John Raffa
The Founders Award is designed to honor those individuals who have had a dramatic impact on the sport and what can be best described as” special ways”. John Raffa began his career as a journalist in earnest when he was hired to become managing editor of Super Stock and Drag Illustrated in the mid-1960s. Since that time, John occupied a unique position as a teacher and mentor to others. A gifted writer and editor Raffa was always eager to pass along the lessons he has learned about journalism and editing to the new generation, with the sport of drag racing being the ultimate beneficiary of his legacy.
In 1967 Raffa was ensconced in the offices of Car Craft Magazine, where he quickly climbed the ladder from Managing Editor, to Editor, and ultimately assume the position of Publisher. As he did while at Super Stock and Drag Illustrated during his tenure at the publication bring the credo “drag racing’s complete magazine” on its flag, Raffa champion the sport of drag racing for all classes. One of his pet projects was the Car Craft Magazine All-Star Drag Racing Team program, which today is still considered one of the top awards a drag racer can receive.
John was also always looking for new enthusiastic youth writer/photographers who he could introduce to an eager audience of drag racing fans. Among Raffa’s “finds” were the late Steve Collison and Ro McGonegal, who would also go on to edit Car Craft and number of other prime publications. As the Publisher, Raffa often had to be a buffer between the writers and company management to make sure the stories and information printed in the magazine maintain their editorial integrity.
Raffa returned to Super Stock and Drag Illustrated in 1971, where he served as the magazine’s publisher for about 12 months. While his tenure in this position wasn’t a long one, his influence would be felt for a long time afterwards. It was Raffa who helped guide Jim Kelly into becoming an effective magazine editor. “I didn’t know anything about doing that kind work” Kelly recalls “Raffa taught me how to effectively read copy and make it ready for publication. Without his willingness to teach me how to do it, I wouldn’t have held the job very long”. Raffa had this same positive influence on numerous other writers whose names are well known in the publishing world.
Through the late 70s and early 80s, Raffia served as editor for both Phil Engeldrum and Haynes Publications, where he inserted drag racing stories in those magazines as often as possible, but by 1985 he was back doing what he’s always done better than anyone else in the history of drag racing photojournalism; teaching others how to be better writers and editors. Working closely with National Dragster editor Phil Burgess, Raffa helped change the publication’s direction by teaching the younger staffers how to become not only better writers, but better reporters as well. Raffa didn’t stop with the young writers; he also worked with some of the staff’s most experienced journalists, and without changing their individualistic styles, he helped them become more professional. As National Dragsters editor Phil Burgess has said, “John Raffa taught our less experienced writers how to become professionals, while at the same time making the rest of us better as well. He helped make National Dragster a quality publication, one that we could all be proud of”.
John’s involvement with publishing Drag Racing Action Magazine help shape its editorial package into a very readable one. John when not actively working on any specific publication would spot an editing error or something in a magazine he thought could be improved, he was not bashful about picking up the phone and gently discussing it with the writer. The results mean that is an eager audience of fans and participants are going to read better and more comprehensive stories about the sport we all love so much.
John Raffa never developed a performance-enhancing product or won a national event from behind the wheel. Rather, what Raffa did throughout his career is generously provide advice and guidance to an untold number of photojournalists, helping provide the readers of various publications with exciting and informative stories and the sports participants better coverage of their accomplishments; all of which help the sport grow to what it is today.