Oh my God, but there may be an 8-car, 12-car, 10-car field for Top Fuel in 2009, so what! There also may be some sixteen and eighteen-car fields in 2009.  It is truly amazing the resilience the American drag racer and his need for competition has sparked the racing for well over fifty years.  We still don’t know if the IHRA will have a season other than Pro Stock.

It’s going to be a lousy year for many of us, family members, neighbors and friends will be hurting, but somehow professional drag racing should be immune?  There’s no right to drag race.  This is a time to draw together and find all the diverse kinds of drag racing that are out there as part of the entertainment landscape. 

The PSCAs, the ORSCAs, the ADRLs, the nostalgia-oriented Heritage Series, the local 7.0 Pro class, Goodguys, Super Chevy, the independent funny car shows like CIFCA and Funny Car Fever, SCEDA and SoCal Pro Gas among many others.  Just get off your dead ass and support drag racing.  Drag racing may not continue to grow for the near future, but it’s not going away. 

Drag racing may get smaller – it may get bigger and it will certainly survive, it may morph into a new and better form, but constantly blaming the sanctioning bodies for all the ailments of the global economy is asinine, once again we are not doomed.

In the future when I’m running the NHRA, I’ll make sure the President of the Association gives his weekly “Fireside Chats” so everyone feels all “warm and toasty” with the comfort of that faux embrace.  Until then, NHRA and IHRA are NOT the end all and be all of drag racing.

Before the new season starts, go pick up the book by Spencer Johnson, MD entitled ‘Who Moved My Cheese’, a delightful tome that’ll give you some perspective on life, change and may help you find your drag racing “cheese”.

There’s so much more to see and experience for that $20 admission ticket in the broader world of drag racing.  If you don’t widen your scope, then you have no grounds with which to continue your measly whining, go sit down and hold your breath because of 1,000 feet racing, rev-limiters, short fields, and the Countdown.  Who needs you, you weren’t much of a fan anyway.

Sit back and see what happens during this season.  There is nothing you are going to do to improve or modify drag racing unless you participate, no matter how small (1/8 mile) or large (1/4 mile) the show is – That’s Entertainment.

I’m looking forward to the first test sessions at Las Vegas, the Winternationals at Pomona, the March Meet at Famoso, PSCA Spring Break Shootout at Fontana and Mopars at the Strip at Vegas… my calendar is already getting full.  I spit on short fields!