BILL STEPHENS “IN THE GROOVE” 7/28/10

It’s been a crazy, frenetic, chaotic week on this end and am now just getting the chance to put together the latest “ITG”. As busy as I’ve been, I have to admit that the demands of the Western Swing which just wrapped up in Denver last weekend make my life seem like a vacation. Robert and John made good use of the Swing, especially the all-JFR final in Denver which insured that John would end the Swing in the same points position in which he started it—first.

Robert has apparently benefited from Jimmy’s due diligence in bringing much more consistency to his AAA Mustang. With son-in-law now in second place in the points with only a handful of races remaining before the Countdown playoffs, the next item for the team to work on collectively is get Ashley some steady round wins and a national event victory or two to lift her up from her current 8th place spot.

Meanwhile, much of what I’ve been up to revolves around the pre-production of the second season of “NHRA’S Greatest Races” which will debut on HD Theater in January. It will be a very labor-intensive series for me as I’ll be researching, writing, hosting, and producing the 13-week series—lots of work but a true labor of love for me. In August, I’ll be traveling to the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum at the Fairplex in Pomona to shoot the opening segments for the shows and I must admit I still get goose bumps whenever I walk into that building and see all of the great displays and exhibits. Of course, the collection of vintage race cars—some of the most historic vehicles in NHRA history—are beyond compare and any true drag racing fan hasn’t really gotten the full impact of the hot rodding heritage until they’ve paid a visit to this legendary facility.

Elsewhere, I’ve been reading a lot of what’s been written recently on the drag racing message boards on the Internet regarding some of the more vital issues facing professional drag racing, especially at the NHRA, including spec engines, the possibility of returning to the ¼-mile or mandating the 1000’ racing distance for the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. As expected, everyone has an opinion and nobody seems to shy in expressing it. Whatever position you take, the fact is the sport is facing some new challenges and some tricky decisions as the landscape of big time motorsports continues to shift.

The spec engine debate and the objective of controlling the speeds of the nitro cars continue to be major topics of conversation since it involves several key factors in determining the course of the future for drag racing. Safety, economics, and the kind of entertainment the paying public can expect all must be discussed and balanced in a tight financial universe in which we live and at a time when advancing the cause for driver and fan safety has taken on new immediacy. Ultimately, the health and vitality of drag racing will very likely prevail and improve despite the many daunting issues facing it today.

For now, everyone can take some time off with the next race coming up in a couple of weeks in beautiful Brainerd, Minnesota, followed two weeks later by the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and the kickoff of the Countdown to One.

The best is yet to come!