I Need To Talk About The NHRA’s 75th Anniversary Logo

By David G. Firestone

So, two races in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series are behind us. With this being the 75th Anniversary of the NHRA, the celebration will continue all year. With this anniversary comes the obligatory 75th Anniversary logo. It’s alright, not too over done.

Here’s the thing, I HATE anniversary logos in sports. This all started in late 1997, with the introduction of NASCAR’s 50th Anniversary logo:

The moment I saw this logo, I knew I hated it, and I was going to be so tired of it by the end of the 1998 season. Well, I was right. NASCAR put this logo on EVERYTHING in 1998. It was all over merchandise, it was prominent at every track and telecast, you couldn’t escape it. By the time 1998 ended, fans were done with the logo.

This, in turn, posed a massive problem for independent stores that sold NASCAR merch. By the end of 1998, they had so much overstock, that they lost money on it. It actually common to see entire sections of stores with 1998 50th Anniversary stuff on massive clearance.

NASCAR was big enough to handle the low sales, but many of these store are mom and pop stores, and their bottom line to a major hit by selling this stuff on clearance. While it is still sold on places like eBay almost 30 years later, at the time, you really couldn’t give it away.

Now this is not a phenomenon confined to racing. In 1994, I was 12, and the World Cup was hosted in the US, and Chicago was one of the venues. World Cup merchandise was EVERYWHERE! But just like any other event, the World Cup comes to an end. After the World Cup ended, stores across the country were sitting on piles of unsold merch, which was sold at a loss. Many individual teams also have championship or anniversary logos, and the same thing happens.

I have no problem with a sports team or league celebrating a championship, or anniversary. I have a major problem with those who sell merchandise on a local level getting screwed by this merch. I think all sports leagues across the world need to understand that local stores are in precarious positions with these kinds of merchandise. I really hope that there are no permanent casualties because of this, there have been in the past.

With that said, I look forward to the 75th Anniversary of the NHRA, and I love the racing.