Clay Millican & Evan Knoll (2 Viewers)

Robert, what is it that I have said that turned you against me. I have nothing to hide so give me the comments and I will give you the facts.
 
Robert, what is it that I have said that turned you against me. I have nothing to hide so give me the comments and I will give you the facts.
Don, the world is full of Nay sayers. Dang, one even shot the Pope. Unfortunately, it's the price one pays for being successful.
Now, exactly how did you arrange it so all the stars would align and Tony would pull off the greatest Championship win in the History of Motor Sports?:rolleyes: ;)
Thank you for all you've done for the sport. Lord knows, it "ain't" cheap.
Husky
 
Mike, it is like you said ALL of the stars did align and I had nothing to do with it except put the team together. If the Army car would have qualified #1, Melanie would not of raced Doug and beat him. Alan and the team did the rest and it was unbeleivable. A lot has been said about it but as Tom Compton said at the NHRA banquet it is THE RUN. All of the season is what caused it to come to the last run. We had a lot of problems that took a lot of events to get worked out but it also taught the team to be better. They stuck together thru all of it and remained A TEAM.
 
Mike, it is like you said ALL of the stars did align and I had nothing to do with it except put the team together. If the Army car would have qualified #1, Melanie would not of raced Doug and beat him. Alan and the team did the rest and it was unbeleivable. A lot has been said about it but as Tom Compton said at the NHRA banquet it is THE RUN. All of the season is what caused it to come to the last run. We had a lot of problems that took a lot of events to get worked out but it also taught the team to be better. They stuck together thru all of it and remained A TEAM.
If Disney made that Story Book Championship run, into a movie, people would have said it was hokey and unbelievable. That's how off the charts it was.
You said, "I had nothing to do with it except put the team together. " So you do admit responsibility! :rolleyes:
I guess it's your fault that you put a great team together, spending your hard earned cash and all those many hours away from home.
40 plus years dedicated to the sport. I guess that's why some folks have a problem with you!
Trust me, you owe no explanation to anyone. Please accept our cumulative thanks. (Maybe Connie wasn't thrilled:eek: but I know he admires what your people accomplished.)
Thanks for contributing here.
 
Mike, I have to agree with you 100% It never cease's to amaze me how someone who has done as much as Don has for the sport, has to constantly be the target of cheap shots, such as the one above.(and in BOLD colorful letters no less)!! The amount of revenue, publicity, and opportunity that has flourished in our sport because of Don's involvement is huge. Obviously Evan Knoll is in that same catagory of investment (and risk), and I have no problem recognizing those facts.

It should also be noted that both of these guys take the time, to come on this forum and address most all of the issues that may create controversy surrounding their operations. I'm sure they probably have alot more pressing business issues to deal with, yet they make time to stay in touch here.
My hats off to both of em!
 
Al as a new member and a diehard NHRA fan i couldnt agree more with u Love em or Hate em i think everybody that is a true fan should be grateful for the things that guys like Evan Knoll and Don Schumacher do for the sport of drag racing im sure without business savvy people like this involved in the sport it would not be anywhere near the level its at today!! Im sure not everybody agrees with some of the business decisons made by these people! but in one way or another all these decisons benefit the fans and the sport so i would like to take the time to applaud them for contributing to the sport!:D
 
I have always generally liked Shoe, but after reading Bazemore's Innerview at DRO, I have even more respect for him.
 
the biggest difference i have noticed between Evan and The Don is that evan puts up more of his own money (in the form of sponsorships) and don does, which doesnt make him any better of a person or car owner....it may just mean he has more to give and is willing to do so.....our sport is where it is today because of these men and to that extent we all owe them a debt of graditude
 
Welcome Derek!! You're right, running a successful business and pleasing everyone involved, just ain't gonna happen, not in the real world anyway.
al
 
I agree with Mike Minick. I have yet to see the SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC top feuler. I am just saying. Evan puts HIS money where his mouth is and Don puts the Army's money where his mouth is.
 
I agree with Mike Minick. I have yet to see the SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC top feuler. I am just saying. Evan puts HIS money where his mouth is and Don puts the Army's money where his mouth is.
You know the old joke about the sure fire way to make a small fortune from auto racing, Right? Start with a Big Fortune.
Longevity requires husbanding your resources and running your team(s) like a business. Sometimes in doing that, some people feel you're being harsh or cruel. It's how you survive in this game.
Kudos to Evan and all he's doing, but lets revisit this subject in a year or so. Then we will see how much "involvement" EK is truly comfortable with. It's a Tortoise/Hare thing, a marathon not a sprint.
 
I agree with Mike Minick. I have yet to see the SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC top feuler. I am just saying. Evan puts HIS money where his mouth is and Don puts the Army's money where his mouth is.

And what is wrong with this? You don't know what Don's business structure looks like and how much advertising $$ he can spend where it still provides an adequate return. I can tell you this much, there is a ton of money being made in the oil industry. Let me ask you a question, would you spend your own money or spend someone else's money on a race car if you put their name on the side of your car?
 
With some people Don just can't win. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. :rolleyes:

If he rolled out a car sponsored by the pope, people would still complain.
 
I'll bet that Shoe invests more of his money than people think. I suspect that given the biz that Evan is in, he may be in need of more "deductions", while Shoe treats the race operation as a business looking to turn a priofit. That's their business, the bottom line is both guys bring a lot to the table, I don't see any reason to compare who is spending more of his own money. I myself just wish continued success for both Evan and Shoe so that they can be out there a long time!
 
WTG Evan for jumping up to sponsor Clay for (hopefully) a full-season charge at the NHRA championship. I'm also hoping he can run as many non-competing IHRA races as possible too. After 6 in a row he has nothing left to prove in IHRA so it's time to give the other side a serious try.

And as for me, I have nothing at all against Don Schumacher either - I applaud ANYONE who's willing to put their money/effort into funding more teams. Of course DSR has made some unpopular decisions (i.e. dropping Baze, the whole Pro Stock saga), but so has every other team out there. Like it or not, this sport has become a big business and if the money's not there, it's difficult to continue.

So congrats Evan and Clay - good luck!
 
Evan Knoll posted this bulletin on Myspace!



Evan

Date: Dec 8, 2006 12:22 PM

Subject: TOP FUEL TESTING IN GAINSVILLE FL.

Body: Dec 14th thru Dec 17th we will be testing my new TOP FUEL DRAGSTER with my NEW Clay Millican team. Stop over and say hi if your around. As of now that will be known as the KNOLL-GAS MOTORSPORTS TF TEAM.

Not to be a stick in the mud, but is there any other source that'll corroborate this info?
 
Not to be a stick in the mud, but is there any other source that'll corroborate this info?

I havent seen anything "official" but I did recieve the bulletin on Myspace from Evan as well that Derek posted so it did indeed come from him. Evan is the man!
 
Ways To Support Nitromater

Users who are viewing this thread


Back
Top