I read my April 13, 2007 edition of the National Dragster and was very pleased with Larry Dixon's comments on Page 11 in a blurb titled "Show me the Money". Not to many people openly express things of this nature and he hit the nail on the head. Coming from a very successful hired driver, my hat is off to Larry for his honesty and telling everyone how it really it is out there. All of these so called hand picked great drivers that have been hired over the years can be just that but ,on several occasions many of them had FAT checkbooks.

Thank you Larry for letting the general public in a little secret some team owners might not want anyone to know or will admit. Good luck with the rest of the 2007 season.

Tony Gillig

hmmmmmm.........any link by chance?

"April 13, 2007 edition of the National Dragster Page 11" is where you'll find it; unfortunately, I don't think there is an internet link.

OK Thanks. Now where did I leave that Nat Drag

Welcome Tony!!!

Thank you for posting this! I read that earlier in the week and thought the same as you. His last sentence was "priceless"!!!

Unfortunately, I think alot of 'maters are gonna dis-agree w/Larry. Oh well!

I'll try to "scan" it on my printer and see if it works.

Again, welcome aboard Tony!

Larry Dixon can be summed up in one word, CLASS!

Hey Tony! Your mustang has to be 1 of the best looking race cars I have ever seen!!! I just recently sold my 04 mustang gt and miss it BADLY!!! It was our third stang (and not our last) we have owned and really didnt want to trade for the "family hauler". If you cant tell, we are partial to Mustangs!!!

Well, I couldn't figure out how to scan it half way decently (technology & I sometimes disagree) so here is the piece.

National Dragster, 4/13/2007, pg 11:


“Show Me The Money”

Larry Dixon gets a third-degree case of the irritations when it comes to the topic of driver-required sponsorships. “Why is it that it’s only the driver who has to bring money to get a job on a race team?” he asked rhetorically. “I’d say that half of the drivers out there have that requirement hanging on them, yet the crew chief- heck, even the crewmembers-don’t have that requirement on them? The teams try to hire the best crew chief or the best crew guy but not always the best driver, and it’s true in other motorsports beyond drag racing. It seems that you’d be better off hiring the best driver and finding other ways to get the money. It’s a motorsports phenomenon that doesn’t really play out in other sports. I don’t care how much money you have, you can’t buy yourself a spot pitching for the New York Yankees.”

Classy guy workin' for "THE epitome of cool"!!!

I like your technology........and size does matter haha I can read that, yup!

LOL
Thanks Mel

I like what he's saying, but the truth of the matter is, he's got the best job on the team! I'm sure that there is alot of satisfaction in tuning a car to an awesome pass, but beyond that, anything else is just alot of work.

I defense of this, I guess an owner and driver can pool their resources to keep racing. On the other hand, Whats next; an owner putting the seat up on e-bay to the highest bidder?

Crew Chiefs win races! If you want their tune-up it will cost you some serious $$$$!
Example if Alan Johnson wasn't in the Army camp do you think Tony would be were he is at? If Larry Dixon didn't have Lahaie would he be a champ?
If someone else was driving for the Army team while Alan was the Crew Chief do you think whoever was driving would have won those championships?
Answer is absolutely, end of converstaion!
I have always liked Larry Dixon he worked his way to were he is at and is a talented shoe and I don't want to take away what he has accomplished in his career but a fact is a fact a driver may win you a few but if the set up is right then bingo a win often happens.
There are a lot of talented shoes out there in all classes but very few top notch crew chiefs.
A lot of people jumped on Kenny Bernstien for going after one of those talented Chiefs all of a sudden boom he is a contender 4.76 today and qualified 4th and is improving every race!

__________________
a.k.a. Megadeth

Bob, please re-read what Larry was saying.


"It seems that you’d be better off hiring the best driver and finding other ways to get the money."
He isn't saying make the crew chief bring $$$; he's saying hire the best driver, best crew chief, best crew, and find ANOTHER WAY to get $$$.



*my opinion* ie: Force has at least one person dedicated to sponsor procurement; it's not the driver/crew chief/crews responsibility.

I happen to agree 110% with Larry Dixon's article & I also agree he's a class act. And, I'm a huge Brady Kalivoda fan - who happens to be the latest person to "buy a ride." I respect him as much today as I did five years ago & I believe he's as talented a driver as anyone else out there, including Troy Buff. But the fact is, he didn't/doesn't have the resources to run/fund his own team so he, like many before him and probably many who follow him, is forced to seek funding to purchase seat time in someone else's car. Fair? Absolutely not, but he's playing within the rules established by the owners who seem to be more worried about money than talent. And I'm not suggesting there are drivers out there who don't possess talent - I'm saying there are talented drivers without rides who can't secure funding necessary to display their talent. Can anyone say Dean Skuza? Phil Burkhart? Troy Buff?

Personally, I don't think the drivers who are forced to buy a ride like it any more than us fans do. In fact, I'd be willing to bet they hate it more than we do. I've alluded to this before & I'll say it again - the OWNERS made the rules & the drivers who want to compete have to buy seats out from under other drivers if they want to race.

Like it or not (not, for me) it's here to stay. As long as we continue to want to compete with NASCAR for racing supremacy, money will be required - and a lot of it. Control the costs and make them reasonably affordable again and talent will become the priority again... bit that ain't gonna happen and we all know it.

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Gordon 'Flaps' Carlon
Work the solution, not the problem.