John Farce Racing
Nitro Member
1850 miles is a lot to cover in 4 days hauling all that stuff.
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I've never understood why that is. When I look at the Divisional coverage in National Dragster, there are usually few, if ANY spectators. This makes no sense. A Divisonal race, especially one with the Alchohol Dragsters and Funny Cars, could be a fun day out with the family. Why wouldn't the track owners advertise the races? Charge...I don't know... $10.00 a head to get in. Sell them drinks and food. It would be "found" money, no? They could theoretically fill the stands. Why aren't they doing that? Is their only income from the race from entry fees? Or does NHRA pay the Divisonal tracks a fee to hold the races?
TD5023
Nitro Member
Some do better than others as far as spectator attendance, but the answer is that for most Divisionals, there is no show aspect to them. At nationals, most of the spectators are only there for the pro classes (and really, only a couple of those). A Divisional is basically a National without the pro classes and higher car counts of the "filler" classes. It's hard to sell hours and hours of sportsman classes when the payoff is 8-car TA fields and nothing else showy.
Don't get me wrong, I like Divisionals better, both as a competitor and spectator. But my views hardly represent the average spectator.
MM
Nitro Member
Force, Hight, Capps, Wilkerson, and Cruz are all going from Sonoma to Norwalk this weekend. 1850 miles is a two day trip for most of these guys.
Not a whole lot of people — other than die-hard drag racing fans — want to spend their days watching pair-after-pair of 1969 Camaros go down the track.
Divisional events are usually long, the pace is slow, and a lot of the racing is hard to watch. Between .90 cars and throttle stops and watching the Stock or Super Stock car that gets to the finish line first actually lose, the racing can be difficult to watch and understand.
There are tracks that do well with spectators at divisional events. Norwalk is one example. They set the schedule so Saturday is onlt Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Alcohol Funny Car and Alcohol Dragster. No stock, no superstock, no .90 classes. Then they add in wheelstanders and jet cars to create a show for spectators. Add in fireworks and they get a crowd on Saturday night, But they only get the crowd on Saturday night.
I am not sure if they still do it but Maple Grove used to get a crowd on Saturday nights at divisional races on Memorial Day weekend with admission of $25 per carload and then a large fireworks display afterward.
It also helps if the track is not located in an area with a lot of other things to do. The divisionals at Englishtown could not draw spectators even when they had free tickets available at stores all over the area.
Jim
mick
Nitro Member
back in the 90's, BIR always held it's divisional around memorial weekend. there were always 8 car fields of alcohol cars, plus good comp turnout,
and hundreds of SC, SG, STK, and SS ...... they used to get a lot of folks camping for weekend, and even a good amount of day trippers.
if i recall there were ticket promotions thru winston. they were really fun weekends ..... now the track has declined hosting a divisional, and instead is
in 2nd or 3rd year of hosting NPK street outlaw deal. i have not attended, but understand the spectator/camper draw is huge.
and hundreds of SC, SG, STK, and SS ...... they used to get a lot of folks camping for weekend, and even a good amount of day trippers.
if i recall there were ticket promotions thru winston. they were really fun weekends ..... now the track has declined hosting a divisional, and instead is
in 2nd or 3rd year of hosting NPK street outlaw deal. i have not attended, but understand the spectator/camper draw is huge.
Reese
Nitro Member
D4 Beller Rose always does well spectator wise but this year they gave away a lot of free tickets and did very good advertising it. But there is not much big time drag races in the area so that helps out to. Unless you want to include Street Outlaws(the track most attended event ever and Pinks was second). Also looking forward to Funny Car Chaos which is at a nearby drag strip.
John Farce Racing
Nitro Member
SC, SG and SST have outlived their usefulness. Dump the throttle stops and just make up a couple of cut off points and bracket race the cars. 99.9% of spectators hate the leave, idle and then take off racing.
Or, leave the classes they way they are, dump the throttle stops, and make the drivers drive to the .90 ETs.
none
Nitro Member
Is this an argument that the sportsman classes are a better show than TF &FC?
mick
Nitro Member
ha! no, but if you can appreciate what the various sportsman classes are extremely good at, then you can appreciate their on track talent
every bit as much as the big dogs. so many ways to lose, and so hard to get everything rite to get a win. it's the same for all classes.
Jer
Nitro Member
90 cars are like ants,everywhere no need for these cars at national events,same with that dj they got from some karoke bar lol
Professional Fan
Nitro Member
Joliet is on for May 17-19. Just got my renewal notice.
T.Smith
Nitro Member
That's awesome!
