Drag Illustrated Issue 115, November 2016 | Page 8

LETTER from the EDITOR

About 10 years ago , legendary Top Fuel crew chief Alan Johnson ( whom I believe to be amongst the greatest minds in the history of drag racing ) gave me some great advice . He told me to aim to be evenkeeled with my emotions ; do all that I can to avoid getting too high or too low as I continued along my path as an entrepreneur in motorsports . It really hit home . It wasn ’ t the first time I ’ d heard those words , honestly , and it certainly wasn ’ t the last , but it was uniquely powerful coming from AJ .

No matter how frequently it ’ s been related to me , though , staying in the middle has always been a struggle . I can clearly see the advantages , and I feel like I ’ ve made tremendous progress , but I ’ ll admit that I have a ways to go . You see … I ’ m an excitable guy . I get so wound up and excited about things sometimes that I forget to eat . Other times , I ’ ll get so bent out of shape about something that I hardly sleep . Over the course of the last few years , one thing that ’ s been an especially hot-button subject for me has been the growth of the sport of drag racing and car culture in general . It seems like hardly a day goes by that I don ’ t hear someone tell me about drag racing ’ s “ graying ” fan base ; that the reason the spectator turnout at the last national event is down simply because a percentage of the previous year ’ s turnout died off ; that kids don ’ t even want to get their drivers license these days ; that young people don ’ t care about cars anymore .
I ’ m exhausted with it . The idea that fast cars , auto racing , and / or their own vehicles don ’ t interest young people is almost laughable – especially if you take a look at the pages of this special Tomorrow Issue of Drag Illustrated and our second-annual 30 Under 30 . I don ’ t think there is any denying that the sport of drag racing , especially at the highest levels ( NHRA ), is facing a serious need for change – especially if attracting new , young fans is a priority ( it is … or at least should be ) – but you don ’ t have to spend too much time at a drag radial race , street car shootout or a Junior Dragster special to see that there are a number of great young people already involved in the sport , with hordes on the sideline waiting for their opportunity to join the fray .
Instead of wasting our collective energy nitpicking drag racing ’ s shortcomings ( real or perceived ), personally , I believe we would be well served to invest some time in celebrating and encouraging the efforts of the thousands of young people currently involved in drag racing on every imaginable level . It ’ s absolutely imperative that these young men and women know without a shadow of doubt that their hard work and dedication is being noticed , and that they most assuredly will ultimately be rewarded for the time and effort they invest in drag racing – especially when there are countless other sports / hobbies / activities for young people to
DRAG RACING ’ S NEXT GENERATION
pursue these days .
Personally , I want to make sure that the young man or woman who chooses to stay home and work on their race car , labor all night over a sponsorship proposal , or ride-a-long with dad to pick up some race car parts instead of hitting up a beer party feels great about that admittedly tough decision . I think we ’ ve all been there , and I think it ’ s massively important we do things like the Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 to reward the kids who choose to chase their drag racing dreams and make sacrifices to do so , as well as – and possibly most importantly – inspire others to do the same .
Let me assure you that I could burn up a lot of space with my ramblings as to what needs to change and what we could improve to bring more young people to drag racing – both as fans and as participants – but I think the most important thing that we can do in this moment is to make sure we take good care of the kids that are already doing burnouts and spending every weekend at the drag strip . Next time you ’ re at the drag strip and you see a young cat wearing high top sneakers and a flat bill hat – don ’ t give ‘ em a hard time ; give ‘ em a pat on the back . Let them know that you ’ re glad to see them racing , working on a car , helping their parents or whatever it is that they might be doing . Instead of being mad that they ’ re running Junior Dragsters before your class , get out of your car and go wish those kids good luck , and let them know that you ’ re glad to see them behind the wheel of a drag car . I mean , seriously … they could be in a midget sprint car or something horrible like that ( I kid , I kid ).
OK , OK – I ’ ll get off the rev-limiter about this deal ; I ’ ve surely made my point . We ’ ve made a lot of noise in 2016 as to our desire to Make Drag Racing Great Again ( even though it ’ s already megaawesome ), and I can assure you that one simple , easy thing we can do that will make a monumental difference is to take the time to applaud all these great young kids that are hanging out at the drag strip with us . Look around , find a few that you think deserve some praise , and let us know about it . We had over 9,000 online nominations for the 30 Under 30 class of 2016 , but that doesn ’ t that there isn ’ t someone out there that deserves to see their name in lights , and I need you to help us make sure that person doesn ’ t get overlooked the next time around .
Until then , thank you so much to everyone who reached out to us while we worked on compiling our second-annual 30 Under 30 list . We so very much appreciate your feedback and insight – it ’ s basically mandatory for this program to work the way we intend it to . And thank you to all the young people that made the cut this year . Everyone here at Drag Illustrated could not possibly be more proud of you and what you represent . The sport of drag racing is in good hands .
Wesley R . Buck Editor-in-Chief wes @ dragillustrated . com
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Copyright © 2016 by Drag Illustrated Media , LLC . All rights reserved . Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited . Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media , LLC . Printed and mailed by Publication Printers in Denver , CO .
Wesley R . Buck Editor-in-Chief
I invite you to email me at wes @ dragillustrated . com and follow me at facebook . com / wbuck and wesbuckinc on Instagram .
All statements , including product claims , are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim . The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own , and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher .
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