NHRA and the NFL - A Great Combination
Written by David Lamm · September 14, 2006
You have heard the saying, ‘I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out’. Along those same lines, one could say, ‘I went to a professional football game and a drag race broke out’. The announcement that NFL Runningback Duce Staley will be fielding a two-car Pro Stock team in 2007 is music to the ears of drag racing fans. Then again, football and the NHRA have gone together hand in hand for a number years.
NHRA.com: Steelers RB Staley to field two-car PS team in ‘07; Yates, Gibson will drive
Catch 22 Motorsports: Pittsburgh Steeler Running Back Duce Staley Powers New Motorsports Team
Although this news is big for the entire sport of drag racing this should not come as a surprise. The National Football League and its players have shown a healthy interest in NHRA drag racing, more so than any other ’stick and ball’ sport. Most notably, Staley is not the first footballer to own a team in the NHRA. A few years ago, Troy Vincent, now a free safety with the Buffalo Bills, owned a two-motorcycle team called Team 23. Vincent employed Antron Brown and Tony Mullen to ride for him and both riders racked up wins for Vincent. The team was disbanded a few years back but Vincent was an active part of team ownership and would promote the team within the sports media.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback, Jim Kelly was also actively involved with NHRA POWERade Drag Racing back in 2003. At the 2003 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Top Fuel driver David Baca had a special paint scheme on his dragster promoting Hunter’s Hope, a charitable organization founded for Kelly’s son Hunter. The Hunter’s Hope Foundation was established in September 1997 by Kelly and his wife Jill after their infant son was diagnosed with Krabbe disease also known as Globoid-Cell Leukodystrophy. In promotion of this charity, Kelly met with the motorsports media and also the thousands of fans in the stands and watching on television were introduced to Kelly’s son and the disease that he was afflicted with.
Probably the biggest football and NHRA crossover has to be the announcement that the stadium in Indianapolis that will be the future home to the Indianapolis Colts will be named Lucas Oil Stadium. Ground was broken in September 2005 and it is expected to be available for play in 2008. Concepts and artist renderings have shown that the stadium’s main atrium will be decked out complete with a Top Fuel dragster and other drag racing vehicles. These displays should expose over 70,000 football fans to the sport opf drag racing at every home game. Other events such as the NCAA Final Four and music concerts are scheduled to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium thus exposing a whole different demographic to the sport of drag racing.
Other NFL players are fans of the NHRA and often come out to the races. Just as recently as two weeks ago, Peyton Manning was spotted at O’Reilly Raceway Park for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. While he was with the New York Jets, Fullback Richie Anderson was a regular spectator at the Englishtown, N.J. race. I am sure there are others that take in a race or two from the comfort of their own home and watch it on ESPN2 when they are aren’t catching touchdowns or making tackles.
Hopefully Staley’s passion and love for drag racing will translate into increased marketing and exposure for the sport of drag racing. Never underestimate the power of a guy with a Super Bowl ring attracting media to a press conference. For Jim Yates and Billy Gibson, here’s hoping that Staley’s entry into team ownership is successful for their careers as well. Choosing good people to go with good drivers is always the key. If Staley’s success on the field is any indication of what we can expect on the track, the Pro Stock field just got a little tighter.
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Your talking about football why not ask why an African American owner would not consider an African American driver? and is he really an owner? or just a front by the nhra to claim some sort of diversity?
Ron, Thanks for reading.
I doubt Duce is a front man for the NHRA for a claim of diversity. In all honesty, the NHRA is pretty diverse with Blacks, Latinos and women all currently driving in the NHRA.
To answer your question, Staley is the owner of a Pro Stock team. Please name me one black driver in Pro Stock right now? I can think of Tom Hammonds and Larry Nance. Nance has chosen to get out of racing and Hammonds is coming back in 2007 with his own team. Are you suggesting that because Staley is Black he should only hire black drivers with no regard to talent, ability or experience? That would be like a white team owner only hiring white drivers because he wants to keep the continuity of the team all white.
I think Staley is a great addition to the NHRA and it doesn’t matter if the color of his skin is White, Black, purple, green or orange. Suggesting he should only hire Black drivers based on the fact that he himself is Black is flat out racist.