IT:You don't find the people different?JS: No different, except that it's just another generation. It's kids and young people with cars and having a good time with cars. Of course there are differences with this generation and my generation, just as there were differences between my generation and my dad's generation.
I remember going to a Battle of the Imports and meeting up with Adam Saruwatari. He had left all his tools and stuff unlocked and I looked at the crowd and thought they looked a little disreputable. When told him what I thought, he just said "Dude, you've become your father. How do you think the guys with '55 Chevys and flattops showed up with your Road Runner and a ponytail? It's the same thing. This is just the way we dress." And he was right. When I looked around the pits all I saw was guys with wrenches in their hands and grease on their clothes working on cars.
IT:Can import and traditional NHRA racers run at the same event then?JS: I'd like to think that some day we'll be able to run them together. Our idea was to develop a new series to run in parallel with the Powerade and Lucas Oil Sportsman series. Eventually the domestic guys will literally die off; the demographics show they're getting older with every passing year. Somewhere down the road the two groups will evolve together. There's no set timetable, but it will happen eventually. Gary Scelzi showing up with a Celica in PowerAde shows what's going on.
IT Will the import cars become more like other NHRA machines?JS: I think we're already seeing cars being built with V8s. You're going to see more cars like the Blast Racing Lexus being built here in the U.S., and you'll see the cars leap-frog in sophistication-that will more than likely be governed by the sponsorships that are available. Our involvement with the sport will help bring better sponsorships to these guys. We are drag racing.
IT:What's the biggest challenge for you and the NHRA in developing the Sport Compact Series?JS:Our biggest challenge is developing a connection with the local enthusiasts at each venue. Our experience tells us local-level promotion is very important. Edwin Mangune, our director of marketing, is taking proposals with companies that hopefully have those connections. Then, once we get them there, we'll convince them that the NHRA is not the big bad wolf.
IT:Have you driven a Sport Compact yourself?JS:Well, I drive a 240SX back and forth from work. I haven't raced one, though. But I've done a lot of drag racing, and drag racing is drag racing.
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