BROGDON CLOSES UP SHOP, HEADS ON VACATION
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Rodger Brogdon said the newly implemented changes wouldn’t have affected him since he was an engine lease customer. Brogdon had fielded an in-house engine program until selling out three years ago. That’s a burden he says he was glad to rid himself of.
“The burden will fall on the engine guys,” Brogdon said of the forthcoming changes.
Brogdon, who recently resigned as a board member of the Professional Racers Organization, said while the NHRA said they got input from the racers, he and his fellow PRO board members were not privy to providing suggestions.
“I had heard the rumors of what they were going to do, and as far as racer input, I know they didn’t talk to me,” Brogdon said. “I was on the PRO Board and they didn’t even run it past us. It’s going to be different and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the top teams end up not coming back over the sheer disgust of the decisions made.”
Brogdon said he doesn’t fault NHRA for making changes in an attempt to better the series. He’s just not sure they put enough due diligence into researching the rules they plan to enforce.
“I know something needed to be done, but what they did I am not sure if those were the right moves,” Brogdon said. “Pro Stock is about people being innovative and creative. Whether it was coming up with unique oil pumps or whatever it might be. Now to back the cars in and give everyone a look and what they’ve worked hard to develop … I don’t know about that.
“The rev-limiter came as a surprise. People were at 10.5 five years ago. They are at 12,000 now. They will now have to refigure their valvetrain and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
And Brogdon believes, the electronic fuel injection could possibly open up a can worms the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the mid-1990s nitrous scandal.
“NHRA will have to worry about traction control and have to figure out how to police that. That is unless NHRA just doesn’t care,” Brogdon said. “I think NHRA has opened up a can of worms and I don’t see how it will save anyone money, it will cost them.”
NHRA Pro Stock racer Rodger Brogdon completed the sale of his drag racing operation to Richard Freeman and Elite Performance on Monday of this week, effectively alleviating the Tomball, Texas-based driver of his involvement in drag racing.
The bottom line for the three-time NHRA Pro Stock national event winner, he was no longer willing to fund his Pro Stock racing habit.
“It all came down to marketing partners and sponsorship, I needed some help,” said Brogdon, who sat out last weekend’s NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals outside of Denver. “I really wasn’t even going to start the season but I had a couple of companies considering us as a marketing partner, and they convinced me to keep coming out there.
“Things were looking good but then they fell through. I never would have been out here in the first place, racing on my own without Steve Kent and we were partners when we started this. He needed to do something else. I ended up running two-thirds of last season on my own money. I’m just not going to work that hard.”
Brogdon the investment just didn’t come close to equaling the reward.
“I’m working my people to death doing 300 houses extra a month just to do this,” said Brogdon. “When you start doing that much work when you are normally doing 150, it’s just not worth it.”
Brogdon said he’s going to face another challenge as he plans to visit his beach house along the Gulf Coast while the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series rolls into Sonoma, Ca. this weekend. He admits the rigors of the 24-race tour last season only allowed him two trips all season long to his getaway.
“Just never been too good at taking it easy,” Brogdon said.
Brogdon understands drag racing can have withdrawal affects similar to drugs but he plans to remain clear from the straight-line sport, even dismissing the lure to race on a lesser level.
“I wouldn’t do sportsman racing because I’d have to have a fast car and I just don’t race the stripe too well,” Brogdon admitted. “That’s why I liked Comp so much. When I beat my index up so bad, I could just swap classes. I wouldn’t completely rule out Pro Modified one day. I’m not going to do anything this season.”
As for his future, Brogdon learned early in life to never say never.
“I wouldn’t say that I wouldn’t ever come back – with the right deal I would,” Brogdon said. “I’m not a rich person, but I live well. As long as I don’t do too much extravagant stuff everything is good in life. My family and my business will always come first. I love racing, been around it since I was a kid. I have pictures of myself and my dad down at the local track when I was four or five years old. It’s going to be a big change for me to not be racing.
“I have made a lot of good friends out here. The fans are fantastic. I will never say never.”
