Another Nitro Team Parks

[d'kid]

Terry it's really hard to take anything YOU say seriously.
Kind of like your Larry Dixon reply. I'm going to give you a little advice it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool than opening your mouth and removing all doubt!

Bob, Believe me, I'm Not defending Terry here... he's 'correcting' my 'shoot from the hip' guesstimates on average age, (I was on the low end of the official) and income, (again, I was 8K low of hitting a 50K-100K spread and 50K is one heck of a spread, I wonder just how much of it is the lower side), but then, the family combined income does fall in that range and spends like 15K a year did in the 80's... Heck, I still consider myself lower middle class....

But he did skip right over the most important part... somewhere around 1.2 to 1.5 million butts in the seats for the entire season... you know, what a single pro baseball team draws at home... and overall, I'm surprised that anyone but a 'sin' company (Beer, Booze, and Cigs) or automotive related would even look at 'drag racing' as a potential market...

again , JMO
d'kid

 

[The Counterfeiter]

I mentioned the elevator industry cause their bread/butter is in two stop elevators and being an employee w/ ThyssenKrupp I thought of all the positives the companies would receive from flying their colors.They are very affordable and the industry is rarely approached yet they (Thyssenkrupp) are a top 5 global company. I might be difficult but most here complain and want others to fix problems..

OK . . . here's the plan. Using your extensive knowledge of everyone and everything in drag racing and those NHRA demographics, you convince your employer that many of the fans in the stands or part of NHRA's huge TV audience are gonna buy elevators. The next step will be for you to chose which Pro team ThyssenKrupp will sponsor! Shouldn't be a problem for a marketing genius like you.

 

[RJM323]

what the NHRA really needs is more "behind the scenes/reality" type shows such as "Driving Force"..... that show is what turned me into a drag racing fan
and that is the kind of thing that will snag the younger generation

 

[Demon]

I would agree on the reality type of show,but it needs to be REAL not what the typical reality show is in today's market.

Pinks/Pinks all out does a good job,but is shown on only one network.

I was really hoping Melanie would be racing in '09,especially after what has happened with T.J.

 

[rocketman]

It's a lot to ask of any fuel team owner to go at it alone, out of their own pocket with the large overhead NOW needed to run these cars. And what is there to be surprised about? We all saw where this was eventually going to go this past summer when there was no signage on Troxel's car. Any time a silver and burgundy car rolls out of the paint booth without a sponsor you can guess that team isn't long for the world.

Sadly Top Fuel Racing has become a multi-million dollar enterprise that rarely makes a profit and a finger can be pointed at some of the teams themselves where money was no object, and the NHRA for not increasing the round money enough to keep these teams on the road. They are well aware that this is a delicate series where all it take is a financial crisis to shut down fed-up and under funded team owners paying most of the bills. Most team owners are millionaires but even they have a tipping point and the economy has exposed it. Business takes a dive and the millions they are pouring into their teams suddenly becomes a big deal.

I have said before and will say it again that the cost of running a fuel car on the Powerade circuit is more than what it's worth to most CEO's. I have been on the inside of a lot of promising major league deals only to see them sour at the last minute. It's heartbreaking to see. NHRA needs to put nitro racing on a low budget diet immediately. If I can race a six second car on less than $20,000 per year, a 4 second car should be able to be raced regionally on less that $500,000 per year. Maybe I'm stupid to think that but I believe it can be done and will have to be done.

The fuel racing world is Tom Compton's Rome and Rome is burning. At the two races I went to this year in Seattle and Pomona I saw teams needing two semis for one car, drivers rarely out meeting the fans, Crew Chiefs standing around smoking cigarettes looking board, fewer independent teams, and empty hospitality areas rarely being used.

When Evan Knoll was pumping millions of questionable funds into these cars, and the economy was living high on the hog nobody really gave a damn what it costs as long as there were 16 cars ready to race on Sunday. Nobody ever made plans on what to do if the bottom fell out and the bottom did fall out.

 

[Bill]

Two problems here, as I sees it....

1. They're ALREADY "spec cars"... just the wrong specs... Look at the rulebook; so many restrictions, already for engine design parameters, injector intake size, final drive gear ratio, minimum weight, etc....

AND

"How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Payree???"


What kind of specs can be used that will accomplish the goal of reducing operating expenses significantly that won't slow the cars down to the extent that the fans won't go, "What the hell happened to the e.t.'s and speeds???"

I'd like to hear just how quick these cars should have to go, and how much
money could be saved by slowing them down X-amount with new "specs."

I think that's a fair question. And, it's not argumentative; I am genuinely curious, that's all.

Anybody????

Bill, in Conway, Arkansas

 

[rocketman]

I don't know how many fuel cars there are in Conway AK but there use to be a bunch in the Northwest and now there's just a handful nationwide. It's out of control.

 

[vegasnitro]

I mentioned the elevator industry cause their bread/butter is in two stop elevators and being an employee w/ ThyssenKrupp I thought of all the positives the companies would receive from flying their colors.
They are very affordable and the industry is rarely approached yet they (Thyssenkrupp) are a top 5 global company.

They are top 5 globally because they are basically a monopoly. Like you said, if you have needs of an elevator, there are exactly 3 companies you can call.

That being said, since they have the market ostensibly cornered, why spend money to advertise, when everyone is likely going to come to you anyway?

What need of an elevator company do NHRA's target demographic have? (Don't get me wrong, I would welcome any new sponsor in and would LOVE to have them.)

What need of an elevator do NHRA's B2B partners have?

I do not doubt that Thyssen Krupp is VERY solvent ... but I do doubt they would actualize ANY real value from a racecar sponsorship.

 

[paoldtimer]

Re: R2B2 F/C folds, Melanie joins the ranks of those looking for a car in '09

...Roger is a multi-millionaire in the never lagging Pharmacutical industry.

Never lagging?? So not true! I work in the pharma industry and we are taking hits just like every other business in the world. We've had layoffs, restructuring, etc. Why should RB pay it all out of his own pocket? Like it was said earlier - when you see a car without sponsorship...you know it's only a matter of time....

 

[Randy]

Re: R2B2 F/C folds, Melanie joins the ranks of those looking for a car in '09

Why should RB pay it all out of his own pocket?

Just like most of us who have been racing for years...should he expect to be funded by someone else? Jim Head does it on his own dime, and so do thousands of sportsman racers. If you can't afford it, stay home.

Like most people playing with their toys, you have to pay to play. Some are fortunate enough to find someone else to pay for their fun, but it certainly isn't a "right" to be funded.

 

[pete]

They are top 5 globally because they are basically a monopoly. Like you said, if you have needs of an elevator, there are exactly 3 companies you can call.

That being said, since they have the market ostensibly cornered, why spend money to advertise, when everyone is likely going to come to you anyway?

What need of an elevator company do NHRA's target demographic have? (Don't get me wrong, I would welcome any new sponsor in and would LOVE to have them.)

What need of an elevator do NHRA's B2B partners have?

I do not doubt that Thyssen Krupp is VERY solvent ... but I do doubt they would actualize ANY real value from a racecar sponsorship.

Just like a heavy equipment manufacturer in nascar

 

[murdock]

I mentioned the elevator industry cause their bread/butter is in two stop elevators and being an employee w/ ThyssenKrupp I thought of all the positives the companies would receive from flying their colors.
They are very affordable and the industry is rarely approached yet they (Thyssenkrupp) are a top 5 global company.

I might be difficult but most here complain and want others to fix problems..

Hey Terry, which office do you work out of? I'm out of the Roanoke, VA office, and blessed to be on call on Christmas week!

Murdock.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Look at it this way. What's happening with the economy now may be good for drag racing long term. It may force NHRA to do something about costs as fields shrink.

 

[Larry]

The option of funding with your own nickel should be an option and right now it ain't to any degree.

If your eyes water and the ground shakes the fans will come.
Texas used to have a hundreds of fuel cars .
Now I doubt including AA/FA cars there are a dozzen and by racetime next year that number will be half.
I agree with Ron it's time to make rules to keep pro Drag Racing viable .
The tracks need the Match Racing shows or they will not survive either.
It could all be better but if you can count the cars on two sets of fingers it will just fade away with so many of our famious Racetracks .

 

[sdwarf36]

Re: R2B2 F/C folds, Melanie joins the ranks of those looking for a car in '09

Just like most of us who have been racing for years...should he expect to be funded by someone else? Jim Head does it on his own dime, and so do thousands of sportsman racers. If you can't afford it, stay home.

Like most people playing with their toys, you have to pay to play. Some are fortunate enough to find someone else to pay for their fun, but it certainly isn't a "right" to be funded.

I 100% agree-as I do with most of your posts.

 

[Kurt]

While you're sending out cards this year, don't forget to call or write your politicians and tell them thanks for ALLOWING our economy to go in the tank. It was their job to watch over the economy and to prevent this from happening. I think this is just the beginning of teams dropping out of racing. At least for a while until the economy rebounds.

BTW, Congress is due to get a 2.8% raise.

Thank God Tom Compton is still getting paid........

 

[George.]

What you are seeing is the reaction to 1000' racing coupled with a scared economy.. Some of you guys may disagree, but we'll see all about who was right shortly.
Nobody is going to sit out in the hot sun after spending hundreds of dollars to see 3 second drag squirts. It's a total joke and it's not a sellable item to prospective fans. There is no growth on the horizon, just fan base loss, simple as that. Only the hard core fans will swallow that crap, and that may leave all but one grandstand empty.

Sponsors know it, and so does any businessman worth their salt.

 

[Marchboom]

Just no doubt about it, the extreme cost of running a competitive fuel team is beyond what anyone ever thought. But drag racers are innovators and when a new part hits the track, and the car using that part starts winning, you have to buy that too if you want a chance of winning. Some teams say, "I'll pay whatever it takes". Some say, "Racing is now going beyond what I (or my sponsors) can afford to pay, so I'm out". With the reduction in the number of teams, drag racing will probably get rather dull. Fan attendance will decline and the sponsors will notice that. Therefore, sponsorship will decline. This economy isn't helping either. But the NHRA should be getting creative now and see that if they don't come up with something to keep sponsors (and, therefore, racers) at the drags, the sport will go into it's own recession. And who knows how long that might last?

Remember the first econorail? How about an econo TF car?

Yeah, you're right, probably not a good idea.

 

[mw6789]

What you are seeing is the reaction to 1000' racing coupled with a scared economy.. Some of you guys may disagree, but we'll see all about who was right shortly.
Nobody is going to sit out in the hot sun after spending hundreds of dollars to see 3 second drag squirts. It's a total joke and it's not a sellable item to prospective fans. There is no growth on the horizon, just fan base loss, simple as that. Only the hard core fans will swallow that crap, and that may leave all but one grandstand empty.

Sponsors know it, and so does any businessman worth their salt.

Watch the college bowl season--they are already and will in the next games experience lots of empty seats. Same thing for most other types of entertainment. The big story here at home is lack of scholarship ticket renewals for Univ of Ark basketball. Used to be the waiting list for tickets was forever. A friend of mine dropped his after over 40 years--said the university called him several times to make sure he didnt just forget to renew. Same thing in motorsports--most folks just dont have the extra cash to spend. And as pointed out earlier, without butts in the seats, the sponsors have to reconsider.

 

[mw6789]

Re: R2B2 F/C folds, Melanie joins the ranks of those looking for a car in '09

...Good Ole Roger...Wasnt he the wanker on the nhra site boasting of his new song for them...hmmmm

...My Pal got HIS call from MARK OSWALD this a.m with the news...they were just folded...

THE THING that has the team Really P%ssed is LAST WEEK Roger was at the race shop with "full steam ahead" orders for everyone...!!!

IS it NOW trendy to park your fuel car on a whim...

Roger is a multi-millionaire in the never lagging Pharmacutical industry.

Roger and all the other multi-millionaires didnt get there by being stupid