RICHARD FREEMAN |
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races , cut the races . If it ’ s staying 24 , help NHRA get more sponsors and maybe that filters down to the teams . We just can ’ t blame one thing . There ’ s a lot of things and there ’ s a lot of things to be fixed , but it ’ s not just Pro Stock . It ’ s the entire landscape of motorsports in general .
It ’ s a different era . You can look backwards and talk about 1980 , but this isn ’ t 1980 . This is 2017 . You cannot go backwards , you just can ’ t . Whoever says that is not very intelligent . I use the car business , because I was raised in the car business , as kind of an example . I remember when I was running a new- and used-cars store and our advertising was done in newspapers . We would spend $ 20,000 for classified ads that only reached those people in Oklahoma City . Well , today , you can spend $ 2,000 and reach a million people , so the landscape has changed . I don ’ t care what you ’ re doing , it ’ s changed . All of it has changed what we do and we have to get better at that , and I think NHRA is doing that but I think it takes time . I try to stay positive about the stuff .
We want to continue racing Pro Stock . We love Pro Stock and we have a lot invested in it , as other people do , and I ’ m not just going to throw my hands up and say , ‘ Okay , let ’ s just quit , let ’ s go run Factory Stock .’ I will not do that . If they were to end Pro Stock today , I ’ m not running Factory Stock . I ’ m not doing it . I have zero interest in that . My next deal would be Pro Modified , but what people have to understand is if they had a 24-race schedule , Pro Modified would change . I promise you those guys , and you can ask any of them that run Pro Modified , they like it just like it is ( with a 12-race schedule ). They don ’ t want to race more . We just need to band together . We don ’ t need Pro Stock going away . We don ’ t need any class going away . We need to help make it better .
Speaking of Pro Modified , you ’ re seeing massive success and participation in that class , as well as other doorslammer classes . What are your thoughts on that ? Is there anything Pro Stock can learn from that success ?
I think it goes back to making it available . People still have to be able to get the parts , they still have to be able to get something that they can go race . Pro Modified and Top Sportsman , those are big cubic-inch motors , they have power adders , and when you take that stuff away and you have to start relying on the engine just by itself to make power , everything goes sky-high . You can overcome a lot of stuff when you put a turbo on it or twin-turbos or a blower or whatever . I ’ m just saying that a lot of the stuff that matters doesn ’ t matter as much . Even with Pro Modified , look at the people who win the championships . Who are they ? Rickie Smith , Troy Coughlin .
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HAPPY FAMILY
The Elite Performance team might have struggled at times in 2017 , but Freeman has thoroughly enjoyed his time with a Pro Stock driver lineup that includes Erica Enders , Jeg Coughlin Jr ., Vincent Nobile , Alex Laughlin and crew chief Rick Jones .
What are they ? Those are professional racers running . People can say what they want to . There are a lot of people who have as good of power as Rickie Smith . There are a lot of people who have as good of power as Troy Coughlin , from the same
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shop . But perception is I can buy that engine combination that Troy Coughlin has and they ’ ll tell me what converter , what transmission , what gear ratio I need and I can go compete . That is the truth , period . That ’ s just the way it is . That doesn ’ t mean you ’ re going to beat them , because they don ’ t .
But the perception is you can get your hands on that stuff and that ’ s one thing ( with ) Pro Stock , the perception is you cannot .
There ’ s been some rumblings about you getting more and more involved in the Pro Mod world . What ’ s the reasoning behind that ?
Well , I think it is exciting racing and I think what we would like to do is get our feet into the
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PHOTOS : RICK BELDEN , NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER |