<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/Wyatt_Pontiac1.jpg" alt="Wyatt_Pontiac1" align="right"borders="0"/>
Corydon, Iowa, August 26, 2006: When Funny Car veteran, Jack Wyatt lost his RaceGirl sponsorship this past May and was forced to sit out the remainder of the NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing Series everyone thought the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind" applied to the easy going Wyatt. But that is not what Wyatt wanted for himself and his hard working volunteer crew. Instead, Wyatt took what most people would consider a negative or bad luck and used it to his advantage, turning it into a positive.
"I have struggled for so many years in my career," said the 50-year-old racing pro, "but I just wanted to go racing and I tried to do it any way I could. That's why when Robert Chestnut came to me with his RaceGirl support in 2005, even though it wasn't enough for most teams, it meant a great deal to me. So, when he came to me in May and said he wasn't selling enough apparel at the races to continue our relationship, I understood, but my world fell apart. I had just bought a new-to-me tractor, I had parts ordered, I had crew members arranging their lives in order to work with me, in other words, I had commitments and responsibilities.
"I just couldn't crawl into a hole and disappear, besides, I didn't want to. I still wanted to race. So, I saw the newly formed Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car class at IHRA as a perfect opportunity for me."
<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/jack_wyatt1.jpg" alt="jack_wyatt1" align="left"borders="0"/>So, Wyatt didn't lock himself up in his Corydon, Iowa shop looking at his race car and equipment, feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he didn't waste any time setting his goals on the IHRA eMax Drag Racing Series. And the move proved to be the best thing Wyatt did in his 30-plus year racing career. The success Wyatt is experiencing on the IHRA tour is just what every driven, competitive driver dreams of for themselves. Wyatt has two wins under his belt, the Nicko's NY Style Pizza Spring Nationals and the recent Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals, a runner-up finish at the CARS Motorsports Rocky Mountain Nationals, and is just 16 points out of first place.
"If I hadn't lost RaceGirl, I wouldn't have moved to IHRA," explained Wyatt, "and I would have missed so much. It's given me a second chance. I feel like I started my career all over again. The IHRA is a great organization. Everyone has a positive attitude and open mind and are great people to be around. I'm having fun again."
And good things are happening for Wyatt on the sponsorship front. He recently acquired an associate sponsorship from Hussey Copper Custom Head Gaskets. And he still has support from Joe Hansen of DJ Safety, Tom Stephens, Al Poko of Suburban Machine, and his product sponsors all stayed with him in his move.
"I'm really glad that when the chips were down, I was able to make something out of it," explained Wyatt. "I'm tickled to be doing so well in IHRA. We're not hurting parts and we're getting a little luck. It doesn't get any better than this.
"I really appreciate that Evan Knoll of Torco Racing Fuels put up the money for the creation of the Pro Nitro Funny Car class. He made it possible for us to race again."
Wyatt was part of NHRA racing action on a full-time basis for about 1-½ years, with his best showing last year, at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, where he made it to the semi-final round.
"I wish I had the funding to go back to NHRA and be part of the action again," said Wyatt. "I miss the great fans and the friends I made and my fellow competitors. We had many great times with RaceGirl and I'm sorry it had to go away. But I'm having great fun with what I'm doing right now and who knows, I may be back sooner than you think."
Photos courtesy of IHRA.
Wyatt turns loss of RaceGirl sponsorship into a winning style
Corydon, Iowa, August 26, 2006: When Funny Car veteran, Jack Wyatt lost his RaceGirl sponsorship this past May and was forced to sit out the remainder of the NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing Series everyone thought the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind" applied to the easy going Wyatt. But that is not what Wyatt wanted for himself and his hard working volunteer crew. Instead, Wyatt took what most people would consider a negative or bad luck and used it to his advantage, turning it into a positive.
"I have struggled for so many years in my career," said the 50-year-old racing pro, "but I just wanted to go racing and I tried to do it any way I could. That's why when Robert Chestnut came to me with his RaceGirl support in 2005, even though it wasn't enough for most teams, it meant a great deal to me. So, when he came to me in May and said he wasn't selling enough apparel at the races to continue our relationship, I understood, but my world fell apart. I had just bought a new-to-me tractor, I had parts ordered, I had crew members arranging their lives in order to work with me, in other words, I had commitments and responsibilities.
"I just couldn't crawl into a hole and disappear, besides, I didn't want to. I still wanted to race. So, I saw the newly formed Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car class at IHRA as a perfect opportunity for me."
<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/jack_wyatt1.jpg" alt="jack_wyatt1" align="left"borders="0"/>So, Wyatt didn't lock himself up in his Corydon, Iowa shop looking at his race car and equipment, feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he didn't waste any time setting his goals on the IHRA eMax Drag Racing Series. And the move proved to be the best thing Wyatt did in his 30-plus year racing career. The success Wyatt is experiencing on the IHRA tour is just what every driven, competitive driver dreams of for themselves. Wyatt has two wins under his belt, the Nicko's NY Style Pizza Spring Nationals and the recent Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals, a runner-up finish at the CARS Motorsports Rocky Mountain Nationals, and is just 16 points out of first place.
"If I hadn't lost RaceGirl, I wouldn't have moved to IHRA," explained Wyatt, "and I would have missed so much. It's given me a second chance. I feel like I started my career all over again. The IHRA is a great organization. Everyone has a positive attitude and open mind and are great people to be around. I'm having fun again."
And good things are happening for Wyatt on the sponsorship front. He recently acquired an associate sponsorship from Hussey Copper Custom Head Gaskets. And he still has support from Joe Hansen of DJ Safety, Tom Stephens, Al Poko of Suburban Machine, and his product sponsors all stayed with him in his move.
"I'm really glad that when the chips were down, I was able to make something out of it," explained Wyatt. "I'm tickled to be doing so well in IHRA. We're not hurting parts and we're getting a little luck. It doesn't get any better than this.
"I really appreciate that Evan Knoll of Torco Racing Fuels put up the money for the creation of the Pro Nitro Funny Car class. He made it possible for us to race again."
Wyatt was part of NHRA racing action on a full-time basis for about 1-½ years, with his best showing last year, at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, where he made it to the semi-final round.
"I wish I had the funding to go back to NHRA and be part of the action again," said Wyatt. "I miss the great fans and the friends I made and my fellow competitors. We had many great times with RaceGirl and I'm sorry it had to go away. But I'm having great fun with what I'm doing right now and who knows, I may be back sooner than you think."
Photos courtesy of IHRA.
