GoatFever
04-13-2006, 09:22 AM
The guy has some good points here:
Posted by David Lamm | April 12, 2006 FASTMACHINES.com
How does the old saying go? If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? That’s how I feel about drag racing sometimes. If something spectacular happens in drag racing, unless there is a visiting NASCAR beat writer on site, as far as public awareness it could have never happened. In the overall scheme of things, it’s NASCAR’s world and everyone else is just paying rent. The issue is that NHRA Top Fuel driver Melanie Troxel has advanced to every final round of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season, winning two of them, and no one outside of drag racing knows about it.
Only Pete Schnatz of the Philadelphia Inquirer has noticed or even bothered to publish something about Troxel’s incredible feat. Last May all I could hear was the buzz about Danica Patrick and her participation in the Indianapolis 500. Not winning the race, just racing in it. It has been well documented that I don’t believe that high praise should be showered upon a racer just because she is a woman. People need to earn respect and high praise whether they are a man or a woman. In this case, the praise is warranted not because Troxel is a woman competing in a man’s world, but because of what she accomplished is amazing in itself.
No Top Fuel driver in the NHRA has opened a season with five straight final round appearances. Let me repeat that. No one. Not in the 50+ years of the NHRA holding national events has any Top Fuel driver opened a season this hot. That list includes legendary Top Fuel drivers like Joe Amato, Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme and even Don Garlits. Even these legends have failed to accomplish what Troxel did this past weekend. If Troxel is able to advance to the final round April 30th in Bristol, Tenn., she will tie teammate Tony Schumacher for most consecutive final rounds with seven. (Troxel finished the 2005 season by reaching the final round of the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif.) Despite this incredible start, not one mention on ESPN’s Sportscenter, no mention in USA Today nor anywhere else that I could find. Had this been Danica Patrick and she finished either No. 1 or No. 2 in her first five races; the national media would be clamoring to get a five second sound bite of her walking to her garage on a practice day. I shutter to think what kind of an aneurism the national media would have if an attractive woman in NASCAR’s Busch series could equal what Troxel has done. If a woman that looked like Melanie accomplished this same feat in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, the whole world would implode.
The national motor sports media needs to get a clue, wake up and realize that there are more interesting stories outside of NASCAR and the hoopla surrounding Danica Patrick. Melanie Troxel is the hottest thing in racing right now but no one seems to notice nor care. Sadly this is the lot the NHRA has been relegated to and it is a shame. Maybe some of the money the NHRA is using to renovate and build corporate suites could go to a marketing agency to help promote the sport’s stars. If the level of interest in the sport is elevated, the corporate big wigs will then want those luxury suites built.
Posted by David Lamm | April 12, 2006 FASTMACHINES.com
How does the old saying go? If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? That’s how I feel about drag racing sometimes. If something spectacular happens in drag racing, unless there is a visiting NASCAR beat writer on site, as far as public awareness it could have never happened. In the overall scheme of things, it’s NASCAR’s world and everyone else is just paying rent. The issue is that NHRA Top Fuel driver Melanie Troxel has advanced to every final round of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season, winning two of them, and no one outside of drag racing knows about it.
Only Pete Schnatz of the Philadelphia Inquirer has noticed or even bothered to publish something about Troxel’s incredible feat. Last May all I could hear was the buzz about Danica Patrick and her participation in the Indianapolis 500. Not winning the race, just racing in it. It has been well documented that I don’t believe that high praise should be showered upon a racer just because she is a woman. People need to earn respect and high praise whether they are a man or a woman. In this case, the praise is warranted not because Troxel is a woman competing in a man’s world, but because of what she accomplished is amazing in itself.
No Top Fuel driver in the NHRA has opened a season with five straight final round appearances. Let me repeat that. No one. Not in the 50+ years of the NHRA holding national events has any Top Fuel driver opened a season this hot. That list includes legendary Top Fuel drivers like Joe Amato, Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme and even Don Garlits. Even these legends have failed to accomplish what Troxel did this past weekend. If Troxel is able to advance to the final round April 30th in Bristol, Tenn., she will tie teammate Tony Schumacher for most consecutive final rounds with seven. (Troxel finished the 2005 season by reaching the final round of the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif.) Despite this incredible start, not one mention on ESPN’s Sportscenter, no mention in USA Today nor anywhere else that I could find. Had this been Danica Patrick and she finished either No. 1 or No. 2 in her first five races; the national media would be clamoring to get a five second sound bite of her walking to her garage on a practice day. I shutter to think what kind of an aneurism the national media would have if an attractive woman in NASCAR’s Busch series could equal what Troxel has done. If a woman that looked like Melanie accomplished this same feat in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, the whole world would implode.
The national motor sports media needs to get a clue, wake up and realize that there are more interesting stories outside of NASCAR and the hoopla surrounding Danica Patrick. Melanie Troxel is the hottest thing in racing right now but no one seems to notice nor care. Sadly this is the lot the NHRA has been relegated to and it is a shame. Maybe some of the money the NHRA is using to renovate and build corporate suites could go to a marketing agency to help promote the sport’s stars. If the level of interest in the sport is elevated, the corporate big wigs will then want those luxury suites built.