MESA, Ariz. — A fellow – can’t say “gentleman” and won’t say his name — posted a message on a social-media site that read, “I’m noticing tits and ass get rides and drivers with actual talent get tossed aside . . . Shirley [Muldowney] is the only female driver that did it on her own . . . all the women since then have done it in other people’s cars or with the family dime. In other words on some level it was handed to them . . . by men who did the work to build it up and the men are being thrown away . . . I don’t like Sarge [Tony Schumacher] but damnit man he’s the winningest driver in Top Fuel history and he got fired for some Nord racing part time?! Are you kidding me?!”
Well, there in all its inglorious grammar and even more inconceivable shame is one of the most absurd takes on the state of sponsorship procurement among NHRA drivers.
Funny Car racer Julie Nataas, a sportsman-level Top Alcohol Dragster champion, pushed back, responding that she didn’t earn that championship with her ass. Neither did Ida Zetterström, the FIA European Top Fuel champion — the so-called “Nord” he incorrectly thinks shafted Tony Schumacher.
The women of the NHRA know how to dish it back at their detractors just as well as they know how to win races and titles. But they shouldn’t bother. The Bible cautions us not to argue “with a fool in his folly, lest you become like him.”
Besides, as drag racer Joe Morrison pointed out, not only do these women deserve respect, but critics are looking in the wrong place, pointing fingers in the wrong direction.
Morrison wrote, “As a male competitor, I agree that these racers (who happen to be female) are great marketing opportunities. They work hard and deserve to be out there fulltime. I feel the need to add that it is hard for everyone trying to secure relationships that pay for fulltime racing sponsorship. The sport does not get the recognition and respect it deserves, therefore it is not just the talented and deserving female drivers who are struggling to find adequate sponsorship.
“My point,” he said, “is (through firsthand experience) the NHRA opportunity is mostly unknown to the corporate world, and the cost of competing at the highest level is beyond the perceived value of the investment. The sanctioning bodies and current sponsors need to do a better job of communicating the value to corporate America.”
He hit the nail on the head.
Times and tastes change, for sure, but the elements still are there to restore drag racing to the trendy pastime it once was. It still has drama, danger, emotion, rivalry, unpredictability, and personality as the NHRA marks its 75th birthday this year. But through the decades, the sanctioning body has allowed its unique culture to erode – and at a time where instant gratification rules, at that.
Once electrifyingly hip, especially with the restless American youth drawn to the rebels who pioneered the sport, drag racing has been shoved to the back corner of America’s consciousness, like some dusty old toy buried in the back of a closet. The sport still draws a strong audience in regions of the United States and internationally, but it needs to return to the electrifyingly hip, trendy entertainment platform.
What will do that? Marketing, promotion, taking it to the communities, showing personality, meeting potential new fans – work. Tell potential sponsors about the loyal fan base and the value for the investment, which is far less expensive than a commitment in NASCAR or IndyCar. (All three are extraordinary motorsports. But as expensive as a fulltime sponsorship is drag racing is today, it’s small by comparison.)
What’s sad but absolutely true is Morrison’s bottom line: “The cost of competing at the highest level is beyond the perceived value of the investment.”
The NHRA needs to change that perception. NASCAR went from moonshine to Madison Avenue in sophistication and perception in superbolt style, exploding in popularity with an enviable TV package, improved technology, and certainly the financial boost from R.J. Reynolds/Winston in the 1970s and ’80s. IndyCar, thanks largely to FOX Sports and a smart and bold tweak to the 2026 schedule, is rising in recognition globally.
Frankly, it’s unclear if the NHRA wants to grow. A few behind-the-scenes individuals have said outright through the past few years that they don’t want it to lose its coziness, its welcoming feel for the fans. It can expand and not lose those advantages. If it works hard to maximize its potential, it would succeed. The product on the track is the quickest and fastest on Earth. The engineering and mechanics behind the performances are nothing short of genius. The personalities are captivating. The sport has lots to promote.
So when the NHRA pulls all that together, both men and women racers shouldn’t have to struggle to find funding. And ignorant observers might find no need to insult the women or pit them against their male counterparts.
