(Submitted by Frank Welsh) – Editor’s note: Reader Frank Welsh sent us this well crafted editorial with a look at the recent announcement that Kye Kelly is selling all of his stuff and the announcement by NHRA racer John Gaydosh who announced that he would be quitting the pro stock class because of escalating costs. Two very different men, ver different genres, the same situation. This is interesting – BL
John Gaydosh, a popular yet moderately successful independent NHRA Pro Stock racer, recently announced that the Dodge Nationals in Reading would be his last race in the Pro Stock class. Gaydosh cited the rising cost to compete as the primary reason for selling his Pypes-backed Chevy Camaro.
Less than a week later, Street Outlaws mega-star Kye Kelley made a similar announcement on his Facebook page. Kelley has decided to sell his popular Shocker Camaro, calling it a “big boy decision” based on finances. Gaydosh and Kelley come from different ends of the drag racing universe, yet their stories have many similarities. Or do they?
Gaydosh specifically cited a lack of television coverage for the Pro Stock class as the reason for his decision. That’s incredibly ironic because Kelley probably gets as much television coverage as any drag racer in the world, yet he finds himself in the same boat; unable to secure a marketing partner that sees his potential.
In an article posted on CompetitionPlus.com, Gaydosh stated that he’d lost a $1 million sponsorship because of the lack of television coverage that NHRA had delegated to Pro Stock. That’s a shame because had it come to fruition, it would have brought the number of seven figure sponsorships in Pro Stock to exactly two (maybe). Assuming the Summit Racing sponsorship with the KB team is over a million dollar (probable, but not a given) it’s hard to imagine anyone spending that sort of coin to sponsor anything other than a nitro car.
Some folks see Gaydosh’s situation as a sigh of the times but there are a few points that need to be made here. First and foremost, Pro Stock has never been an affordable class. Never. Ever. Ever.
It wasn’t affordable in 1970 when early stars Ronnie Sox, Butch Leal, Dick Landy, Bob Glidden, and Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins enjoyed the benefit of factory backing. It wasn’t affordable in the 1980s even though more than 30-40 regularly tried to qualify for NHRA’s 16-car fields. Pro Stock sure as hell wasn’t affordable in the 1990-2000 era when folks like Warren Johnson, Dick Maskin (Dart Engineering), KB Racing, and a few others began incorporating sophisticated NASCAR technology.
The truth is that today, in 2018, the Pro Stock class is as affordable as it’s ever been. The price of engine leasing has gone down considerably based on supply and demand, and the willingness of teams like Elite, KB, McGaha, and Gray Motorsports to help keep the class afloat. World champ Bo Butner, Deric Kramer, Matt Hartford, and Vincent Nobile are all engine lease customers and all of them have won races this year.
In the case of Kelley, it’s hard to fathom that a driver who is seen by millions of people each week on television can’t find sufficient sponsorship to fund his operation. Granted, a car like Kelly’s Shocker Camaro wasn’t cheap to built and it’s not cheap to race, but how much sponsorship would it take to keep him in business? $100,00? $200,000? It’d be interesting to know.
The point here is that there is a big difference between having a markable product and being marketable.
While the Street Outlaws gang has taken steps to clean up their image, most notably beginning to race more often on purpose-built tracks rather than dimly lit back roads, the show, by it’s very nature, still portrays an atmosphere of illegality which would likely be a deterrent for most of corporate America.
When it comes to sponsorships, the premise is simple; offer a company a positive ROI (return on investment) and you’re likely to land a deal. The big question is how to get there. More and more, it takes creativity to craft a program that will help a company grow sales, increase exposure, and achieve all of it’s other marketing goals. There are deals out there to be had, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and marketing expertise to make them happen.
This is old news to most folks but it takes more than a fast car, a few race wins, or even a pretty face to secure a major sponsor.
The whole street outlaws “franchise” has went off of the rails. Kelly along with the other overnight stars of the show went from showing up with open trailers behind 5-6 year old trucks to full on professional operations with high dollar cars, fully stocked, air conditioned trailers and brand new, $80K trucks.
When you watch an episode when someone’s car blows up one week and they are miraculously running the next week…that’s not grass roots racing anymore.
While I appreciate the interest in drag racing that Street Outlaws has generated, I’m over the OCC style, drama induced, productions and the new spin offs every other week. It’s run its course.
Being a guy who sees cars and racing as a hobby not a lifestyle, I have a hard time feeling sorry for guys like Kelly. If you can make it in the professional ranks, good on ya! If not, sack up and get a real job and go see what grass roots is all about!
\”The whole street outlaws “franchise” has went off of the rails.\”
It\’s not \”has went\” it\’s HAS GONE!!!!
It\’s like some of you failed to receive a proper high school education!!!
[i]”The whole street outlaws “franchise” has went off of the rails.”
It\’s not \”has went\” it\’s HAS GONE!!!!
It\’s like some of you failed to receive a proper high school education!!!{/i]
This is likely the reason he can’t afford a fast car.
These guys do have real jobs.. If you don\’t like them turn off the television and go work on your 15 second bracket car.
Jealousy is not going to get you anywhere in life brother.
I wouldn’t be surprised, if the Shocker was a 200k car to build…and at least that, and then some, to run for a year.
That is…if they don’t crash and break engines.
Drag racer all my life–never watched that show but 3-4 times–all the fake drama is just BS to me
Used to be 7 drag strips within an hour 1/2 from my shop–all full car count on Sat night—is not that way anymore—in other words every blue collar guy that wanted to could build a back yard car and have a great hobby–that is long gone
and a race car is too big a drain on normal folks economy–just the price of a tow truck is crazy these days
Oh well…I had a great time doing it –had my fill when it was good times
Hope Kye banked some loot –while getting was good–if not he will learn and do better next time Those kind of “at bats” don’t just keep on coming–we all get one or two–you have to bank when you can
The issue with sponsorship is providing something a potential sponsor can want and use. Kye comes off as a douche canoe and I wouldn’t want to be associated with him in any way. As for the prostock deal, if you are negotiating 1 of the largest dollar sponsorships in the sport you better be giving something back. Sounds like putting all your eggs in a single basket and as well should have all learnt by now that just isn’t a smart idea.
Street outlaws has never been on my watchlist. Too much drama and trauma. Pretty much totally fake like all the rest of the
“reality” crap. No sympathy here.
Personally I find Kye Kelly and Chief come across as assholes on the show, which probably wont help them find sponsors. I inagine having someone as boastful as they are would turn sponsors off. Look at farmtruck and asian for example, they appear to be genuinly nice guys, as do the memphis lot. By comparison chief and kelley seem to be happy to think they are in a fast n furious film, and quite happy to lie and cheat (may be the wrong word) to win at any cost. They just seem to be more about me me me than the racing
Problem is, that in the 70/80/90’s Motorsports were not in a decline, TODAY they are. The Author is part of the problem, Not surprising ,with whom cuts him a check when he is at a NHRA event. Take the blinders off, The sport isn’t healthy, and trying to bury that fact is only hurting it more.
You my friend are not well informed of the direction of racing or the Author of this. Brian is one of the most informed and rising stars of the Racing Sport
Jeff KfC – Who is Brian?
And what is Racing Sport?
TIA.
Brian Lohnes didn’t write this piece, site member Frank Welsh did.
I see the same issue with both situations but due to different reasons.
Firstly, Gaydosh. He claims he lost a million dollar sponsorship deal due to lack of TV coverage, fair enough. But I ask two things.
1:Where has Gaydosh finished on the table over the last say 5 years?
2:Did the NHRA suddenly decide to reduce the Prostock coverage?
No offence to Gaydosh but unless he’s been in the top 3 for the last 5 years, gettting a sponsor deal worth that much is a big ask, regardless of how much TV time the class gets.
It’s also more than TV time, if you’re asking for/getting that much sponsorship money they want more than a few minutes of TV time, They want the car(s), or what look like the cars, to be on display for the public, they want the driver(s) to meet the fans and they want them to promote the product of the sponsor. And they want a clean, wholesome image.
This is the same issue Kyle Kelly faces, sure he is known due to TV, but to sponsors he’s a nobody. And when they research him he’s worse than a nobody, he’s a nobody who glorifies criminal behaviour. Yes street racing is considered a criminal activity in alot of places. And that’s not even getting into all the BS rumours and stories that are likely to be around.
At the end of the day, you have to sell yourself to a potential sponsor by offering more for their money than they currently get.
Ian – What do you drive?
TIA.
street outlaws has been a joke from day one.
yes they build some wicked fast cars but the whole premise of racing illegally on streets is as fake now as it was in the first episode.
and the constant fighting for position X on \”the list\” and referring to locations by their area code…
it ain\’t a James bond movie folks..
Kye Kelly probably needs the money to pay off his ex-wife that he left for Lizzy Musi.
Speed costs money, how fast you want to go.
Know how to make a little money in racing, start with a lot
Maybe Kye is buying Gaydosh out . Ex Pro Stock car with Girlfriends Dads horsepower should win some races .
PRO STOCK CARS THAT LOOK LIKE ANOTHER CLASS OF FUNNY CARS, ON GAS NOT STOCK CARS. ALLCHEVY SHOW PER NHRA\’S ORDERS QUITE BORING. AND GOD FOR BID A HOOD SCOOP MAKES THEM LOOK NOT STOCK? ANOTHER FUCKING IDIOT RUNNING AND RUINING RACING JUST LIKE NASCAR. LOOK AT THE NO SPECTATORS AT EITHER VENUE. IT WILL NOT COME BACK AND WILL FAIL JUST LIKE THE NFL WILL SHORTLY. IT WILL BE A RACE TO SEE WHO TAKES A CRAP FIRST. NASCAR TECHNOLOGY IN PRO STOCK? YOU ARE A MISINFORMED DUMB ASS. IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND .STREET OUTLAWS, JUST TOTAL OKIE IDIOTS LIKE ALWAYS.
Well, Big Cheese laid it on the table, but the reason I loved Pro Stock in the 80s and 90’s is because it was Ford vs Chevy vs Olds vs Dodge, bad blood between the competitors, and some bad ass looking door slammers with cool hood scoops. None of that is present now. Current aero lumps I couldn’t care less about, especially an all Chevy show.
Remember when racing was fun and not corporate? When you could buy a drivable 57 Chevy for $500 and tires for under $25
Now days go to a NHRA race and bleed thru your pocketbook at the $57 per day plus parking just to watch. I think I paid $5 to race OCIR on the Wednesday night drags.
Adjust the prices for inflation, substitute a ’80 Fairmont for the ’57 Chevy, and you’d have a typical Drag Week entry today. Not necessarily a front runner, but there were a lot of guys out with some combination of a used truck motor, whatever cheap RWD car they could score to stuff it into, and maybe a jury rigged turbo kit if the budget allowed.
I’d dispute that pro stock has never, ever, been affordable. Many, many teams ran pro stock in the old days, supported by a couple of guys with regular jobs. My brother ran a pro stock semi Duster from the beginning of pro stock until the Chrysler boycott. Competitively. NED1 Divisional meets, because the additional travel to national events was too much for working guys. NHRA ruined the class, as it ruins every class!
You just contradicted yourself. If the additional travel to national evens was to much for working guys, then it wasn’t affordable.
What NHRA did was let rich people ruin the class. AS for Kye Kelley who cares.
The whole street outlaw thing never thrilled me. I didn\’t watch it and am glad they are running on empty. The current dream in America right now is I can be a star if I can just get on Facebook or You tube. The problem is people, (fans) figure out the duds pretty quick. Just my opinion, I race In the Nostagia meets , no Fame ,just Fun
Joe Kegely – Glad you are enjoying your 16 second vehicle. Why not let others enjoy their 6 second vehicles without bitterness?
Jealousy is when you count someone elses blessings instead of your own.
“”You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”….
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Envy_vs_Jealousy
The main difference between envy and jealousy is that envy is the emotion of coveting what someone else has, while jealousy is the emotion related to fear that something you have will be taken away by someone else.
THE ARS… What do YOU drive??
Kye is rarely on TV. His show lasted all of 2 seasons, I think. Why? Same shit. He’s not marketable. He has no charisma. He’s not likable. But claiming he’s on TV more than anyone is humorous. He might be on there once a month not counting any reruns of old episodes of Street Outlaws.
What a crock of SHIT! Claiming the 2 announcements are linked is a fucking stretch and a half. Lmfao.
Me thinks THE ARS might be Kye Kelley under an alias….so defensive. 🙂
It’s a flipping “reality” show.
I\’m thinking Kye spent a boat-load of cash after season one of SO New Orleans…and then the show was cancelled because he has the personality of a clam. Now he\’s broke.