NHRA News: NHRA.com Nitro Driver's poll reveals plenty (5/26/2004)

Nitro Driver's poll reveals plenty

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
5/26/2004

The second annual NHRA.com Nitro Driver's poll reveals some interesting thoughts from many of the top drivers in the POWERade Drag Racing Series. This year, many of the questions asked in the informal survey came from the fans themselves, who submitted their queries through a recent online poll at NHRA.com.

From the drivers widely considered to have the best reaction times, to the best crew chiefs in the business, to superstitions, combining the nitro categories, expanding the schedule, and how much money drivers make, this year's poll covers many areas of interest. There's even a question with hilarious answers about what fans constantly ask drivers whenever they meet their heroes.

The poll began with some thought-provoking questions that forced the drivers to give credit to their peers, since one of the ground rules of the survey was that no one could use themselves or their crew chiefs as answers to any of the queries.

John Force was voted the best at pedaling a car, and tied for first for having enviable reaction times.
Racers Edge Photography

John Force, Del Worsham, Doug Kalitta share the crown of best reaction-time specialists as each received 12 percent of the vote. Whit Bazemore and part-timer Clay Millican garnered eight percent apiece. This question actually received the biggest number of different answers as 16 different Pros were mentioned.

Force was the clear-cut favorite when it comes to pedaling a car, earning 30 percent of the vote. Bazemore was second closest with 13 percent, while Cory McClenathan, Tony Schumacher, and Gary Scelzi each bagged nine percent of the tally. Interestingly, ESPN commentator Mike Dunn got a vote for his past pedal jobs.

Three of drag racing's all-time greatest rocket scientists – Alan Johnson, Austin Coil, and "Big Daddy" Don Garlits – were 1-2-3, respectively, when the drivers were asked which person in drag racing they'd most like to sit down with and discuss the sport at length. Johnson earned 27 percent of the vote, Coil 23 percent, and Garlits 19 percent. However, Force said he would opt to pick the brain of Bazemore, "just so I could figure out what makes him tick."

Coil and Johnson were tops again when drivers were asked who they thought was the best crew chief in the sport. This time Coil had the decided advantage over his younger counterpart, 43 to 25 percent. Tim Richards, Dick LaHaie, and Connie Kalitta also received multiple votes as top tuner.

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, nearly every driver agreed crew chiefs are far from what they would consider "normal." Former Top Fuel champion Gary Scelzi summed up the thoughts of most drivers when he quipped that, "the better they are at tuning the car, the stranger they seem to the rest of us."

Perhaps the meticulous preparation needed to fly one of his many airplanes contributes to Doug Kalitta's interesting pre-race superstition.
Photo by Larry Caruso

When the subject of superstitions came up, most drivers deferred to the old axioms of the color green and peanuts in the pits. But when pressed on their fallacies, over half, 52 percent, said they really don't have any superstitions. Of the ones who admitted to anything, having a specific routine as they prepared for a race was the clear favorite. For whatever reason, most of the Pros said they always put on their left shoe and left glove first. Perhaps the strangest one of all was Doug Kalitta, who said he couldn't imagine making a pass if his two parachute cables weren't cut to exactly the same length.

With 29 percent of the vote, better marketing to a broader audience was the No. 1 thing drivers would do if they were in charge of the NHRA. Improving the television program (20 percent), adding dollars to the prize purses (18 percent), reorganizing the company (nine percent), and pushing the envelope to try new things (nine percent) also got multiple votes.

Three main suggestions, each receiving 23 percent of the total, were offered when drivers were asked what could be done to make nitro racing better. Employing traction control, improving racetracks, and making racing more affordable were the main ideas tabled. A handful of Pros also said a minor league "feeder system" of some sort should be made mandatory for both drivers and crew chiefs wishing to compete at the top level of drag racing.

A whopping 39 percent of those polled say team chemistry and surrounding yourself with the right people is the single biggest key to success. Having the desire and will to chase your drag racing dream (27 percent) and adequate funding (23 percent) also bagged big totals.

Should Nitro cars be slowed down?
"Never!" says Skoal pilot Tommy Johnson Jr.,
echoing the thoughts of 80-percent of the drivers.
Photo courtesy of SnakeRacing.com

Nine out of 10 drivers say that, given time, they would be just as effective in a dragster or a Funny Car were they forced to make a change from what they currently drive. Only two out of 10 want to slow the cars down, with Tommy Johnson Jr. adding an emphatic, "Never!" when asked the question.

Two out of three Pros would be against combining the Top Fuel and Funny Car into one class, mainly because of the stumbling block of which category would survive. Former Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon offered up the compromise of a 200-inch Funny Car-style machine that would behave more consistently like a dragster but could still receive factory support.

Seventy-three percent of the drivers on tour actually work on their high-horsepower machines, with a handful sheepishly admitting that they're "not allowed to touch the car."

When asked if they'd be opposed to expanding the current schedule of 23 national events per year, a majority of Pros, 59 percent, said no, with most adding the caveat that winnings would have to increase across the board to help compensate for the added costs.

The most popular question by far that was posed by fans in the online poll concerned how much money drivers make. As it turns out the question is tough to answer because some drivers draw no salary at all, preferring instead to put all the money back into their program. Of the drivers that do get paid, a range of between $75,000 and $300,000 was offered, with the overwhelming average somewhere around $150,000.

Tony Schumacher drives for the U.S. Army,
but he's not actually in the service.
Racers Edge Photography

Rookie driver Eric Medlen, who took the seat of 2003 champion Tony Pedregon at John Force Racing, was the runaway favorite when drivers were asked who they'd most like to trade places with at this point in their careers. The fact he's 30 years old, one of the youngest nitro drivers on tour, and is in one of the best cars available drew everyone's attention. Brandon Bernstein, Schumacher, and Force also got numerous votes.

If motorsports didn't exist, the list of occupations NHRA drivers would pursue are as varied as the drivers themselves. From medicine, high finance, and architecture, to Hollywood movie star, rodeo riding, and owning a beauty salon, virtually every walk of life was explored.

The final question was about questions themselves, and which ones they hear the most from fans across the country. Without question, the top answer was, "What does it feel like to drive your car?" Ironically, no driver has an adequate answer for that query. Drivers also repeatedly get, "Are you the driver?" and "How much do a pair of tires cost?" and "Will you sign this?" throughout race weekends.

Both Cruz and Tony Pedregon immediately answered, "Where's Frank?" referring to their brother who isn't racing this season. Likewise, Darrell Russell hears plenty of, "Where's Joe?" as fans try to track down his boss, five-time champion Joe Amato. Reigning two-time champion Larry Dixon is growing weary of the, "Why aren't you winning?" questions he's hearing this year, and Schumacher has to answer, "Are you really in the Army?" far more than he'd like to.

Without prompting, archrivals Force and Bazemore revealed that fans tend to antagonize their longstanding feud. Bazemore hears, "Are you gonna kick Force's butt today?" while Force says he's often posed with the question, "Why is Bazemore such a jerk?"

Related story: 2003 Nitro Driver's poll.

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