Five minutes with...NHRA: MBNA's David Elgena

MBNA America has held a strong presence in the drag racing community since the early 1990s, when it became the official credit card of NHRA. Over the years, MBNA has sponsored race teams, NHRA youth programs, and special awards, such as the MBNA World Record Club. The cornerstone of the company's involvement is the NHRA Visa card for fans and racers, which features the NHRA logo and photos of favorite Professional drivers while offering unique benefits, such as discounts on classified advertising in National DRAGSTER.

National DRAGSTER spoke with David Elgena, MBNA's senior executive vice president-motorsports, about his group's renewed commitment to NHRA drag racing and its plans for the season and years ahead.

ND: NHRA and MBNA share a long history. From your perspective, what are the highlights?

DE: Having been a drag racer, the highlights for me began with the first event [of our involvement], in Pomona in 1995. Signing the first two or three drivers and having good success with getting our product to the fans was exciting. We beat the previous financial institution in terms of customer signups our first year.

We are the motorsports bank; we have a passion for it. Most of our employees who didn't have a history in racing ultimately developed a passion for it. Among the highlights for us have been exposing new people to the sport, bringing in customers and fans from some of our other groups, and having the opportunity to develop a successful program and pretty big name for ourselves with NHRA.

ND: How has MBNA's involvement impacted NHRA, its racers, and its fans?

DE: We've given NHRA a way to give a product to its fan base and participant base that does two things: It allows cardholders to support their sport by carrying the logo with pride, and it's a product people use that gives back to the sport. This helps support the efforts of NHRA by funding some of its programs. For the drivers involved in the program, the royalties they earn support their efforts. We enjoy giving fans a product that allows them to show their pride in NHRA and gives back to the sport whenever they use it.

We sponsor teams, and we have sponsored performance awards, such as the MBNA World Record Club, so when I say we "give back," [I don't mean] just in the form of the product; we tend to involve ourselves in the sport. We don't just come to the races and sell a product; we actually participate. We like to think we give back to the sport in many ways.

ND: What can fans expect to see from MBNA In 2003?

DE: We've rekindled our excitement and enthusiasm for NHRA, just as a lot of people have done as a result of the new television contract with ESPN and the new series sponsorship from POWERade. We've rededicated ourselves to building this program even bigger. To that end, we've done things off the track, such as offering the NHRA card at many non-race-- related events throughout the year. We've also assigned Phil Elfstrom, whose main focus and energy is to aggressively market the program and bring more value to the fans, drivers, and NHRA - really, to the whole drag racing community.

ND: What's new for NHRA cardholders?

DE: Phil is consistently strengthening the program, bringing on new drivers, and effectively enhancing their individual card programs. Fans will have more drivers' photos to choose from than ever on their NHRA cards. Down the road, we expect to introduce a rewards program that will offer many new features and benefits for NHRA cardholders, bringing them more value. We're still working on the details, but examples might include fuel rebates, reward-partnership discounts, discounts on NHRA membership, and opportunities for cardholders to use their points to buy NHRA merchandise.

ND: It sounds as if MBNA Is looking forward to a great season.

DE: We are thrilled with what NHRA has done with its new TV contract; we think that will help grow the sport. We're also happy about the partnership with POWERade, and we believe it will take all of us in drag racing to a new level. We have worked with Coca-Cola in the past, and we know it's a great partner. Along with our commitment to signing new drivers and offering new benefits, we see this program and NHRA really skyrocketing ahead. We're thrilled to be a part of the NHRA family.

Copyright National Hot Rod Association Apr 4, 2003
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