Dirt
Rockingham’s storied promoter
discusses ever-changing
race promotion game
By Josh Hachat
I
n terms of drag racing promotion,
Steve Earwood has either heard or tried it
all, and it’s a vastly different landscape in
2017 than it was when Earwood purchased
Rockingham Dragway in 1992.
Those were the days of the NHRA Win-
ston Invitational, a spectacular shootout
that brought throngs of fans to Rockingham.
That time might be long gone but Earwood,
who was also a PR rep for the NHRA in the
1970s and 80s, has always managed to stir
up considerable interest in what’s happening
at his track.
His methods have changed, the type of
racing has changed – and usually does on
a weekly basis – but one thing remains the
same: if promoted properly, the fans will
come. Earwood talked to Drag Illustrated
about the changing landscape in race PR and
promotion, the large drag racing fanbase
he believes still exists and the challenges he
enjoys facing in this day and age.
How different does drag racing promo-
tion look to you in 2017?
I’m doing not many things today that
I was doing 10 years ago, eight years ago.
It’s changed dramatically. I had to get away
from the national-event structure because
the exposure was so horrendous if things
went wrong. In fa