Terry McMillen's Open Letter
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jackass
Nitro Member
Great letter from Terry and Jim..... and it is very true...
i can say for a fact that one of the potential sponsors i have talked to on behalf of a friend looking for sponsrship the company expressed concern in the way this situation has been reacted upon by the "Net crowd"....
The Strip at Lowes Speedway has several new companie looking at Drag racing.. and considering it for their company... but they are concerned how they would be recieved for doing a test run of one year... and then backing away if it doesn't meet their needs..... best way to not have repercussions.. is stay out an never come into drag racing.....is their mind set....
it is amazing how many people not to long ago praised Evan and TORCO for all they do.. and now have a complete about face.. and damn the man for even being here..... real shame....
ITs a bad situation.... for EVEYONE involved.... let them handel it the wya they feel best... the bad attitudes from people not involved in any way.. is reflecting the sport we love.....
Billy
i can say for a fact that one of the potential sponsors i have talked to on behalf of a friend looking for sponsrship the company expressed concern in the way this situation has been reacted upon by the "Net crowd"....
The Strip at Lowes Speedway has several new companie looking at Drag racing.. and considering it for their company... but they are concerned how they would be recieved for doing a test run of one year... and then backing away if it doesn't meet their needs..... best way to not have repercussions.. is stay out an never come into drag racing.....is their mind set....
it is amazing how many people not to long ago praised Evan and TORCO for all they do.. and now have a complete about face.. and damn the man for even being here..... real shame....
ITs a bad situation.... for EVEYONE involved.... let them handel it the wya they feel best... the bad attitudes from people not involved in any way.. is reflecting the sport we love.....
Billy
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"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
I'm quite confident the naysayers have been noted and I suspect those of us in support of Evan and his decisions will be as well.
None
Nitro Member
Tell it to all the car owners who have cars and stuff on order. Tell it to all the crew chiefs and crew members who are out of a job with house payments or rent to pay. Tell it to all the people who have to go home and tell their families that there is no job, no money. Yeah, go ahead and tell it.
Internet boards are a double edged sword. (No offense to NitroMater or any of the others because they are not responsible for members opinions). I am in no way starting an EE thread, and please do not turn this into one (because Lord knows those get ugly for no real reason what so ever). But........you have to wonder if all the scathing opinions have hurt some of the chances of people like EE, Whit, etc. You never know how your/our/my words may effect someone or many people. At the same time, it is hard not to feel like it is okay to say exactly what you think or feel in these "round robin" type of opinion postings. I mean really, think about all of the crap that was dissed out on the countdown. If you owned a co. that was thinking about sponsoring in the NHRA and read those threads what would you think?
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No one is saying they are not Thankful for what Evan has done for everyone...but...you are judged by most on how you carry out, start to finish, any type of transaction whether it be business or personal..
He did not honor his commitment and that is what he will be remembered for by the ones his company screwed...simple as that..
He did not honor his commitment and that is what he will be remembered for by the ones his company screwed...simple as that..
Rick Rzepka
Nitro Member
...evan took care of many (too many) but come on didnt everyone wonder when it was gonna end? i mean can someone sponsor all those cars? all those events? tracks? websites? on and on...and never run out of cash? be glad he did what he did for as long as he did. drag racing was here before evan and it will be here after.
Sean D, shondoo
Nitro Member
I feel bad for everyone that has parts on order or have lost jobs because of this, but the bottom line is it's the nature of the beast, my friend. Drag Racing is entertainment and nothing more, with very short-term contracts being the norm. So taking a job in this business with the intent of making a lifelong career of it is obviously a little more risky of an undertaking. For Pete's sake, with the way our country loses work overseas, we can't even count on well-established, good ol' fashioned manufacturing to provide us with work anymore, and it's always been here.
The only thing I think that completely sucks about this deal is that the word is coming so late in the game. But then again, the fact that it did happen so late in the game only solidifies (to me, at least) the seriousness of Evan's situation, whatever it may be, because it's not like he has the reputation for doing business this way.
Sean D
Whipster
Nitro Member
I know I'm gonna get beat to death for saying this but, maybe it's time for the NHRA to consider limiting the amount of major sponsorships one company can give out. Look at the number of teams this has affected and the void that this leaves. What would happen to Team Force if Castrol decided to pull out.
I am new to this site, but a LONG time drag racing fan. This is THE best post I have read. This is so 'on the money'. I cannot believe how many negative posts I read here. I know there are things that can be better for this sport we all love, but all this negativity will only attract more bad news for drag racing. We can all learn something from Terry. God bless Evan, we'll see ya in
'09. Now lets get busy with '08 and create a more positive atmosphere for Evan to come back to!!!!!!!
Peace out....
Dennis
'09. Now lets get busy with '08 and create a more positive atmosphere for Evan to come back to!!!!!!!
Peace out....
Dennis
"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
Welcome to the Mater Dennis!
It's nice to see another sound mind come here and support someone who has supported so many himself.
It's nice to see another sound mind come here and support someone who has supported so many himself.
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
I respect Terry McMillen's opinion, he definitely has more skin in the game than I do, but I can't sit back and let the 'Mater in particular and the internet in general take the blame for people not being able to track down sponsors. Have you ever been to a prominent NASCAR board? They get 1000's more posts than all drag racing boards combined and they are also 1000's of times as nasty as this or any other board. Yet there are still going to be 53 fully funded teams and probably 15 more part-timers when the gates open for Speedweeks at Daytona. Then you'll have 40 or so Craftsman trucks and 50 or so Nationwide/Busch cars too. If their potential sponsors were trolling message boards they never would sign up over there either, yet they do in numbers that dwarf every other racing series in America COMBINED.
The bottom line is this, drag racing is a niche/fringe sport with poor to bad TV ratings that do not hit very many target demographics. That is as plain as I can say it. And it is a tough reality to face for us fans and even tougher for the competitors of this fantastic sport.
I cannot imagine how difficult it is for these teams to push that sponsorship boulder up the hill so often only to have it roll back down again, but don't blame the fans or the internet. IMHO, that is weak.
The bottom line is this, drag racing is a niche/fringe sport with poor to bad TV ratings that do not hit very many target demographics. That is as plain as I can say it. And it is a tough reality to face for us fans and even tougher for the competitors of this fantastic sport.
I cannot imagine how difficult it is for these teams to push that sponsorship boulder up the hill so often only to have it roll back down again, but don't blame the fans or the internet. IMHO, that is weak.
DragFan2
Nitro Member
Dennis, welcome to Nitromater and bummer that you felt like you had to join just to make a comment over the threads started as pro & con about Evan's decision. I wish him the best with his health concerns too, and hope he's staying away from this Internet board and probably most of the others as I don't think he will appreciate the negative comments, and they surely won't help his blood pressure. 
In regards to companies reading posts like the many on here and other sites hosting racing boards on the internet, if any company bases multi-million dollar sponsorship decisions on a very small sampling of the drag racing fans (and Nitromater is a VERY small segment) then they don't have much sense anyway. Regular posters on this board probably number 100-200 people whereas 20,000+ people attend a drag racing event each day on a weekend. The average attendee is NOT a diehard fan like most on Nitromater and even though our opinions count for something, I would bet you 90% of the people that attend drag races don't know one iota about what is going on right now. Sponsors can't base advertising decisions on 1-2% of the population that attend a drag race! My next door neighbor is a huge drag racing fan and NEVER misses the GatorNationals each year, but when I brought up this whole Torco/Evan Knoll story on Thurday of last week, he was not even aware of it, and I suggested he get on NHRA today or CompPlus and find out for himself. Well, I asked him again on Sunday if he had checked everything out, he said NO, he hadn't and just asked me if anything new had developed. He is a fan but DOES NOT go online and voice his opinions or even take the time to get worked up either way about the situation. This is from a person who books his hotel room a year in advance for the next years race as he's leaving this years race. And he is a car person, or should I say a Corvette person as he owned 3 Corvettes for the past year, selling off his pristine '98 Corvette just this past December while keeping his '07 and '67 Corvettes. So, Evan's decision to stop the funding of all the teams and all the negative comments on this board or others really were of no concern to him, at least not outwardly. But I do agree, it really isn't right, and I pray that Evan is going to be okay and that all those teams hurt or left hanging can find something good to come out of this situation.
Thank you Terry McMillen.
In regards to companies reading posts like the many on here and other sites hosting racing boards on the internet, if any company bases multi-million dollar sponsorship decisions on a very small sampling of the drag racing fans (and Nitromater is a VERY small segment) then they don't have much sense anyway. Regular posters on this board probably number 100-200 people whereas 20,000+ people attend a drag racing event each day on a weekend. The average attendee is NOT a diehard fan like most on Nitromater and even though our opinions count for something, I would bet you 90% of the people that attend drag races don't know one iota about what is going on right now. Sponsors can't base advertising decisions on 1-2% of the population that attend a drag race! My next door neighbor is a huge drag racing fan and NEVER misses the GatorNationals each year, but when I brought up this whole Torco/Evan Knoll story on Thurday of last week, he was not even aware of it, and I suggested he get on NHRA today or CompPlus and find out for himself. Well, I asked him again on Sunday if he had checked everything out, he said NO, he hadn't and just asked me if anything new had developed. He is a fan but DOES NOT go online and voice his opinions or even take the time to get worked up either way about the situation. This is from a person who books his hotel room a year in advance for the next years race as he's leaving this years race. And he is a car person, or should I say a Corvette person as he owned 3 Corvettes for the past year, selling off his pristine '98 Corvette just this past December while keeping his '07 and '67 Corvettes. So, Evan's decision to stop the funding of all the teams and all the negative comments on this board or others really were of no concern to him, at least not outwardly. But I do agree, it really isn't right, and I pray that Evan is going to be okay and that all those teams hurt or left hanging can find something good to come out of this situation.
Thank you Terry McMillen.
Meeks
Nitro Member
"Do you know when things are going to happen? Can you predict the future? Do you know when you're going to have a heart attack? You just can't plan certain things. I hate that Evan has to go through all this. It wasn't planned or predicted and I for plan on helping him come out on the other side, happier and healthier so that he can be a part of what he loves... drag racing."
This is exactly what needed to be done and it wasnt...a "plan" might have prevented this from ever happening.
Evan is a great guy and he has funded alot of teams and given them the chances they might not have gotten from someone else so after all is said and done, I hope everyone, including Evan, can take a look back on this situation and try and ensure it doesnt happen again the way this one went down (i.e.-backup plan)...we hope to see you back in 09 Evan! Heres to a safe and quick recovery!!
This is exactly what needed to be done and it wasnt...a "plan" might have prevented this from ever happening.
Evan is a great guy and he has funded alot of teams and given them the chances they might not have gotten from someone else so after all is said and done, I hope everyone, including Evan, can take a look back on this situation and try and ensure it doesnt happen again the way this one went down (i.e.-backup plan)...we hope to see you back in 09 Evan! Heres to a safe and quick recovery!!
I've always wanted to thank Evan in person for all he does for this sport! It's too bad he's impossible to find at any race I've been too, I'll most likely have a Howard Hughes sighting before I ever see Evan face to face. Either way I think Evan knows that 99% of the True Race fans understand his situation and don't harbor any Bad feelings!
Joker
Nitro Member
I really dont think the bashing has been as bad as everyone is saying it is. Every drag racing fan knows how important Evan has been to our sport and really appreciates it. I just dont understand why some of you cant seem to think it should piss some people off. I think Evan's great, he's been a saviour to alot of teams and some of them wouldnt have even been racing if it werent for him but the timing of this decision affects alot of people and there jobs/career/life/finances etc. I feel for those people. And for whatever reason it happened which is none of our business, its just a bad deal and I hope Evan gets better and does come back full force. But I think you should ease up on the people who are questioning it, most of them have legitmate questions and concerns and I'm sure the teams are very upset about it, just smart enough not to bite the hand that feeds them persay.
