MESA, Ariz. — The NHRA fined Top Alcohol dragster drivers Matt Cummings and Taylor Vetter $5,000 each July 6 for a series of physical skirmishes in the pit area during the late-June Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Their crew chiefs and crew members repeatedly roughed up each other in a manner the sanctioning body called “unacceptable.”
Fisticuffs in the drag-racing pits aren’t anything new. Same for NASCAR, which drew attention most recently in May at Kansas Speedway for the post-race fight and expletive-laced chirping between drivers Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson.
After that NASCAR bout, fight-familiar Kyle Busch weighed in with his opinion that officials broke up the melee too early and that NASCAR needs to follow NHL protocol.
“I feel like security stepped in about 10 seconds too quick. You let one guy land a blow, and then you block the other guy from getting a hit back. You got to at least let the guy try and then maybe get in.” Busch said. “I would seriously urge NASCAR to go with some hockey rules – ‘Once you get to the ground or one of the guys looks gassed, we’re going to break it up.’ Let ’em get a good 30 seconds in. It’s going to be way better for TV, and ratings are going to go off the charts.”
Jason Fiorito, president of Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., is on Team Busch, and he encourages drag racers participating in the July 21-23 Flav-R-Pac NHRA Nationals at his track to let their emotions erupt if they feel like it.
“What was one of the most-watched ‘SportsCenter’ clips in racing history was Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer going at it at Phoenix — or helmets being thrown at cars,” Fiorito said, emphasizing “the drama, the competition and the heat-of-battle controversy.”
Fiorito added, “I don’t agree with fining somebody for being emotional. I agree that we’re in a family-friendly sport. My family does things that probably would get fined by the NHRA. So to a certain extent, I would let ’em go at it a little bit more. Personally, I like to see the drama. I like to see the ‘SportsCenter’ clips at the end of the day. And I like the excitement, the controversy and the competition that it breeds.
“They have my permission to go at each other with the gloves off at Pacific Raceways.”
Fiorito admits he doesn’t have the upper hand over the sanctioning body — “not over the NHRA rules, but let’s say we’ll do everything we can to mitigate the downside liability of somebody putting on a good show at my track.”
He says he’s willing to pay the fine — or at least part of one — if an upset driver gives the fans something to talk about at the social-media water cooler afterward.
“Before knowing what the fine is, I can’t commit to it, but I’ll do what I can. I’ll pay as much of the fine as I can afford to pay. Let’s put it that way,” Fiorito said. “I can mitigate it for the driver and the team.”
According to Fiorito, it’s entertainment, and it’s what speaks to human nature.
“Generally speaking, I only speak for myself. But I can’t imagine promoters wouldn’t enjoy some more competition – even unfriendly competition. It seems to sell a little better than the friendly competition,” he said. “So as a promoter, I look for things that end up on ‘SportsCenter,’ that create a buzz. If you’ve got a camera in your hand, are you more inclined to run toward somebody that’s hugging or are you more inclined to run toward somebody that’s swinging at each other? Most of us are more inclined to film somebody swinging at each other. At the end of the day, we’re racing entertainment. But entertainment is part of it. And I think emotions run deeper than they (racers) portray sometimes. And they should. This is personal for people.”
One of drag racing’s most prolific punchers, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, lamented that in today’s corporate-controlled NHRA environment, “It’s just getting so you can’t hit a guy anymore.” And Fiorito longs, too, for the lost displays of raw human drama.
“I love the old Whit Bazemore days,” Fiorito said, recalling the plain-spoken perennial Funny Car contender. “And John Force is still a pretty unfiltered guy. I love that about John. Some people ask, ‘Why does John get more TV camera time than anybody else?’ Well, because he’s more entertaining! I miss Whit and I wish Whit would get back involved in the sport.”
One thing’s pretty certain: Fiorito won’t be playing on his Pacific Raceways public-address system Rhianna’s 2007 hit song, “Shut Up And Drive.”
This story appeared in the August 9, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
