MOTOR RACING : Economy Drags Down NHRA

Despite coming off a record-breaking season for attendance and earnings, the National Hot Rod Assn. faces an unsettling future as it prepares to open its 41st season of drag racing this weekend with the Chief Auto Parts Winternationals at the Pomona Fairplex.

The NHRA drew 1,547,900 spectators to 18 national events last season. The average of 85,994, which includes four-day attendance, was a 6.4% increase over the previous record.

In the professional categories of top fuel, funny car and pro stock, racing has become so expensive that it is almost impossible to run an 18-event season without substantial sponsorship. And sponsors are becoming harder to find--or keep--in the current economy.

Missing when time trials open today will be Jim White, who drove Roland Leong’s funny car to a series of record-shattering speeds last season that led to a national record of 291.82 m.p.h.; Lori Johns and Shirley Muldowney, the two fastest women in drag racing history; Frank Bradley, defending Winternationals top fuel champion; Darrell Alderman, two-time NHRA pro stock champion and last year’s Winternationals winner; Dick LaHaie, 1987 Winston top fuel champion; and Mike Dunn, third-ranked funny car driver in 1991.

All but Alderman, who is awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to a federal charge of possession and distribution of cocaine and has been suspended by the NHRA, are missing for lack of a sponsor. Johns has a secondary reason--she is on her honeymoon with professional football player Rusty Hilger after their wedding last Sunday. Her future in racing is cloudy because she lost her main sponsor.

The most startling absences will be those of White and Leong, who has been part of the drag racing scene for 40 years. When Hawaiian Punch decided to cancel its sponsorship after the 1991 season, Leong was unable to find a replacement, so the world’s fastest funny car is sitting in a garage in South Gate.

There are some intriguing replacements, however.

LaHaie had to park his car for lack of a sponsor, but his daughter, Kim, will make her top fuel debut in a new car owned by Larry Frazier, a longtime crew chief. The car was built by Al Swindahl for Muldowney, but when the former three-time champion’s would-be sponsor reneged on his financial promises, the car was sold to Frazier. Kim LaHaie has been crew chief for her father’s car until this season.

Dannielle DePorter, 19, a college student from Scottsdale, Ariz., will make her first top fuel runs in Paul Lewis’ dragster.

The absence of Bradley continues a Winternationals tradition of a top fuel winner failing to repeat. No one has won back-to-back February races at Pomona in the last eight years. Bradley will be on hand, however, as crew chief on the top fuelers of Connie and Scott Kalitta.

Scott Geoffrion will take Alderman’s place in the championship Mopar Dodge Daytona that won 11 pro stock races last year.

Dunn will be on the sidelines, but his father, Jim, will return to racing in his Fireman’s Quickie funny car. Last year, Jim was crew chief on his son’s car.

Two other significant changes find Michael Brotherton replacing Frank Hawley in Darrell Gwynn’s top fuel dragster and Ed McCulloch and Cruz Pedregon swapping rides on Larry Minor’s team. Hawley is leaving to devote full time to his driving school in Gainesville, Fla. Brotherton, who ran a record 294.88 m.p.h. three years ago at Texas Motorplex, worked as a crew chief for Gene Snow last year.

McCulloch, a leading funny car driver for more than 20 years, will move to top fuel, and Pedregon, after a rookie season in top fuel, will take over McCulloch’s funny car.

John Force, driving his Castrol Olds Cutlass funny car, will be the only Winternationals professional champion returning to defend his title. Force went on to win his second consecutive NHRA championship, and with the absence of White and Dunn, is heavily favored to make it three in a row.

Qualifying will start today at 2 p.m. with trials continuing Friday at 2 and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to establish 16-car fields for final eliminations Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.

Briefly

COPPER CLASSIC--One of the busiest racing weekends of the year is shaping up at Phoenix International Raceway, where the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic will feature a NASCAR Southwest Tour stock car race and three U.S. Auto Club championship races for midgets, supermodifieds and Silver Crown dirt cars. Among the stock car entries are A. J. Foyt and Winston Cup drivers Davey Allison and Ken Schrader. Also appearing will be Silver Crown champion Jeff Gordon, West Coast midget champion Sleepy Tripp and Wally Pankratz, who is entered in all three USAC races. There will be qualifying and consolation races Saturday with finals Sunday.

STOCK CARS--Sportsman and street stock drivers will compete Saturday at Imperial Raceway in El Centro as part of the California Mid-Winter Fair. Racing will start at 5. . . . Lance Hooper, defending Saugus Speedway sportsman champion, showed his mettle on a road course last Sunday when he won the inaugural Inland Chassis Sportsman Challenge at Willow Springs. Hooper, driving a Pontiac Trans Am, passed Ron Peterson on the final lap to win the 20-lap main event.

SPORTS CARS--The Rolex 24, America’s only major twice-around-the-clock race, will take place Saturday and Sunday on the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Raceway. Featured in the opening race of the International Motor Sports Assn. season will be Camel GTP champion Geoff Brabham in quest of an unprecedented fifth title in one of two Nissans. Challengers include the Porsches of Joest Racing, last year’s winners; the Jaguars driven by Davy Jones and Scott Pruett; and Dan Gurney’s Toyotas, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio II and new teammate P.J. Jones.

Gurney, who drove Frank Arciero’s Lotus 19 to victory in the first Daytona road race 30 years ago, will make a couple of parade laps in the restored Lotus.

INDY CARS--Bobby Rahal will take time off from his new duties as a car owner, as well as a driver, to play golf in the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week. Rahal, who has a 10 handicap, will be paired with former PGA champion Jeff Sluman. Rahal and Carl Hogan recently purchased the Patrick Racing Team assets from CART co-founder Pat Patrick.

AWARDS--Hershel McGriff, 64, was honored as most popular driver in Winston West competition for the 11th time to extend a record for popularity he set in 1990. Bill Sedgwick set a season record of $74,862 for earnings when he collected $25,000 in year-end bonuses at the Winston West banquet. This bettered the record of $70,866 by McGriff in 1986.