NHRA News: New-look National DRAGSTER offers many improvements (1/22/2004)

New-look National DRAGSTER offers many improvements

1/21/2004

The first 2004 cover features POWERade champ Tony Pedregon, who also is the subject of an extensive interview inside.

There will be something new and exciting in the mailboxes of NHRA members next week with the first 2004 issues of National DRAGSTER, the official publication of the National Hot Rod Association.

For the first time in its 44-year history, the venerable weekly newsmagazine will sport a new size, which will complement many other upgrades to drag racing's best-read and most-respected publication, including an upgrade in paper quality and binding.

The improvements follow a legacy of continual advancements over the magazine's history. Over the years National DRAGSTER has grown from an initial 16-page loose-leaf black and white offering in May 1960 to the first use of color (blue, later that same year) and the first full-color pictures in July 1972. In January 1985, National DRAGSTER converted from its quarter-fold covers to today's full-page version and in November 1988, production was brought in-house the first saddle-stitch (stapled) issues were produced.

Beginning with issue 1 of 2004, National DRAGSTER will be printed in a 10-inch wide x 12-inch tall format (the previous size was 10 3/4 x 14 ½) and will be perfect bound instead of stapled (men, think Maxim; women, think Cosmopolitan) to produce a handsome result. The major contents of each issue will be printed on the thick spine of the book for easy reference in readers' libraries.

The new size will provide NHRA members with a number of great benefits over the previous size and allow for greater editorial flexibility.

The new size is more efficient and should allow quicker processing by the postal service, providing more consistent arrival times. Additionally, the new size will require less folding to fit in most mailboxes, meaning a better-looking product once the issue lands in a member's hands. Having the issues perfect bound also provides many benefits, including removing the previous limit of 240-page issues as well as allowing a more efficient use of color than ever before, which will allow the staff to produce for full-color pages. Additionally, the perfect binding will make it less likely that the cover will be pulled off.

There's never been a better time to become a subscriber to National DRAGSTER. You can get 48 weekly issues and a membership in the NHRA. Click here to find out more.

National DRAGSTER also will now be printed on an upgraded paper stock for both the cover and the body of the publication, which will improve the look and readability of the issues. The heavier paper on the cover will not only provide a better canvas for the cover images but also will help protect the issue.

"The conversion to this new format has meant a trying winter for the staff, we're extremely excited about what it holds and the extra value that it will bring to National DRAGSTER readers," said National DRAGSTER Editor Phil Burgess, who promises readers a content upgrade as well.

The additional color will be put to good use in National DRAGSTER's award-winning Pro-class coverage of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and color will generously applied throughout the front half of the magazine in feature stories and other articles.

Without sacrificing any of its unparalleled coverage of all forms of NHRA drag racing, the National DRAGSTER editorial staff will offer additional features, news analysis, and new columns to provide the readership with the inside scoop from the teams and stars of the sport. An upgraded statistical section, team profiles, car features, and more are among the first new additions readers will notice.

National DRAGSTER also has added two new columnists: Tim Gibson – Top Fuel pilot, engineer, and aerodynamicist – who will share his vast wealth of information on all topics, and Frank Hawley, the world's foremost authority on drag-race driving, who will offer his expertise on a variety of topics concerning driving and driving psychology. Gibson will make his debut in issue 3, Hawley in issue 4.

"There's a whole lot more that will be revealed in the coming weeks, but let's just say this is going to be a banner year for National DRAGSTER readers," added Burgess.

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