A GOOD FIRST ENCOUNTER
Mon, 2007-07-30 12:02
HD Partners CEO and chairman Eddie
Hartenstein met for the first time with owners and drivers here on
Saturday. All interested parties considered it to be a good first
encounter, but the general consensus was the HD Partners purchase of
NHRA Pro Racing is still a wait and see proposition.
"It went well," said owner/driver Kenny Bernstein, who is also PRO president. "He doesn't have a definite game plan, but basically it's about getting more awareness for the sport and more exposure. More exposure means more sponsors and more sponsors means more dollars and more dollars means better gains...he's got all the right ideas."
But some believe that its not all about giving the HD group and Hartenstein the keys and let them driving unto the promised land.
"I think the guy can help us," said Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan. "He seemed like a very personable guy. We needed that. I just hope something good comes out of it. We surely need some help out here. If they open up and help us all, it will be good for the sport. That's all I can hope for. HD Partners CEO and chairman Eddie Hartenstein met for the first time with owners and drivers here on Saturday. All interested parties considered it to be a good first encounter, but the general consensus was the HD Partners purchase of NHRA Pro Racing is still a wait and see proposition.
"It went well," said owner/driver Kenny Bernstein, who is also PRO president. "He doesn't have a definite game plan, but basically it's about getting more awareness for the sport and more exposure. More exposure means more sponsors and more sponsors means more dollars and more dollars means better gains...he's got all the right ideas."
But some believe that its not all about giving the HD group and Hartenstein the keys and let them driving unto the promised land.
"I think the guy can help us," said Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan. "He seemed like a very personable guy. We needed that. I just hope something good comes out of it. We surely need some help out here. If they open up and help us all, it will be good for the sport. That's all I can hope for.
"It was just an introduction meeting more than anything else. We'll see more when everything is signed and sealed. But for right now, there wasn't anything he could offer anybody. He just wanted to introduce himself. I think the drivers need to unite and get together and decide whether they are going to help us. If not, we need to not race or something like that. I think they could be good for everybody, but they have to understand that we're all here struggling with every cent we can get our hands on. We're not going to put up with them making all the money without us not making a little just to get by."
Veteran Top Fuel racer Bob Vandergriff, who had sponsorship troubles before hooking up two years ago with United Parcel Services, is taking a wait-and-see approach.
"I think we're all very receptive to the message; we're all pulling for bigger and better things out here, but I think you have a lot of people sitting here with a wait-and-see attitude," Vandergriff said. "It's a lot harder for guys who have been out here as long as I have to do things than you originally envisioned. We see people with (big plans) show up all the time, and things don't happen the way the way they think they can make them happen.
"I'm just hoping they do have the ability (to grow the sport). We're optimistic about what they are trying to do, but I think we have a lot of people sitting back saying, 'Let's just see.' But all we can do is support them and hope they can pull off what they think they can do."
But others believe that because of the acquisition, NHRA drag racing could be on the cusp of something big.
"I was very impressed with the guy," said veteran driver Whit Bazemore, who has had the unique view of competing in the sport from a small independent to a driver on one of the top teams in the sport. "He seems to be extremely dynamic and very intelligent. He said things that made me feel like he was sincere in his desire to build the sport into something that is more financially viable for everybody.
"They are bringing new capital to the sport, and if you listen to NHRA management now, they claim they need that capital to take the sport somewhere else. I believe with HD Partners, and listening to what Eddie had to say (Saturday), they are obviously in a position to do that. They bought it for a reason. The reason is to make money, and I want NHRA to make a lot of money, and to be tremendously successful, because all of that trickles down. He came across as someone who has a very strong vision and a very strong ideal of where he wants us to go. I find that exciting and very positive."
While Hartenstein apparently didn't get into any specifics, Bazemore said he did talk about facilities, an issue Bazemore said the sport needs to address.
"There are races on our schedule I don't think we have any business going to do because they are not up to scale," Bazemore said. "They are places you can't successfully take a CEO or president of a sponsoring company and expect them to be impressed. Bristol (Tenn. Dragway) obviously is one you can. (Infineon Raceway) and other tracks like it are the types of tracks we need to promote our sport.
(Hartenstein) did address that. I think because of his background, he came across as someone who has a very strong and good understanding of the many different facets of our sport, which I was impressed with. He did touch on facilities. I think he understands that the facilities need to be top notch. He understands that the value of the sport isn't what it should be to the value of corporate America. He understands that it is an under-sold product. Those are all good positive things, because if he thought it was great, then obviously we're in trouble.
"Parts of our sport are great, but there are parts that need attention. It sounds like from what he said that he understands that, and is someone with his partners who will address that. And to me, that's tremendously exciting."
"It went well," said owner/driver Kenny Bernstein, who is also PRO president. "He doesn't have a definite game plan, but basically it's about getting more awareness for the sport and more exposure. More exposure means more sponsors and more sponsors means more dollars and more dollars means better gains...he's got all the right ideas."
But some believe that its not all about giving the HD group and Hartenstein the keys and let them driving unto the promised land.
"I think the guy can help us," said Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan. "He seemed like a very personable guy. We needed that. I just hope something good comes out of it. We surely need some help out here. If they open up and help us all, it will be good for the sport. That's all I can hope for. HD Partners CEO and chairman Eddie Hartenstein met for the first time with owners and drivers here on Saturday. All interested parties considered it to be a good first encounter, but the general consensus was the HD Partners purchase of NHRA Pro Racing is still a wait and see proposition.
"It went well," said owner/driver Kenny Bernstein, who is also PRO president. "He doesn't have a definite game plan, but basically it's about getting more awareness for the sport and more exposure. More exposure means more sponsors and more sponsors means more dollars and more dollars means better gains...he's got all the right ideas."
But some believe that its not all about giving the HD group and Hartenstein the keys and let them driving unto the promised land.
"I think the guy can help us," said Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan. "He seemed like a very personable guy. We needed that. I just hope something good comes out of it. We surely need some help out here. If they open up and help us all, it will be good for the sport. That's all I can hope for.
"It was just an introduction meeting more than anything else. We'll see more when everything is signed and sealed. But for right now, there wasn't anything he could offer anybody. He just wanted to introduce himself. I think the drivers need to unite and get together and decide whether they are going to help us. If not, we need to not race or something like that. I think they could be good for everybody, but they have to understand that we're all here struggling with every cent we can get our hands on. We're not going to put up with them making all the money without us not making a little just to get by."
Veteran Top Fuel racer Bob Vandergriff, who had sponsorship troubles before hooking up two years ago with United Parcel Services, is taking a wait-and-see approach.
"I think we're all very receptive to the message; we're all pulling for bigger and better things out here, but I think you have a lot of people sitting here with a wait-and-see attitude," Vandergriff said. "It's a lot harder for guys who have been out here as long as I have to do things than you originally envisioned. We see people with (big plans) show up all the time, and things don't happen the way the way they think they can make them happen.
"I'm just hoping they do have the ability (to grow the sport). We're optimistic about what they are trying to do, but I think we have a lot of people sitting back saying, 'Let's just see.' But all we can do is support them and hope they can pull off what they think they can do."
But others believe that because of the acquisition, NHRA drag racing could be on the cusp of something big.
"I was very impressed with the guy," said veteran driver Whit Bazemore, who has had the unique view of competing in the sport from a small independent to a driver on one of the top teams in the sport. "He seems to be extremely dynamic and very intelligent. He said things that made me feel like he was sincere in his desire to build the sport into something that is more financially viable for everybody.
"They are bringing new capital to the sport, and if you listen to NHRA management now, they claim they need that capital to take the sport somewhere else. I believe with HD Partners, and listening to what Eddie had to say (Saturday), they are obviously in a position to do that. They bought it for a reason. The reason is to make money, and I want NHRA to make a lot of money, and to be tremendously successful, because all of that trickles down. He came across as someone who has a very strong vision and a very strong ideal of where he wants us to go. I find that exciting and very positive."
While Hartenstein apparently didn't get into any specifics, Bazemore said he did talk about facilities, an issue Bazemore said the sport needs to address.
"There are races on our schedule I don't think we have any business going to do because they are not up to scale," Bazemore said. "They are places you can't successfully take a CEO or president of a sponsoring company and expect them to be impressed. Bristol (Tenn. Dragway) obviously is one you can. (Infineon Raceway) and other tracks like it are the types of tracks we need to promote our sport.
(Hartenstein) did address that. I think because of his background, he came across as someone who has a very strong and good understanding of the many different facets of our sport, which I was impressed with. He did touch on facilities. I think he understands that the facilities need to be top notch. He understands that the value of the sport isn't what it should be to the value of corporate America. He understands that it is an under-sold product. Those are all good positive things, because if he thought it was great, then obviously we're in trouble.
"Parts of our sport are great, but there are parts that need attention. It sounds like from what he said that he understands that, and is someone with his partners who will address that. And to me, that's tremendously exciting."
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