The Silly Season
Ok well as long as the Mayan Calender isn't correct and on December 23, 2012 the big blue marble doesn't implode or something, then NHRA Championship Drag Racing in 2013 should be an interesting season for sure when the teams show up in West Palm for testing, and then if there is a track to hold testing on the west coast.
With that being said, it appears as though, Silly Season is running at a fever pitch. For all four of you who read this blog ( which I have designated as and from now on will refer to you as The Faithful Four) who might not know exactly what Silly Season is, it is when there are big changes happening in the sport for the next season which brings out all kinds of rumors and gossip. Some of which is actually true! :)
First off the NHRA and its umbrella marketing partner, the Coca-Cola company have decided to make a change in the presenting sponsor for the 2013 season. Mello Yello will be the presenting sponsor for the NHRA Drag Racing Series taking over from Full Throttle Energy Drinks. Now just one question, cause I'm silly like that. Was any thought given to the unintentional consequences, color of the product, the product itself, and what kind of negative connotations could be constructed? Just wondering.
With that being said, there is big news in the on of the major teams in NHRA, Don Schumacher Racing. First of all, there is the whole Spencer Massey debacle, which as more is found out the better things are left unsaid. It is just a shame, in many ways.
The other news from DSR is the fact that Matt Hagen's crew chief Tommy Delago has taken his leave from the team and is rumored to be heading for Ypsilanti, Michigan, the home of Kalitta Racing.
Also in the Top Fuel world there are postings stating that Alan Johnson/Al-Anabi Racing
have also been told that the funding fountain has dried up. This was also rumored last year too, right after Del Worsham won the Top Fuel World Championship. So we will have to see what happens as we proceed through the off season.
Kalitta's have been rumored to be putting Alexis Dejoria' crew chief from 2012 and 2011 Top Fuel World Champion Del Worsham back into a funny car to drive, with partial backing from the folks at Tequila Patron. No word if this will be third funny car or will it be a repaint of the DHL Toyota driven in 2012 by Jeff Arend. If so where does that leave Arend?
Speaking of other flopper teams, another hot tid bit coming from Bobby Bennett and Competition Plus .com is that Lee Beard and Cruz Pedregon have decided to go their separate ways at the conclusion of the season, even after winning the World Finals. That was one of those relationship, from my perspective that seemed doomed from the beginning. Both gentlemen have "healthy" egos which sometimes is like oil and water. There wasn't a great deal of happy happy joy joy on Beard's face after Cruz took the win at the World Finals.
And speaking of tracks it has been announced that Firebird International Raceway, the one in Chandler, Arizona will be closing down after their national event in February. The Indian Tribe who owns the land is not willing to renew Charlie Allen's lease, so that leaves the desert southwest with out a race in 2014. Or does it. There is speculation that there are numerous other business men who have had talks with the Tribe and there might be a possibility that it is a relationship thing with Mr. Allen, and that another management team could take over the operations of the track and give it the proper update it needs. Which might then secure the Phoenix track another year of national event fun. Maybe even a back to the warm up series that was a huge success in the past. Stay tuned.
Just a few things for the Faithful Four to chew on.
Just to see if anybody notices.
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