Ralph Seagraves
Drag racing’s public acceptance is a legitimate motorsport was greatly accelerated by the sport’s “discovery”, nearly two decades ago, by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. As the tobacco giant’s Special Events Director, it was Ralph Seagraves who personally persuaded the president to bring the Winston brand into stock-car racing in 1971. Four years later, Winston and Seagraves similarly blessed NHRA and IHRA with respective $100,000 postseason points funds, creating the Winston Drag Racing Series. Less publicized, but no less important, where the “presence packages” of paint, materials, and money made to individual track operators for facility improvements. Ralph also worked tirelessly to establish drag racing’s credibility with skeptical media leaders, elected officials, and corporate executives both inside and outside R.J. Reynolds. Indeed, during his tenure in the company’s Special Events Department, Seagraves convinced no fewer than 13 different CEOs to continue funding his ambitious motorsports programs. All the while, he was personally escorting important business leaders to national and divisional events, introducing them to the cost-effectiveness of drag racing sponsorship. The net result has been untold millions of dollars in corporate investments since 1975, not the least of which was an NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series point fund valued at $1,041,600 per year in 1993. Though he never set a national record or won a single round, the contributions of Ralph Seagraves are second to none.