NHRA pro team with local sponsor? Pro Stock

[Scott Liggett]

I'll admit that I haven't watched NHRA on TV in a while, but today was watching a bit of the qualifying in Sonoma. I saw Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson's ride sponsored by Pietro's #1. That is a family owned Italian restaurant in nearby Vacaville, CA.

Is this something new these days? Or, has this been going on for a while.

I also noticed the Professor Warren Johnson's car was unsponsored.

[SpiderGearsMan]

WJ had a corporate patron
GENERAL MOTORS

who is not interested in pro stock anymore

[BBR]

K&N had been Warrens sponsor for a while, but they are on board with Mike Edwards now. I bet the Johnsons will take anyones money to race.

[Deaf Bob]

There's a Pietro's in Salem OR.. Just off I-5 at Market street..
Pizza and Italian food..

[Bamfster]

I know for the past few years, KJ runs local sponsors that are close to the venue they're at, at the time. WJ .... not so much, after K&N, I can't remember even a small sponsor on the car.

[jcharliem]

It's not uncommon to see local sponsors at various venues. In-N-Out Burger comes to mind... you'd see them sponsor various cars at western events... because that's where most of their stores are at.

[Turbo Regal]

I'll admit that I haven't watched NHRA on TV in a while, but today was watching a bit of the qualifying in Sonoma. I saw Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson's ride sponsored by Pietro's #1. That is a family owned Italian restaurant in nearby Vacaville, CA.

Is this something new these days? Or, has this been going on for a while.


I also noticed the Professor Warren Johnson's car was unsponsored.

Kurt usually has Mark Christopher Chevrolet, a west coast dealer, on his car when he is out there. Maybe the restaurant is the same deal. The GM money pretty much dried up around the time of bailout.

I guess running far from stock bodies with far from stock powerplants doesn't really sell cars that well.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Plenty of Budget for road racing and nascar @ GM
WJ and the Grump are 2 of the people that researched the HP the chevys have today

[Brian Lohnes]

The local stuff is more common for guys who are not running the full pull and are on a race to race basis. Some of it is "buddy money" and some of it is their PR people beating the bushes for cash.

The one issue you have when you run for decades under a corporate umbrella like the Johnson's did is that when the umbrella closes up, you aren't exactly trained in chasing the money. Lots of respect for both of those guys, but I don't think the Italian family restaurant route is the path to long term existence.

[Jimbo17]

I think sponsor money in general is harder to find now then it has ever been.

This is true for the N.H.R.A. or Cup racing.

Both the N.H.R.A. and Nascar are feeling what's happening in tickets sales or even people just watching on T.V.

Racers are always looking for someone to help them pay the bills so they can continue to race.

The "Old Saying how do you make a million dollars Racing" Start with two million and stop when you only have a million left is very true.

My favorite class in the N.H.R.A. is alcohol funny cars and this year the car counts are way off from past years due to sponsor money not being there and the fact that the pay out from the N.H.R.A. remains low.

This was the first year since the early 70's that the alcohol cars were not part of the show Englishtown.

Jimbo