NMCA
“ I FEEL BULLISH AND VERY OPTIMISTIC FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF NMRA AND NMCA — WE ’ RE ON THE EVOLUTION OF A BIG GROWTH CURVE .”
with sanctioning bodies instead ,” he articulates .
Everything from NMRA and NMCA ’ s Aerospace Components Winner ’ s Circle experience to the coverage ( both print and digital ), merchandise offerings , race-day operations and more , is strictly monitored to find room for improvement . “ When we were coming off the recession , many businesses were trying to figure out what the least they could spend on something was , but we changed our mindset to instead figure out what is the most we can afford to spend so that the product we provide is the best one possible for our participants ,” Wolcott continues . “ As a business , though , we ’ re fairly conservative and invest only where we need to – because I want to ensure we
MIKE GALIMI
KURT JOHNSON stay around long term to continue to be able to provide for our employees and their families .”
He adamantly believes that the key to success is working as a group , and values community and collaboration over competition . “ A rising tide lifts all boats , so we work with other media outlets like Drag Illustrated , Speed Video , and more , to help get exposure for everyone , everywhere . We open our series to everyone , and if we do our jobs correctly , we ’ ll all grow ,” he shares of his beliefs that independent entities should work as allies to benefit the sport of drag racing as a whole .
Over the years , NMRA and NMCA have had a significant hand in helping improve the performance of muscle cars as a whole . “ Because we offer a consistent program , purse , and contingency program , racers can push their combinations ,” Wolcott proclaims . Additionally , by giving manufacturers a platform with which they can challenge themselves to manufacture better parts , that too has helped the evolution of performance . “ Now , an 8- or 9-second car isn ’ t the abnormality , it ’ s common – and it was even considered crazy fast back in 2000 .”
For Wolcott , though , what he ’ s most proud of is NMRA and NMCA ’ s longevity . “ We are # 2 in drag racing , just behind NHRA , and we love being in that position because NHRA is the pinnacle and we have the world ’ s fastest street cars . We ’ re all about relatability for the fans and manufacturers ,” Wolcott says of his organizations , which allow
88 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 132