A policy and its enforcement threatens to push one of drag racing’s and the NHRA’s longstanding icons from the show.

Ollie Volpe says his team has had enough and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis will be the last time you’ll see the Mr. Gasket trailer on the Manufacturer’s Midway at NHRA events.

“We’ve been doing this for 20 years, but after Indy we won’t have our big rig at any of the events,” said Volpe, Racing Services Manager for Mr. Gasket. “The people who will really suffer from this will be the racers, and I feel really bad about that.”

Volpe said the issue isn’t that NHRA has rules, but rather the selective way they enforce them.

“They have their rules and they are going to stick by them,” Volpe said. “We own a company and we can’t push out a gondola to display our products. If I can’t do that, I’m not bringing in an 80-foot rig just to display four products.”

Company rep says selective enforcement of rules inspires support trailer to look elsewhere

A policy and its enforcement threatens to push one of drag racing’s and the NHRA’s longstanding icons from the show.

Ollie Volpe says his team has had enough and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis will be the last time you’ll see the Mr. Gasket trailer on the Manufacturer’s Midway at NHRA events.

“We’ve been doing this for 20 years, but after Indy we won’t have our big rig at any of the events,” said Volpe, Racing Services Manager for Mr. Gasket. “The people who will really suffer from this will be the racers, and I feel really bad about that.”

Volpe said the issue isn’t that NHRA has rules, but rather the selective way they enforce them.

“They have their rules and they are going to stick by them,” Volpe said. “We own a company and we can’t push out a gondola to display our products. If I can’t do that, I’m not bringing in an 80-foot rig just to display four products.”

Volpe’s ire is directed at the NHRA’s policy that mandates that a company can only display products they post contingency for. Reportedly, the company is forced to conceal those products and any decals that promote them.

“It’s very selective how they enforce this thing,” Volpe said. “I know there are other people on the Midway that do it. In fact, Fel-Pro hasn’t sponsored for a few years but you can go to another company out here that has Fel-Pro gaskets on their trailer and they bring them to the track and sell to all of the fuel racers.

“I’m paying $500 to win for a racer to come there and have the Mr. Gasket decal. Then they take my $500 and go to this competitor’s trailer and buy a non-sponsor’s product. That’s just not right.

“These are the things they [NHRA] should be addressing because, as far as I am concerned, that’s a more egregious violation of the rules or the honor of the system than if I own Hays or Lakewood and I don’t post for them; however I post for three other of our brands that we can’t display.”

Volpe said that Mr. Gasket would fill the newly created open dates with other drag racing venues.