Page 14 - Nitro Madness Magazine Fall 2017
P. 14
told Dennis that he wished there
was something that would fit a lot
better. At that point in time, the
racing diaper business became
a reality. Dennis created a well
thought out and effective product
for the sportsman racers. Dennis
recalls that first one he made,
“We built a diaper for Super Gas/
Super Comp cars that fit correctly
and specifically for those types of
cars. It was thin, light weight and
inexpensive. That’s how it all got
started.” Prior to DRE, (Dennis
Ridgeway Enterprises) many
engine diapers were considered too
bulky or ill fitting. He possessed
much of the background knowledge
needed from the upholstery
business and surprisingly a fair
amount of carry over knowledge The start of a standard
from the hunting industry. Plus, sportsman diaper.
with his understanding of drag
racing he was able to grab the
majority of market share of this
newly formed sportsman diaper
industry. Dennis stated that he One of the DRE sewing
did not develop the concept of the stations that is used to
engine diaper but he did develop create the diapers.
the concept of the Sportsman
Diaper, which has kept him very
busy ever since that first diaper was
designed and built.
It all began in a little shop with
just a couple of guys mapping out
and planning a product that would
positively impact the safety and
the downtime of the sport. These
benefits later caught the attention
of the NHRA and a rule was put in
place to require diapers on many of
the sportsman classes. Although
it was later reversed, the rule that
these diapers needed to be SFI
approved required DRE to follow
through with testing to stay in Visit us at fabcraft.cool 800-208-8242
the forefront of the industry. To
14 Nitro Madness Magazine Fall 2017