

 

[wilkfan]

I believe qualifing is closed and all ladders and set for eliminations on Sat.

 

[Ponyhntr]

I believe qualifing is closed and all ladders and set for eliminations on Sat.

That's what I read on IHRA.com yesterday, you are correct.

Edit:

Professional fields are set and closed to new entries. All sportsman fields are still open.

 

[DragFan2]

I seem to recall there is another funny car team out there with Autolite XP as an associate sponsor, and maybe more than one. Can't think of who they are right now but I know I have seen it on someone else's car.

Well, now that the Chicago/Joliet race is over, I got a chance to see who has AutoliteXP associate sponsorship on their cars, and there are several. I noticed that Ron Capps, Kenny Bernstein, and Tim Wilkerson all have prominent AutoliteXP sponsorship decals on their back window area. That is getting quite a bit of exposure for them, and that even more leads me to believe that Gilby's AutoliteXP full sponsorship is really not as big as one would think.

Anyway, it was great to see him qualify at Chicago, but a major bummer that he broke on the line in the 1st round. Haven't read his blog or checked his website yet for the cause, but I'm sure it was something bad.

 

[Randy]

I spoke with Bob at Tulsa and he stated that even though his business was down right now, the forecast for the last half of the year looked promising, so maybe he won't miss too many more events. I also spoke with Densham at Topeka and he said that he hated the fact that they postponed the Tulsa race because he won't be able to return. I am not that familiar with IHRA procedures, but I read somewhere that they had elevated Jon Capps to the #1 position since Densham and Wilkerson are unable to return, does that mean that they will allow the 1st and 2nd alternates into the field?