WWYD - What Would You Do? (1 Viewer)

[clwill]

Let's lighten things up here a little. Suddenly you find yourself with a sponsor who's willing to invest $3m a year over the next three years. This is coincidentally the precise amount it would cost you to sponsor a top-tier nitro team. (I was just told by a person who knows in detail that this is next year's going rate.)

What would you do? Would you go TF or FC or (PS?)? Would you take it to someone like Force/DSR or would you try to go it alone? Is the benefit of sharing and economy of scale worth it? Who would you get to drive? Who would you get to crew chief the operation?

And like in school: explain your answers.

 

[Buns]

Not sure if Pro Mod is an option here but that's what I would do.

I would start my own team and campain two turbocharged '68 Camaro's. I'd bring on Harry Hruska and Steve Petty. You can't argue with their success right now. They would be the Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly of Pro Mod.

Drivers would be Brad Personett and Tim Lynch. Makes sense, right? Not much to explain there. Two of the best drivers going.

That would be a lot of fun!

 

[Speed1288]

Take half of it and go Top Alcohol dragster racing. Don't think I could deal with nitro stuff for now. Always wanted a crack at Top Alcohol.

Take the other half of it and let my Dad have the best Top Sportsman stuff money can buy. He got me into the sport so it would only be fitting to let him have the best (not that he doesn't now)

 

[Pete]

If the 3 years is guaranteed and it has to be NITRO, there's no time to waste. I would go directly to Jim Head and buy a ride! DSR would be next!

If I had my choice, I would have a 4 car operation, 2 TAFC's and 2 A/FD's.

 

[glofria]

Take 10% off the top and give the rest to Jeff & Leeza Deihl to run their operation. I'll just fly in once in a while just to check up on them.

Either that or I'll support all the N/FC (or AA/FC your choice) so they can runn as many races they all want for free and take something home for their efforts. The world needs to see them run.

After all this is a fantasy right.

 

[vegasnitro]

I would call Jim Head, take him up on his offer to lease the car and drive the car myself. I would spend all of December at Frank Hawley's school at Gainesville getting laps in their school alcohol floppers and then hit the pre-season testing circuit for my nitro upgraded license and to acclimate myself as best I can before heading to the Winternationals.

I would then check in the Mater often and listen as all of you complained about how terrible my driving was and that I didn't deserve the ride, that I was just another ride-buyer. But you would never, ever be able to remove the smile from my face.

EDIT: Tree'd by Pete. I thought I was the only one around here clever enough to call Jim Head.

 

[DrRocket]

I would then check in the Mater often and listen as all of you complained about how terrible my driving was and that I didn't deserve the ride, that I was just another ride-buyer. But you would never, ever be able to remove the smile from my face.

Hey, let's not forget those crappy R.T.s, eh???

 

[Jer]

I would def call Head,im sure he could tune and id pay to drive.

 

[vegasnitro]

Hey, let's not forget those crappy R.T.s, eh???

I am sure you would be able to time my RT's with a sundial LOL!!!

 

[Toejam]

$3 Mil. A year includes Hospitality and a Full crew! I bet Bob Bode doesn't spend more than $30,000 a race. So the idea you need to spend that much to make the Top Ten is bogus!

 

[mick]

3 year deal @ 3 million/year budget.....NHRA nitro FC or TF
- buy operation myself, no current players involved
- finance operation as long as possible
- top fuel class, no expensive exploding bodies
- yellow car - memorable
- driver/tuner.....spurlock/swearingen.....those guys were fun.
- run as high a nitro% as nhra allows
- mandatory warmup throttle wacks.....2x
- 3 short haired brunettes with correct assets to back car from burnout,
wave at fans, take pics with fans, walk pits leading other fans to our pit area
- carry small bleachers in 2nd trailer - use money otherwise spent
on hospitality spot to set bleachers for fans to sit and watch us between
rounds, encourage vendors to setup near our trailers, convince hot girls
from other teams the fun is not in their pit area.
- our girls will model and pass out free t-shirts in pit area at random times,
must be seated in our bleachers to win, some shirts will have $20 bill pinned
to it.

- run operation on 2.5 mill./year......or less if possible
- aim to qualify, be a middle player, a win would be a huge surprise
- invest at least 500k/year for 2 yrs. (conservative, shoot for 10% return)
- sell turn-key operation at end of 3 years
- buy worsham's megarita
- buy condo in mexico

 

[willy]

$3 Mil. A year includes Hospitality and a Full crew! I bet Bob Bode doesn't spend more than $30,000 a race. So the idea you need to spend that much to make the Top Ten is bogus!

Geez..Joe, it's a fantasy question. What would YOU do under this scenario. That's all it was. Well, we all know you'd buy a new camera..but if you were given this to go racing?

 

[clwill]

$3 Mil. A year includes Hospitality and a Full crew! I bet Bob Bode doesn't spend more than $30,000 a race. So the idea you need to spend that much to make the Top Ten is bogus!

Dude, relax. It's my question, I'll frame it how I like it

Some sponsor (say Honeywell ), get's drunk one night and for some reason thinks you know everything there is to know about professional drag racing. They're willing to invest $3m a year over the next three years in you, and your dream. They want a reasonable return, their name on the car, to be able to bring their employees/customers to the track for a nice day, and want you to be not only competitive, but also very professional. Nothing half-a$$ed, but rather well done, clean, crisp, professional. You don't have to win the championship, but you certainly can't embarrass you or them.

My answer wanders somewhere between Chris Cook's answer (which is the true fantasy) and Gino's, although I think my beneficiary would be Tim Wilkerson.

And I'm stuck on the DSR or not question. The advantages of economies of scale and sharing of data/teams/people are hard to turn down. Especially if I'm new to the seat...

 

[Just Paul]

$3 Mil. A year includes Hospitality and a Full crew! I bet Bob Bode doesn't spend more than $30,000 a race. So the idea you need to spend that much to make the Top Ten is bogus!

Last time I checked he was not in the top 10. I doubt anybody in the 1-10 spots in FC spent $30,000 a race or less average.

Top Fuel could get you closer to that number in my opinion.

 

[Just Paul]

I'd cut a deal with Tim Wilkerson to get Dan going on the full tour as long as the money could stretch. That would be fun. PRS (my initials) instead of LRS.



Of course I'd put some aside and run a Nostalgia FC for myself and Brian O'Keefe, with me and "Holeshot" Anderson driving. We'd drag them across the midwest will all our buds and party for as many years as we could. We'd have the only pit area with 1 18-wheeler and about 5-6 motorhomes parked with it. Plenty of Coors Light and Johnsonville chili cheese smoked sausage to go around.

 

[flapjack]

First order of business: create a binding contract to Bode and crew so that as
long as I have sponsorship, I am obligated to fund them, and if I lose the
sponsorship, they are free to pursue other avenues. Then, do what I can to
help out but mostly stay out of the way. Maybe take a road trip with Eugene
when he is hauling the car around. Speaking of the car, make sure they have
a spare car and as many bullets as necessary. Maybe learn a little from Mike
about building short blocks (been a long time since I had anything to do with
an engine build).

I might have chosen another crew, but Bode resides in my home state, so I
couldn't resist.

 

[I was NITRO BREATH]

by a brand new, shiny top fueler. paint it baby blue and put JR Tod behind the wheel. Rescue tim and kim from the boring retired life and put them in charge. And then i'd sit around the track and watch the wally's pile up

 

[Toejam]

Last time I checked he was not in the top 10. I doubt anybody in the 1-10 spots in FC spent $30,000 a race or less average.

Top Fuel could get you closer to that number in my opinion.

If he went the full tour I bet he would be, but your right a Dragster is cheaper to run.

 

[PJ]

Well the hardest choice would be which class.

I would want to drive. I'm Gary Scelzi type crazy and funny car seems to have some funner personalities to play off of but tf is the top of the sport so there is a draw there as well.

My choice would come down to whatever the strength was with the people I hooked up with.

If TF- I want my hometown team. Whatever city you grew up in you usually became a fan of the home town team. My hometown team is Kalitta. Even cooler is my home town team of one, became a father son team(and eventaully more). As a kid I always thought that it was the coolest thing to be able to go race with your dad like Scott did. I'd show up with my 3mil and beg Connie to teach me even a tenth of what he knows. I'd have my dad be my backup guy(no worries he wouldn't be in the hot pants like Lisa or Alice) Like Cook I'd head to Hawleys as well. Going this direction not only helps with team info and date sharing but it would also help me be able to focus more on getting up to speed as a driver rather than starting from scratch with an entire operation.

If FC- Like others I would take Jim Head up on his offer. There would be even less operation set up here. It would just be a matter of seeing if I had to stones to live my dream. Jim has done alot over his career with minimal cash. It would be very exciting to see what he could do with mad money. Of course with his innovative mind he may have me driving a three wheeled funny car at some point.

Like Cook, I would also come here and check the post however as an evil moderator I would alter them to only give gushing praise to my abilities...even if I end up finishing races on the roof lol

 

[.]

I'd cut a deal with Tim Wilkerson to get Dan going on the full tour as long as the money could stretch. That would be fun. PRS (my initials) instead of LRS.



Of course I'd put some aside and run a Nostalgia FC for myself and Brian O'Keefe, with me and "Holeshot" Anderson driving. We'd drag them across the midwest will all our buds and party for as many years as we could. We'd have the only pit area with 1 18-wheeler and about 5-6 motorhomes parked with it. Plenty of Coors Light and Johnsonville chili cheese smoked sausage to go around.

Sounds awesome, ALL OF IT!!!


In fact, I no longer need to answer the original question because it would basically be the same answer as Paul's.