Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/25194
VIEWS FROM THE GRANDSTANDS KAY BELL NHRA Is the USA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a perfect microcosm of the United States and the world n the small West Texas town where I grew up, my introduc- tion to motorsports was Penwell Raceway. John Force and “Big Daddy” Don Garlits were among the competitors over the years to grace the quarter-mile drag strip in the desert scrub west of Odessa. Of course, as a kid I was more impressed with the booming “Sun- day, Sunday, Sunday,” radio and TV ads than the motorsports leg- ends. Little did I know how well the National Hot Rod Associa- tion (NHRA) reflected national demographics.. I While NASCAR touts its “diver- sity programs,” the NHRA actually has diversity. More than perhaps any other series in motorsports, LOOSE LUGNUTS Off to a bad start, Part I Robby Gordon entered the Dakar Rally again this year, trying to improve on his third-place finish in 2010, but his Hummer broke a wheel bearing early on the fourth day of the two-week marathon and couldn’t be repaired in time for him to continue. Already, though, Gordon has prom- ised that he’ll be back down in South America next January. Both competitors and race offi- cials seem happy with the way the race is growing after four years in South America, but I have to admit I miss the old rally route in Africa. The stages through the Sahara desert and across the Atlas mountains seemed far more impressive, and the current layout, which begins and ends in Buenos Aires, has nothing to compare to the original Dakar Rally’s finish on the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beach in Senegal. Part II Tired of the calm and corporate “new” Tony Stewart? Miss the good ol’ days when “Smoke” wasn’t just a nickname but was what came pouring out of Stewart’s ears? Well, the “old” Tony reappeared briefly in January, far away from the world of NASCAR. Stewart went to Sydney for a Sprint Grand National 34 TRUCKERS NEWS MARCH 2011 event but did more beatin’ and ban- gin’ off the track than on it. Stewart participated in his heat race but was conspicuously absent the rest of the night, and reports soon surfaced that he got into a scuffle with Sydney Speedway owner Brett Morris. Stewart allegedly smacked Morris with his helmet, and Morris responded by giving Stewart a black eye. Stewart was later questioned by police, but no charges were filed. German engineer- ing The last thing I need to do is watch even more cars go round and round, but I’m already excited that Germany’s DTM touring car series is scheduling a 12-race slate in the United States starting in 2013. The plans call for six races in conjunc- tion with NASCAR Sprint Cup races and six to be paired with the Rolex Grand-Am Series. If you’ve seen the DTM races on the Speed Channel, you know why I love those vehicles — they’re souped-up production machines that still greatly resemble street cars, just like NASCAR used to have. The DTM series currently features Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 cars, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see former participant BMW jump back in as well. the drag racers look like Amer- ica — white, of course, but also brown and black, male and female, young and old. The breadth of that diversity was on full display in the Funny Car class last season, when 61-year-old Force captured his 15th driver’s championship by winning the last two races of the season to edge out 27-year-old Matt Hagan. Third in the points was Force’s daughter, Ashley Force Hood, mak- ing the 1-2-3 final standings a 60-something, a 20-something and a woman. John Force Racing is one of the most outstanding examples of a successful family racing busi- ness you’ll ever see. Force is still in championship form, and his son-in-law Robert Hight (he’s married to Force’s oldest daugh- ter, Adria, the chief financial offi- cer of John Force Racing) drives for him and won the 2009 Funny Car crown. Ashley, 28, was second in the points in 2009 before her third- place finish last year. Her 21-year- old sister Courtney is rising through the ranks of the second-tier Top Alcohol dragster series, as they try to build on the success of a long line of female drag-racing stars such as the pioneering Shirley “Heart Like a Wheel” Muldowney and Angelle Sampey (who raced under the surnames Seeling and Savoie), one of the most accomplished pro stock bike riders of all time. COURTESY HANNA MOTORSPORTS