UP FRONT - ITS TIME FOR A COMPLETE HOUSE CLEANING AT NHRA
Thu, 2008-04-24 08:54
The
embarrassment that was the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas
should be placed directly where the blame belongs – at the doorstep of
the National Hot Rod Association. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is completely blameless for the fiasco, particularly after
track management reportedly informed NHRA that they had already scraped
the track, but NHRA went ahead and scraped it again anyway. The
NHRA not only owes track owner Bruton Smith a sincere apology, they owe
the same apology to Summit Racing Equipment, their other sponsors, the
competitors and, most of the all, to the fans who paid good money to
see a lousy show.
Compounding
an already disastrous weekend was NHRA’s bumbling of the announcement
of the $100,000 fine levied against Don Schumacher for an alleged fuel
violation. Rather than wait until Tuesday, when
the media would have been scattered to the winds, and getting reactions
from Schumacher and Graham Light would have been problematical, the
announcement was made Sunday afternoon, resulting in a media feeding
frenzy. That was further compounded by Light’s reported less-then-professional statement during the event telecast Sunday night.
While
we’ve heard cooler heads were advising holding off any announcement,
Light was apparently adamant about its immediate importance, forcing us
to ask, Was this about a real issue, or was it more about Light being
desirous of demonstrating his own power and importance?
The NHRA can longer deny the facts ...
The
embarrassment that was the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas
should be placed directly where the blame belongs – at the doorstep of
the National Hot Rod Association. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is completely blameless for the fiasco, particularly after
track management reportedly informed NHRA that they had already scraped
the track, but NHRA went ahead and scraped it again anyway. The
NHRA not only owes track owner Bruton Smith a sincere apology, they owe
the same apology to Summit Racing Equipment, their other sponsors, the
competitors and, most of the all, to the fans who paid good money to
see a lousy show.
Compounding
an already disastrous weekend was NHRA’s bumbling of the announcement
of the $100,000 fine levied against Don Schumacher for an alleged fuel
violation. Rather than wait until Tuesday, when
the media would have been scattered to the winds, and getting reactions
from Schumacher and Graham Light would have been problematical, the
announcement was made Sunday afternoon, resulting in a media feeding
frenzy. That was further compounded by Light’s reported less-then-professional statement during the event telecast Sunday night.
While
we’ve heard cooler heads were advising holding off any announcement,
Light was apparently adamant about its immediate importance, forcing us
to ask, Was this about a real issue, or was it more about Light being
desirous of demonstrating his own power and importance?
NHRA
sources claim there is more to the Schumacher fine than has been stated
thus far, but if Glendora thinks this will be settled through the
appeal process they had better think again. This is going to be determined in front of a judge and jury.
Further,
the depiction of the Army car doing a burnout in the background of the
television announcement of the fine was poorly conceived and an
embarrassment to that sponsor. In truth, ESPN is
responsible for that, not NHRA, but had the announcement been held
until Tuesday that visual probably wouldn’t have been used in a later
telecast. In fact, it’s possible that there
would have been no more than minimal coverage on TV because the next
event telecast isn’t until the Atlanta race, this weekend, which is two
weeks later. As it was, with terrible visuals
from a one-lane race track to work with, TV had plenty of time and
reason to really highlight the Schumacher fine announcement.
In politics, the military or the corporate world no entity moves forward if the man at the top has surrounded himself with his closest personal friends in top management positions. There absolutely must be some “space” between the individual at the top and those who work under him. You cannot spend your weekends backpacking in the Sierras with the men who are your underlings Monday through Friday.
Tuner
Alan Johnson, through his team’s public relations expert (and we aren’t
using the word “expert” lightly), put out a press release on the
Thursday following the race that rightfully blistered both NHRA and
ESPN2. They deserved it.
While
the existing management group at the National Hot Rod Association will
quickly tell you otherwise, the number of disenchanted racers, sponsors
and fans is on the increase. The Las Vegas race was just the latest in a series of embarrassments for the NHRA. Look
no further than two weeks earlier to the Houston race, where the
track’s notorious bumps hadn’t been repaired despite numerous and very
vocal complaints that stretch back more than a year. We remember a race at Houston so long ago that Frank Iaconio was still driving in Pro Stock. He made a partial run, stopped a half track and climbed out in protest of the track conditions. How can there be any excuse for those bumps when the track owners also own construction and paving companies?
While
the crowd at Las Vegas was reported by multiple and reliable sources to
have been up 3 percent over last year’s race, we find that hard to
believe from personal observation, unless, as an individual we trust
has suggested, the fans were so disillusioned by what was taking place
on the track in front of them that they spent more time roaming the
pits than they did in watching the “races.”
Despite
statements to the contrary, NHRA does not appear to be paying the
slightest attention to the state of the nation’s economy, which is in
the dumper. Everything from new housing starts
to retail sales to fuel prices seems to confirm it (the price of
regular went up another $.20 overnight here in New Mexico), yet there’s
been no move to lower ticket prices, offer up two-for-ones on a Friday
or anything else. NHRA seems intent upon sucking
the drag racing golden goose dry before they consider real cost-saving
moves designed to help their own participants and fans.
If
you’re looking for evidence of a declining economy, look no further
than the sportsmen pits in Vegas, which were anything but full, and
disregard NHRA’s contention that this was because there wasn’t a points
race at the same facility either immediately before or after the
national event, which would have attracted more competitors for a
“two-fer.”. The sportsmen entries were down
because people racing for little more than trophies have more pressing
needs, like house payments and food, than they do a need for speed.
To
give you a small concept of where NHRA is coming from, when someone
suggested they offer free or greatly reduced admission to military
personnel and/or their dependents at the Las Vegas race a few years ago
simply by showing their government ID at the gate, the response was
that NHRA already offers a discount to the military. Some discount. A whopping 10 percent, and then only for those in uniform. Think
of the public relations home run that could have been achieved had NHRA
visited the base commander across the street (literally) at Nellis Air
Force Base two weeks in advance of the event offering active duty
personnel and their dependents free admission on Friday. This
was at the start of whatever they’re calling the debacle in Iraq, but
headlines reading “NHRA Supports Military Personnel With Free
Admission” certainly wouldn’t have hurt the sport’s image, but, of
course, those headlines didn’t and won’t happen as long as the
hard-headed, only-we-know-what’s-best management team is in charge.
In
politics, the military or the corporate world no entity moves forward
if the man at the top has surrounded himself with his closest personal
friends in top management positions. There absolutely must be some “space” between the individual at the top and those who work under him. You cannot spend your weekends backpacking in the Sierras with the men who are your underlings Monday through Friday. If you do you will never discipline or discharge them if they’re not getting the job done if for no other reason than they are your closest friends.
If you doubt that management theory, ask any businessman you know if he socializes with his employees. I’ll wager that the most successful of them absolutely do not. They
keep their distance for the simple reason that they know that there may
come a day when someone has to be let go, and it’s a heck of a lot
harder to let your best buddy go than it is someone you’ve treated with
respect, but who is definitely charged with doing the job you’ve
outlined, and knows that if they don’t, their position may be in
jeopardy.
When’s
the last time you heard of anyone in a senior NHRA position being let
go for incompetence, yet incompetence reigns supreme in that
organization -- from top to bottom.
It’s
time for a complete house cleaning at NHRA, something that many
predicted would have quickly happened had the HD Partners acquisition
gone through. The problem is that there’s no way to force that house cleaning, and those in charge know it. We in the media can rant and rave to our heart’s content, with no chance of our wailing have any impact at all. Even
if all 70,000 NHRA “members” called for a change in management it
wouldn’t happen because the so-called “members” -- just like the media
-- are powerless to bring about change. In other words, until someone buys the NHRA the problem is insoluble
Do
we suspect that many in the current management team were envisioning
golden parachutes for themselves had the HDP purchase gone through? You bet we do.
We have friends working in management positions in Glendora, but this isn’t about friendship. Friendship is what’s infecting NHRA management with malaise. This is about improving NHRA drag racing, which is as stagnant as a potash separation pond.
If you’ve ever scanned a corporate annual report, or even an online company outline, one thing becomes glaringly obvious: It
is extremely rare for the company’s Board of Directors to be made up of
the same people who occupy its senior management positions. A
Board is supposed to serve in an oversight capacity, making sure that
the managers are making the correct decisions for the company’s future. That’s not the case with the NHRA. The very same people who should be doing the overseeing are overseeing…themselves! Where is the oversight? There is none.
Tom Compton, president of NHRA; president of the Board. Peter Clifford, executive vice president, general manager; member of the Board. Graham Light, senior vice president, racing operations; member of the Board. Only
Dallas Gardner, chairman of the Board, the one under whose watch as
president the fortunes of NHRA seriously declined, and Dick Wells, the
last of the old timers and in declining health and advancing years, do
not have full time positions in the company. Gardner, according to public records, received more than $300,000 in compensation in 2006, while Wells received under $100,000. The combined total compensation paid Compton, Clifford and Light in ’06 was $1,397,098. Imagine what it might be in 2008.
There’s
another point that must be made, and I know I’m echoing a sentiment
recently aired by another writer who happened to be correct. If
the professional racers are as angry about things as they’re constantly
telling me they are, in some respects they have only themselves to
blame for their situation because as long as they keep showing up
to race on poorly prepared tracks without a purse increase in sight,
they have only themselves to blame.
Where is the PRO in all of this? The
organization is all but invisible, and part of the blame for that has
to be placed at the feet of president Kenny Bernstein who, from the
reports we hear, consistently tries to deflect talk of labor actions
and direct confrontations with NHRA management as being disadvantageous
to the sport. In the last six months first the
highly respected Barry Mano resigned from the Board, and since Las
Vegas Don Schumacher has also resigned. Mark Pawuk, who is not currently active in Pro Stock, also appears to be on the way out. The organization cannot afford to lose thoughtful, professional individuals like these.
Maybe
10 years ago on a Friday night at Indy Mr. Bernstein was pulling on his
firesuit while standing by his dragster underneath the crossover bridge
when he looked up at the tower and pointedly said, “These people
(meaning NHRA management) aren’t going to pay any attention to us until
we refuse to run.” Respectfully, Mr. Bernstein, it was true then, and it’s true today. As long as the PRO continues to act like a collective eunuch, the racers will be treated accordingly.
Won’t somebody – anybody – please step up and buy the NHRA and end this nightmare?
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