IHRA president responds to the recent developments with Torco Racing Fuels as well as looks ahead to the 2008 racing season.

Q: The Torco announcement, did you know this was coming or did the news that Torco Racing Fuels was going to take a year off from sponsoring individual race teams come as a surprise to you?
Aaron Polburn: I found about it when the world found out about it. The first indication I had that this might be happening was when we got a Mike Ashley press release sent to our office. That was the first time I heard about anything.

Q: That being said, Torco’s decision pertained to individual race team sponsorships. Is there any effect on IHRA other than the fact that some of its racers are hurting right now?
AP: There will be a short-term effect, but the good news as far as IHRA is concerned is all the Torco programs are coming back in 2008. We still have the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam. Top Fuel, Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Nitro Funny Car and the shootouts. As (Torco CFO) Latrell (Preston) said in one of his interviews they are in the business of selling race fuel, they are in the business of selling shirts with Skull Gear, they are in the business of selling Mach 1 Accelerator…that’s what they do and that’s why they are still remaining involved with these programs. As far as teams are concerned I have talked to some of them and am waiting on phone calls from others; it will have a short-term effect. I think we’re going to see that effect in the second half of the season. I know these racers will be there but it’s up to us to work with them to try to find funding race to race to race. I have already instructed our staff here we need to be on the lookout. I also told our track operators to be on the lookout. This is not the time to back off, it’s a time to circle the wagons and act like a team. Dale Creasy Jr. is part of our team, Bobby Lagana Jr. is part of our team, Scotty Cannon, Ricky Smith, Matt Hagan…they are all parts of our team who are very important. We may not be able to raise a dime for them but we can try to help keep them going and get through this bump in the road. We are in a very strong position going into 2008 and we like a challenge here. This is actually kind of invigorating and motivating in a way.

Q: Do you think a lot of the positive things that are happening with IHRA are being lost in the wash right now?
AP: They are, but those are minor stories right now compared to the big stories that are out there. But if you add it all up you can see why I am as excited as I have ever been. We’re gaining race tracks, not losing them. In fact, we’re gaining a lot of race tracks. (IHRA director of contingency) Tommy Dupree came in here the other day and announced we are $1 million up over last year at this date on contingency. That’s huge. Our sponsorship programs are ahead of where they were last year and we have a lot more time to sell sponsorships. Our television show will now be seen in over 50 countries. They kind of get buried but when you add up all the little things it turns into a big thing. That’s why I’m so excited not only for the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam, but for the Thunder Jam, Street Warriorz, the Summit Super Series and the Summit Pro-Am Tour. We have a lot of people outside our company who are helping us be successful, both racers and sponsors. I keep harping about “team” and I don’t just mean the guys and gals in this office. There are a lot of people working to make us successful.

Q: With that mentality, the teamwork and the approach IHRA has to take, can you compare that with some of the out and out fabrications and untruths that have cluttered up Internet message boards. How frustrated has reading some of those things made you?
AP: It’s sad, that’s the best way of describing it. I have said it before, in all forms information is power…even if it’s misinformation. People only look for the bad side of things and, my goodness, how soon they forgot about Evan Knoll, what he has done, how he has elevated individuals, companies and this sport. He has made all of us a lot better and how soon the “Keyboard Crew Chiefs” are quick to condemn and go the National Enquirer route. The first thing we all should do is ask Evan how we could help because I have asked him for help so many times over the last three years. He was the first one in line to give me that help and he never would hesitate. With him being in this position health-wise that is the least we all owe the guy. Evan has become a friend, so has Latrell and everyone else in that company. You just don’t treat people that way. It is disgusting but how many times have we seen things like this? This isn’t the first time, that’s the downside of the Internet and the downside of human nature.

Q: Put yourself in Evan Knoll’s shoes, for three years you have been ignoring doctor’s advice and doing everything in your power and control to help this sport. Now you have to read all this stuff on message boards…would that make you throw your hands up and say “I don’t need this.”
AP: I can’t speak for the big guy, but it would certainly effect me if I was sitting there in the Mayo Clinic reading all this negative speculation about me. Yeah, of course it would get to me. The thing that bothers me the most is the number of calls I have received wanting to know if Torco has paid their bills. It bothers me because it is none of their business and, secondly, as long as we’ve had a relationship with Torco they have kept every promise and paid every bill. They have over-delivered and done things that they didn’t have to do and kept every promise. Everyone is looking for the dirt, if they call anyone within IHRA there is none available do they should just not bother. Torco has been as good a company we have worked with over the last three or four years and we look forward to that relationship continuing and growing. We put them at the top of the pack because, like I said, they have over-delivered on every single promise.

Q: I got a call from a sportsman racer two days ago telling me he heard IHRA had filed bankruptcy and that we were not racing anymore. IHRA is not nearly in the tenuous financial position some people would like to think it is, are we?
AP: No. The thing people like to forget is that we’re Live Nation. When you call our office we answer “Live Nation Motor Sports.” That’s who writes our paychecks, That’s who we work for. Some people don’t necessarily like it because they want us to banner IHRA and we do need to banner the IHRA, but the bottom line is we are Live Nation. We are a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange with an incredible amount of capital. I especially want to add we get full-on support from Live Nation, more support than we have ever received from any other company who has owned us. When the press release came out and we didn’t know where the whole Torco/Knoll Gas thing was going the first thing I did was call our corporate brethren to talk to them about it. They assured me regardless of how things shake out they are in this with us for the long haul. Even if it hurts for a year we’ll recover. That’s why we have these national sales departments…that’s why we all work together. That’s why we’re Live Nation. We have a safety net but I never, ever want to use it and right now we are far from being in a position where we have to use that safety net. But it gives me a lot of confidence knowing the people I work for have my back. And that’s precisely why we have Evan’s back. Just because things might get bad does not mean we are going to turn and run.

Q: Looking forward we are going to be racing soon. We have the Immokalee Summit Pro-Am with the sportsman national and San Antonio getting close. How energized are you right now?
AP: When we got word that the teams were being let go for a year, obviously everyone was worried. My phone was out of control, the emails were out of control…I went home and told Beckie about it. The one thing I told her I could not figure out was why I was so enthused, why I was so engaged. She said it was because I like the challenge, and she’s right. Even with everything going on right now we are in the best position to grow our company and deliver the things we’re supposed to deliver to our racers and fans…a great entertainment product that the racers like, that our fans like that is cost-effective to our sponsors.

Q: Finally, is there anything you want to say to IHRA members?
AP: (Chuckles) Yeah, stay off the Internet. I have used something my dad taught me when I was a little kid…that you should never assume because you break the word down it makes an ass of you and me. I think that is the best cliché I can use to leave you with.