Drag Racing

DRAG RACING IS A BIG MONEY MAKER !!

Oh yeah!…and some are crying all the way to the bank! There are ultra successful raceways in this country who have wisely added Drag Racing to their already burgeoning businesses and seen them grow and prosper. There are others - like Terry Cowger of Midway Hobbies in Ft. Pierce, Florida and Rick Blackson of T/R Motorplex in Fairborn, Ohio who reasoned that all they needed to make a v-e-r-y good living was just the Drag Racing all by itself! Check out the Midway Hobbies web site and see for yourself!

There are manufacturing companies who specialize in Drag Racing equipment - such as Bob and Brenda Herrick of Drag Racing Specialties in Plano, Texas; Jim Skinner and Michael Miller of JDS Enterprises in Sherman Oaks, California; and at least a dozen other smaller companies who make chassis, bodies, decals, tires, motors, etc. The major manufacturers have "seen the light" and folks like Rudy Garriga of Slick 7 has for several years been making high-tech equipment for this portion of the straight line model car racing industry. Stu Koford of Koford Engineering makes Drag motors and other items. Dan DeBella of ProSlot makes Drag motors and other good stuff. Just look at the tire manufacturers such as Bob Herman at Pro Track who makes gorgeous scale Drag tires - and he’s not the only one making these. Look at one of the major players who literally saved this industry in the early 70’s with the development of the ultra-successful Womp Womp - Parma International. They have their low-buck "Edge" equipment and all the related parts. Yet if you aren’t an enthusiast of straightline racing, or there isn’t a Drag strip anywhere near you, you hardly ever hear about them. Sinful!!! But look at the numbers this part of the industry generates! They’re unbelievable! It’s nothing to get 800 to a 1000 or more entries - all at the low-buck rate of $2 or $3 per entry - and they run them all in the space of one weekend! Oh…let me go to the bank with all this cash!

There are now Drag Racing Track Owners who also have their own product lines - such as Rick Blackson of T/R Motorplex in Ohio or Terry Cowger of Midway Hobbies who has just released his own Drag Bike. Mr. Blackson recently had his huge event which drew in some 868 entries. TOA Board Member/owner Mike Leach of Fastrak Raceway in Dresden, Ohio will soon host the 1998 SDRA National Championships and I guarantee you there will be well over 1000 entries. (Hey Mike…how about buying my airline ticket to Reno??? Ha!)

You want to know if Drag Racing can make you money? Ask the owner who has one! But beware…having a Drag Strip sitting along your wall is no guarantee of instantaneous wealth. I’ve seen far too many of these used as pit benches for road course racers! No…you have to work it just like anything else. Those who love racing slot cars - of ANY size or scale - have to be shown that there’s a lot of excitement, fun and enjoyment from watching a car go "SWOOSH!!!"’ down a scale 1/8^th mile, 1000-footer, or ź mile so fast you can hardly see the thing.

What makes it all the more enticing to thousands of folks who enjoy 1/1 Drag Racing is the fact that the miniature versions of their favorite cars all resemble something they’ve already seen on the big car circuit! You think there’s a lot of classes in 24^th scale road course racing? Take a look at a Drag Racing Program Sheet…every conceivable thing that can be run in a straight line at Indianapolis Raceway Park can be done in exact miniature - but one hell of a lot faster than 1/1!!! Man if that don’t get your fire started, you’d better check with your doctor.

With all the available classes, the best one - at least for my buck - is the Bracket Racing. Dial in your number…line up the car…watch that Christmas Tree…and Go like the dickens when your light turns Green! Awww…you Redlighted? Too bad. But you ain’t out if yet! There’s "buy backs" and you can come back and do it again!

We think you’ll enjoy the May 1998 issue - especially those of you track owner members who were already smart enough to have these money makers mounted down a wall or set up free-standing. Perhaps some of the other owners who have been thinking about this as an addition to their raceway will contact you and get their own little money machine installed.

	Track Owners Association, Inc.
	May 1998 Feature Report