Dean Skuza

If popularity were the key ingredient for success on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing tour, Dean Skuza would be one of the sport's heaviest hitters. Since making his NHRA debut in 1992, Dean and his father Don have won a legion of fans thanks to their upbeat, fun-loving approach to the sport and their image as a "little dog" trying to hunt with the big ones.

But sponsorship has never come to the Skuza team in big portions. For the majority of the 12 years they have been campaigning a nitro Funny Car, they have financed many of those seasons with a combination of their own checkbooks and a handful of associate sponsors.

Now, it appears they'll sit out 2004.

After a 2003 season in which Dean advanced to three final rounds but couldn't convert any to a victory, the Skuzas have announced that unless they can close a primary sponsorship deal soon, they will be on the sideline this season. It has been a tough decision to make for the father-son team, based in Brecksville, Ohio, because money, glamour and fame have never been their prime motivators for going racing.

"We love the sport," said Don Skuza when contacted at the team's shop late last week. "We really want to be out there racing. It's what we've been doing for a long time. But last year, I spent quite a bit of my own money to stay out there and if you keep doing that, when it's time to retire, your savings could be wiped out."

Dean Skuza has become a genuine fan favorite since going full time as a pro in 1994. Never one to grouse or complain, his genuinely positive manner and offbeat sense of humor have charmed both fans and other racers, alike.

His wide circle of racing friends was never more in evidence than last year at the Mid-South Nationals in Memphis when Dean suffered a massive engine explosion and fire while defeating John Force in the semifinals. After climbing from his burned-out nitro Pontiac, Skuza told the ESPN television audience he was not going to be able to repair the car in time to make his final round matchup with Whit Bazemore.

When Skuza's racecar was towed back to the pits, members of at least six other teams were waiting, and in an astounding display of sportsmanship and mechanical coordination, they repaired the car, got it fired up, and got Skuza to the line to face Bazemore.

Skuza lost that final, but provided one of the great stories of the 2003 season.

"That's what we were thinking about," said the elder Skuza. "To have that kind of tremendous experience and get so much help from those other racers, and then have to park our car is a disappointment. We've got a few deals in the works and something may come through. If it does, we'll be back. That's what we're hoping for."

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.