Drag Illustrated Issue 129, January / February 2018 | Page 69

Tommy Franklin &
his “Jungle Rat” rule
PDRA Pro Nitrous
By Nate Van Wagnen
PHO T O GR A PH BY R ICK BE L DE N
A
fresh layer of snow coats the sidewalk
as Tommy Franklin walks up to the office occupied
by Franklin Electric, one of the four businesses
Franklin operates with his wife, Judy. It’s only 7
a.m., but Franklin’s phone is already ringing off the
hook. On the other line could be one of the 80-plus
employees he has working at Franklin Electric and
SmartCom Home Technologies, or maybe one of his
trusted staff members at the Professional Drag Racers Association or
Virginia Motorsports Park, which Franklin purchased in late October.
The caller turns out to be one of the subcontractors working with Smart-
Com, the security company Franklin started in 2003 to compliment
his thriving electrical contracting firm. Franklin addresses the issue at
hand and returns to some paperwork.