MARCH/APRIL EDITION SIXTH SENSE

note: This was taken from a fax, so any errors may be the result of too many factors to list here from OCR to original text.

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Mark Faul Takes Stock, Bucky Austin Continues Hot Streak At Winternationals

Photos by Tim Marshall, courtesy Rich Carlson and were taken from what was available at the time. Sorry to Bucky, Dale, etc,for not having theirsincluded here.

At the 1998 NHRA Northwest Division Awards Banquet, Bucky Austin announced that he would make a dedicated effort to claim the 1999 Federal Mogul Funny Car World Championship. When the results of the 1999 Autozone Winternationals were in the record book Austin had taken the first giant stepŠjoining fellow Northwest Division racer Mark Faul in the Federal Mogul Winner's Circle.

Austin's decision to run for the championship came after he finished 1998 with a perfect record of four National event wins in four starts (Sonoma, Seattle, Brainard and Pomona) as well as a victory in the final Pacific Division event at Phoenix. Going into the final round of qualifying at Pomona Austin was in twenty-fifth position and the chances of making the show, much less win, were looking slim.

In that final session Austin poured the power into a third place qualifying effort and slowly began advancing to the finals. In a field loaded with Northwest Division talent, Bucky knocked off second fast qualifier and Dairy Farmer's of Oregon driver Russ Parker to advance to the semi¹s. In the finals Bucky knocked off Pete Swayne with a 5.752 run at 248.75 to take the win.

Faul continues to develop as one of the most patient and consistent racers in sportsman racing today when he marched round-after-round to earn his way into the Stock finals. For the second year-in-a-row Faul was able to knock off racer-after-racer to take the Winternationals title when he defeated Don Sarrett.

While the Northwest Division claimed two Winternationals titles, two racers came close...very close, to capturing titles of their own. Comp racer Rob Robinson found himself in the finals but came up just short, much to dismay of the fans of the popular racer. Another racer who made everyone take notice was 1998 Federal Mogul Dragster Champion Dale Carlson. Carlson, who had never won a round in National event competition, qualified second fast for the weekend and advanced steadily through the field. In the quarterfinals Carlson ran up against Mark Hentges, who appears to have rebounded from a miserable 1998 season, and overcame his fellow Washington resident to take the win despite a broken wing support. In the semi's Carlson¹s Giant Bicycles dragster broke a blower, luckily he was on a single run. In the final, against World Champion Rick Santos, Carlson came up just a little short and finished runner-up.

 

 

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It's Time For The Ignitor!

A special message from the New Crew at Firebird RacewayŠ

Celebrating the 29th edition of the oldest continuous NHRA Drag Racing event in the Pacific Northwest, Firebird Raceway in Boise is thrilled to host the Auto Parts N' Stuff Ignitor presented by Bob Rice Country which returns on April 16th -18th, 1999.

Pre-entries will be accepted for the event until the deadline of April 6 (postmark). Part of the tradition to the Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series in Boise, pre-entries offer the racers several added benefits. Upon arrival to the facility pre-entries receive a pre-entry packet, exclusive Wednesday parking, exclusive Thursday Test N' Tune runs conducted by the Firebird staff, free overnight camping, and an express lane into the raceway on a daily basis.

Firebird will also mark the debut of the sizzlin' hot, new Top Comp category for cars capable of running 6.30 - 7.99 (which will be altitude adjusted to 8.39 at Boise).

The Boise facility, long priding itself on wonderful family hospitality, will again offer three intriguing incentives that were very well received in their inaugural offering last April.

Returning for '99 will be the Record Blasters merit, which will award a special embroidered jacket to each racer who establishes a new NHRA National Record in Boise. Firebird will also present special 1,000 mile club embroidered caps to those making the long haul to Western Idaho. The Heads Up Package Attack returns during the final time trial session on Saturday for Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street, with the best 3 packages winning Firebird embroidered jackets for best package. If someone's perfect ( with a .000 reaction time) the New Crew will pay a $500 cash bonus in addition to the jacket for the first to pull off the feat.

A number of new improvements will be awaiting all the competitors, families and fans for the Ignitor Nitro Opener. For many who may not have been to Firebird since last April, you will be amazed at several of the new amenities completed during the past season or those capital improvements that are in the works as this is being drafted. So as not to give away too many secrets, "trust us when we say, you should be mildly impressed when you arrive at Firebird's racing kickoff in April."
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Happy Birthday CCHRA

One of the most dedicated and successful drag racing clubs in North America reaches a special milestone in 1999 when the Capital City Hot Rod Association of Edmonton celebrates it's 40th anniversary. CCHRA President Cam McPherson is busy at work planning a year long celebration to mark the season and will feature a special 40th Anniversary Banquet at the end of the year.

To commemorate this season, the CCHRA has produced a special calendar that features such legendary Canadian racers as Gary Beck, Gordie Bonin, Terry Capp. Ken Reich, Graham Bight, Bernie Fedderly and Rob Flyn. These hard core action photos are a must for any drag racing fan that will bring back long forgotten memories of the good old days.

To order your copy ($10 Canadian plus tax) contact Stan Ankers (403) 437-0875. All proceeds from the sale of the calendar goes to the CCHRA.
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Division 7 To Get New Director

It was officially announced by NHRA Vice President of Marketing Gary Darcy on February 18, 1999 that Pacific Division Director Glen Cromwell has moved over to the position of Director of NHRA National Event Marketing. Cromwell will continue to assist the National Field Office in the production of Division 7 events until his replacement has been named and properly trained.

Cromwell joined NHRA in 1997 after working in the sales, marketing and operations departments of PACE Motorsports in Chicago (where he had worked with NHRA Director of Race Operations Ned Walliser and Northwest Division Director Chris Blair). Glen has long been recognized as one of the best marketing people in the live entertainment business and his ticket sales at PACE consistently sold out venues such as the Minneapolis Metrodome, the Atlanta Georgiadome and Anaheim Stadium. In less than two months in 1997, Cromwell's ticket sales exceeded the quarter million mark for events such as the AMA SuperCross Series and USHRA Monster Trucks.

The staff and Certification Team of the Northwest Division wish Glen the best and hopes he continues his amazing ticket sales record with the NHRA National Events.
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No Changes In Motorcycle Classes For 1999!

Despite rumors to the contrary, no changes have been made to either the Pro Sportsman Motorcycle category that competes at Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series events or to the bracket motorcycle class that will compete in the Sears Craftsman E.T. Finals.

A reminder, electronics are not permitted in any form of motorcycle competition in the Northwest division. This means that automatic shifters are not allowed! While data recorders are permitted in Pro Sportsman Motorcycle, they are not permitted in the bracket class.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Northwest Division Tech Director Jerry Valentine at 360-698-4858.
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Making Your Website Sponsor Friendly
by Larry Pfister

As many racers have discovered, it's fairly easy to get your own web page up and running. Unfortunately within a few months your ideas of using the site as a marketing tool for your team and sponsors has fallen Upon hard times.

There are a number of basic things you can do to help make your site more popular not only with your online friends but your sponsors as well. This short article will deal with some ideas on how to make your drag racing web site a tool that can help you both promote current sponsors as well as making an effort to be noticed by potential future sponsors as well. The first thing to do is make sure you have good links to any sponsors you may already have, who have web sites. Make it so that anywhere the sponsors name or logo is that is an instant hotlink to that company's website. It doesn¹t matter how small the company is, links are easy to do, and there is no excuse to ignore them.

To make a site a success you simply must do updates, hopefully on a regular basis. Nothing will ruin your web plans quicker than a site that starts like gangbusters then becomes a static experience for your visitors You have to give people a reason to come back... over and over. And people visiting your site is what will help the sponsorship game.

A minimum time frame would be once per month. Try to have someone... anyone, make some notes either during or immediately after the race. Even if you lost first round there had to be some kind of fun thing you did that weekend You can put it together in point form (easiest), make a story of it or even write it up like a diary. The web is about trying to be different than the other guy, so feel free to experiment. If you can't write there is another way.

Every racetrack you go to has track photographers. I know that if you do some kind of regular deal most will take a number of action shots as well as a couple of pit pictures at each race for a small amount of money. Always tell the photographer you intend to reproduce the photos on your web site. In most cases it will not be a problem. One big thing you can do to maybe get an even better deal is to promise to put the photographers name on the image (not under it) and make the photo a link to the photographers site if they have one. Both are very easy things to do. Photographer sites get lots of hits, you may even get some of his visitors coming your way.

Four or five photos (maybe even of sponsors who come to the race...many people love being showcased), your results and a mention of how your sponsors made that weekend all possible will give you a truck-load of brownie points with any sponsor... and that's the name of the game. They want exposure in an attempt to sell their product or service.

If you have the time you can send out e-mail press releases. They can range from weekly pre-race followed by post race releases to just monthly updates. Pick and choose company websites that you may already have some kind of relationship with. There's a bunch of ways to do this, but that¹s another story. Don't do bulk e-mails to long lists of companies, and don't waste your time on major corporations if all you have is a bracket car. Dozens of local companies in your own town have websites, so take some time to look up a few.

Once you get a few companies on board, a monthly feature of that sponsor can do wonders. A shot of the owner, the building, their products, either by you or that track photographer, will put you head-and-shoulders above your competition. If you are financially blessed you can even hire someone to do all this, it may be cheaper than you think when when taking into consideration the potential financial benefits that may result.

Doing this regularly cannot be stressed too much. Once per race or once per month and you will be doing your sponsors a good service, keep web visitors coming back for more and put you on track to bigger and better sponsor deals in the future. Yes, it's a lot of work, but nothing comes cheap these days, and the more you do than the other guy, the more sponsors will come your way.

Remember this golden rule; 90% of what you can do for a sponsor comes away from the race track. If you think a name on the fender and trailer is enough, you are in for a drastic real-world experience.

Larry Pfister larryp@horsepowerheaven.com
www.horsepowerheaven.com

Division Director's message... This is the first of several guest articles by Larry Pfister that will be featured in "Sixth Sense" regarding sponsorships, websites and marketing. If you are in need of up-to-the-minute Drag Racing news in the Northwest, be sure to check out Horsepowerheaven.com.
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Cousins Transport Adds Some Spice To Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series Event

The upcoming Lordco Federal Mogul B.C. Nationals at Mission Raceway Park are adding some excitement for racers in Federal Mogul Dragster and Federal Mogul Funny Car. Cousin's Transport, a Mission area trucking firm, has posted a total of $6,000 in bonus money to any racers establishing either a national speed or elapsed time record in either of the two classes. Anyone setting a record wins $1,500, if he wins both E.T. and Speed he walks away with $3,000.

Should the prize go unclaimed at the Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series event, the bonus money will carry over to round two of the Canadian National Open Championship which will be held in July.
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Canadian National Open Track Operators Hold Meeting

Track operators from Ashcroft, Mission, Saskatoon, Calgary and Edmonton (via conference call) met with Division Director Chris Blair at Race City Motorsports Park in Calgary on February 16 to discuss the strategic planning and future of the new Canadian National Open Championship Series. The four hour meeting finalized event purses, run schedules, contingency programs and potential sponsor packages for the 1999 series.

"What was most impressive is that we began getting 2000 in the books," explained Ashcroft promoter Wyatt McMurray. "In the past these National Opens have been stand alone events, I think with all these tracks working together we can focus on the continued development of drag racing in Canada."

Among the items discussed at the meeting were:

Top Comp: The new Top Comp class will be contested for series points at only Mission and Ashcroft during the 1999 points race. Due to the class being a new experiment in 1999 and, with the core base of racers located along the 1-5 corridor, the track management from Calgary and Edmonton elected to provide the class one year of growth before bringing it East.

Provincial Bracket Champions: Series within the series titles will be contested in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsmen, and Junior Dragster brackets at the Canadian National Open events. Racers in these four classes will crown an Alberta Champion based on performance at Edmonton and Calgary. The two British Columbia National Open events will join the NHRA Northwest Bracket National Open at North Central Motorsports Park in Prince George to crown a champion for B.C.

Each Provincial Champion will receive a Canadian National Open Gold Card for 2000, a Championship Trophy and a ticket to the 1999 awards banquet.

Saskatoon event postponed: The Canadian National Open Championship event at Saskatoon International Raceway has been canceled for the 1999 season due to conflicting dates in arranging the schedule. S.l.R. management attended the recent Canadian National Open Track Operators meeting in Calgary and committed to hosting an event in 2000.

"Since we were unable to arrange our schedule to run in conjunction with either Calgary or Edmonton's event this season we elected to concentrate on preparing for 2000," said track manager Lyle Hettrick. "We have been able to work the 2000 schedule to go back-to-back with Edmonton to make our event more appealing to racers from British Columbia and the States."

North Central Motorsport Park to Host NHRA Bracket Nationals: NHRA's Northernmost facility, North Central Motorsports Park in Prince George. B.C. will join Southern Oregon Dragway in hosting NHRA Northwest Bracket National events in 1999. The Prince George event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8.

The event will host action in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Snowmobile and Junior Dragster. Along with these bracket classes, the B.C. High School Drag Racing Championship will be held on Friday, August 6. Racers in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Junior Dragsters will be competing at Prince George as part of the three event Provincial Bracket Championship with Eagle Motorplex and Mission Raceway Park.

For more information regarding North Central Motorsports Park or the 1999 Northwest Bracket Nationals, please phone Pat Wilkinson at 250-967-4130.
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Northwest Nationals Entry Requests Due By June 1!

Entry forms for the July 30-August 1, 1999 NHRA Prolong Super Lubricants Northwest Nationals Presented by Al's Auto Supply must be requested from the Northwest Division Offices no later than June 1, 1999. Entry forms will be available at each Northwest Division event through the Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Seattle International Raceway.

The projected minimum grading requirements for participation at Seattle are as follows:

note: Super Street grade points must be earned in that class to be eligible for participation.

Northwest Division racers will have four opportunities to earn grade points at Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series events (Boise, Ashcroft, Mission, and Seattle) and two opportunities to earn grade points at National Open events (Medford and Edmonton), prior to the entry deadline. In 1998 NHRA Northwest Division racers received a total of nine opportunities to earn National Event grade points (six Federal Mogul events and three National Opens).

Due to the numerous opportunities to earn division grade points in 1998 and 1999, no special exceptions will be granted for the event. In addition, late fees and gate entry charges will be enforced for anyone missing entry deadlines. Any entry received more than 5 days after the due date will be subject to denial. All eliminator categories are subject to closure prior to entry deadline if established quotas are reached

ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY.JUNE 28, 1999 TO AVOID LATE PENALTY!
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OFFICIAL 1999 NHRA NORTHWEST DIVISION SCHEDULE

FEDERAL MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES:

Firebird Raceway - Boise, Idaho April 16 - 18 (Tech begins Thursday, April 15 at Noon)

Mission Raceway Park - Mission, British Columbia May 7 - 9 (Tech begins Thursday, May 6 at 2 p.m.)

Eagle Motorplex - Ashcroft, British Columbia May 28 - 30 (Tech begins Thursday, May 27 at 5 p.m.)

Seattle International Raceway - Kent, Washington June 25 - 27 (Tech begins Thursday, June 24 at 5 p.m.)

Woodburn Dragstrip - Woodburn, Oregon July 9 - 11 (Tech begins Thursday, July 8 - time t.b.a.)

Renegade Raceway - Yakima, Washington August 27 & 28 (Tech Parking opens Thursday, August 26 at Noon)

 

SPECIAL EVENTS & SERIES:

May 22-23 Southern Oregon Dragway - Medford, Oregon
Northwest Bracket National Open - Bracket Bash 99

July 3-4 Labatt's Raceway - Edmonton, Alberta
Canadian National Open Championship Race # l
Alberta Provincial Bracket Championship Race #1

July 24-25 Mission Raceway Park - Mission, British Columbia
Canadian National Open Championship Race #2
British Columbia Provincial Bracket Championship Race #1

August 7 - 8 North Central Motorsport Park - Prince George, B.C.
Northwest Bracket National Open
British Columbia Provincial Bracket Championship Race # 2

August 14-15 Race City Motorsports Park - Calgary, Alberta
Canadian National Open Championship Race #4
Alberta Provincial Bracket Championship Final

September 10-12 Southern Oregon Dragway - Medford, Oregon
Sears Craftsman E.T. Finals and Race of Champions

September 25-26 Eagle Motorplex - Ashcroft, British Columbia
Canadian National Open Championship Race #5
British Columbia Provincial Championship Final
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It's Time For The Northwest Division Rod & Roadster Shows

One of the biggest automotive events in the five-state intermountain west, the Boise Roadster Show presented by Energy Release returns to the Western Idaho Fair Expo in Boise on March 11-14, 1999. The 27 year tradition will feature nearly 250 entrants ranging from full-tilt race cars to ultra cool customs, trick hot rods to rare muscle cars and just about anything else that revolves around motorsport's theme.

In addition to the show, NHRA Northwest Division Assistant Tech Director Dave Schaffel will be on hand Friday and Saturday to conduct chassis certification on race vehicles. Advance reservation for inspection is required by calling the Firebird Raceway offices at 208-344-0411.

Other shows of note in the region include the fantastic Vancouver Motorsports Show on March 5-7 as well as the historic Portland Roadster Show at the Portland Rose Garden the same weekend.
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All Racers Invited To Attend Racer's Forum

As mentioned in the last issue of 'Sixth Sense', NHRA Northwest Division Director Chris Blair will host a special gathering for racers at the Mission City Lodge Banquet room on Friday. May 7, 1999 at 7 p.m. The meeting is being hosted to share with racers the strategic planning of the NHRA, to go over suggestions for improving Northwest Division scheduling and events, and to generally provide an information pipeline for racers.

Racers will meet with their Driver¹s Commission members and Blair during the day on Friday at the Boise Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series event. Commission members will then compile their findings in preparation for the meeting.

"'The Mission meeting is strictly for the racers and I am encouraging everyone to attend," explained Blair. "We are currently working on a special presentation from NHRA that will highlight the event in addition to the general discussion."

Racers will be required to present their run card from the Mission event for admission to the Lodge. Each Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series host track can have one representative in attendance to join Blair, Northwest Division Tech Director Jerry Valentine, Jerrie Hanson from NHRA Field Marketing, and Federal Mogul¹s Kent Chalfant. There will also be a special guest from NHRA Headquarters on hand at the meeting.

The meeting will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and will conclude at 9:00 p.m. For additional information please contact the Northwest Division Offices.
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Top Comp Frequently Asked Questions Answered

Since our last newsletter we have been overrun with calls, letters and e-mails regarding the new Top Comp class that will be contested in the NHRA Northwest Division in 1999. In order to answer all those calls, here is a brief rundown to help you:

-Cars running 7.50 - 7.99 must meet the requirements of section 1A (pages 16-22) of the 1999 NHRA Rule book (Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman)

-Only the 32 quickest cars from qualifications, qualifying between 6.30 - 7.99 will earn a position on the qualified ladder of eliminations. In the event that there are fewer than 32 cars, only those qualifying quicker than 7.99 will be laddered. There will be no variations from this rule regardless of car count.

-Any racer previously entered in another FMDRS category wishing to switch to Top Comp must notify the event director and receive approval, complete Tech, and participate in the final Top Comp qualifying session. Should they not make the 32 car ladder they will only be permitted to participate in the Super Pro Bracket.