I don't think 18-wheelers are the problem. The problem is with the business model of "Professional" drag racing. There are plenty of people in this country who could afford to buy the infrastructure necessary to build a team. The problem is without a marketing partner(s) to pay for whatever it costs to chase a championship, who can (or would want to) spend $1Mil-$3Mil or whatever the number is out of pocket? Forget ever turning a profit, it's literally a black hole the money gets thrown into. Look, there will always be drag racing, at some level, and there will always be successful guys like Virgil and others who are willing to spend money to go out and race. The reason I started this thread was I just think that if there is going to be a "Professional" series, than things need to be restructured so the numbers make more sense. Does anyone here disagree that we are a LONG way off from having an economy where $3Mil deals are plentiful? It's never been easy, and probably will only be harder going forward no matter how healthy the biz climate gets.
How easy is it going to be to get that horse back into the barn, especially if the barn is on fire?
So many people, hardcore fans AND racers, are complaining about the State of the Nation over at the various sanctioning bodies that the lure to actually make the investment has got to be more than just financially lucrative.
Would you want to go spend 2/3rds of your year running around battling half of the stuff that the PSM guys have to?
Remember PST?
Oh wait, you now can't take your car out to suppliment you income without potentially LOSING OUT on the series that you are chasing?
A sanctioning body that has your pro class on a yo-yo every year (this isn't only a rant at NHRA...)
Like somebody famous said, you just can't get three regular guys together to put together a competitive car today.... not only because of the expense, but, IMHO, because of the amount of commitment necessary that is well above and beyond what was supposed to be the sprit of the sport in general. Where a third of your annual budget is spent on just getting the car and crew to the track (transporter, fuel, taxes, flights, rental cars, etc.). Most of you know I race a Jr. with my kid- open trailer, '78 Dodge 1/2 ton in town- rental RV on the long trips. We pull into divisionals where there are Top-kicks, stackers and Prevosts RV's!! Sure it's convienient, but some of it is the "Keeping Up with The Jones" mentality that becomes even more prevelant the further up the food chain you go. At what point do the accessories make the car perform better? And when does that just become overkill?
It's always been a money pit- dark and bottomless. The problem now is that the hole is wider- and if you're standing on the edge, it's much more difficult to leap into an abyss than it is leaping into a hole in the ground. Now is not a good time for anyone to make a blind investment- and those with the cash to invest are holding their cards closer than ever before. Would the sport be better with more folks that run like the Hartleys or Haddock? Don't know. Has the sport gotten better with the guys that run like the Sheik or Schu? Hmmmm....
