Andrew Wolf: Oh My God, They Killed Kenny!

The future of the American Drag Racing League has been a smoking hot topic among drag racing journalists and even the hordes of keyboard crew chiefs, and while such a topic might be a little premature just a handful of races into a new administration, the long-term viability of the series that gives away free tickets and has very few rules has always been under a microscope to some extent. In other words, it’s nothing new, it’s just a different set of circumstances.

Now that much of the drag racing world has had their turn on the old soapbox, it’s time this writer throws his two or three cents in the pot. But rather than drone on and on questioning how long the series can remain financially viable, I’m going to take this in another direction and question just what exactly was wrong with the former administration.

During his years in the sport, few figures have received more consistently negative commentary from the masses than Kenny Nowling. He’s been criticized for being flamboyant, arrogant, and driven to be the reigning figurehead of the sport in a way that’s rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

To be open with you, I’ve never met Kenny. I’ve never spoken with him on the phone. I haven’t exchanged emails with him, and can’t honestly say that I ever even exchanged glances with him at the racetrack. I prefer to take the high road and not judge a book by its cover, and without meeting the man it would be unfair to draw a concrete opinion. With that said, from my observances over the years, I have to admit there’s merit to the negativity.

But Kenny’s personality is beside the point. A lot of people don’t like Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, or Alex Rodriguez – this guy included. But their impeccable talents are unquestionable. In the motorsports realm, Kyle Busch has an international fan club of haters and he earned every one of them, but to say the kid isn’t one of the best drivers of this or any generation is pure blasphemy.

Even today, when the Nowlings’ whereabouts are as unknown as Osama Bin Laden’s were for the last decade, Kenny is still the recipient of childish words of hate from grown men that even a potty-mouthed 12-year old would be unlikely to make. And whether he’s deserving of any of that or not, one simply can’t deny that Pro Modified wouldn’t be where it’s at today without his efforts.

In 2001, along with business partner Dave Wood, President of AMS Staff Leasing, Nowling brought arguably the most popular category in all of drag racing to the NHRA’s grand stage. For five seasons he was the driving force behind the entire series, handling everything from parking to promotions and everything in between. And in 2005, while still involved with the NHRA effort, he also founded and operated the competing ADRL. In 2006, Wood withdrew his support of the NHRA series and at that point, Nowling left and focused his efforts on the ADRL.

In just six short years, the eighth mile outlaw series grew from a handful of poorly-attended races at small southern venues to a Woodstock-like phenomenon that filled premiere tracks to the brim and beyond, snarled interstate traffic for miles, captured national media attention, and sent the NHRA brass retreating to their foxholes to draw up a responding attack.

Last August, Al-Thani purchased a stake in the series from former partners Dave Wood and Tommy Lipar and later took full ownership of the organization. In a rather curious development, Nowling “stepped down” from his position and entered the purported role of head of international development. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Nearly the entire original staff of the ADRL, from the top down, was purged and replaced. Publicly, the former staff has been described by the keyboard crew chiefs as a group of unprofessional rag-tags unfit to run such an organization. But a series of this magnitude clearly cannot be run by one man, meaning this collection of front office and field staff were also part of that explosion of success and thus must have done something right.

The NHRA has long been criticized for being too corporate and straight-laced, unwilling to think outside the box, unapproachable by the racer or the common man, and focused only on the bottom line. Kenny and his staff gave the people what they wanted, and then they demanded a corporate and straight-laced attitude and feel and danced in the streets following his ouster. And now with nearly all remnants of the original ADRL out the window, the fields have dwindled, spectators are dressing like bleachers, controversial new policies have been instituted (zero race makeups and $40 restricted area fees being the big ones), and the “outlaw” atmosphere that once made it so great is slipping away.

Sure, the new ADRL , but is it really better now?

Oh, and for those wondering, no, they didn’t really kill Kenny. At least we don’t think so anyway.