Nitromater
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Another poor attendance event
- Thread starter sammi
- Start date
The Little Lizard
Nitro Member
I've been to the World Finals at Pomona many-many times, and never seen it like that. 
The coverage from Friday was shocking, and even today for a Sunday is unbelievable-hard to imagine.
However, it's SoCal if it's 70 or below allot of folks stay home and under the covers.
The coverage from Friday was shocking, and even today for a Sunday is unbelievable-hard to imagine. However, it's SoCal if it's 70 or below allot of folks stay home and under the covers.
DragFan2
Nitro Member
I've been to the World Finals at Pomona many-many times, and never seen it like that.
I thought it was only Floridians that can't stand the cold
. That kind of weather (50's - 70's) is what I live for and drag racing under those conditions is just darn sweet! Beats sweating and getting burned up in the sun of Florida any day. I pray for cool conditions at the Gatornationals every year. March can be cold or mid-high 80's in Florida. I think it is the cost not the weather that is keeping people home. Entertainment dollars are the first thing cut when your income drops, and I'm speaking from someone who is unemployed right now. We can't even afford cable/satellite TV to allow us to watch ESPN/ESPN2 so have depended on the internet for my NHRA fix all year. And this is from a drag racing fan dating back to the mid-60's!NHRA, ARE YOU LISTENING ???????????????
Lower the prices and fill the dang seats!! Your sponsors will get better exposure, the vendors on-site will make tons more money, and NHRA will make the same amount or better at the gate as with 10-20,000 empty seats.
The Counterfeiter
Nitro Member
30 bucks would get you a seat in the dirt on the hill overlooking turns 3 & 4.
Grandstands were sold out with tickets in the Allison stands at $108. NASCAR promoted the hell out of this on TV for weeks. The race was the usual follow the leader BS . . . I attended my last NASCAR event at Indy in July ($95/seat). I'm done paying these prices.
Perhaps the message here is PROPER PROMOTION.
I've been to the World Finals at Pomona many-many times, and never seen it like that.
Don't you all think the economy might have something to do with it?
Student of the sport
Nitro Member
So. Cal right now is experiencing anywhere from 9 to 16% unemployment, with ticket prices, parking, 8.00 hot dogs and 4.00 lemonade, how many folks can go, everything from the races to Disney is being affected, "pleasure" money is tight, or unavailable.
Almost every track has seen the same this year.
Let's hope for a better year in 2012 for everybody!
"D"
Almost every track has seen the same this year.
Let's hope for a better year in 2012 for everybody!
"D"
The Little Lizard
Nitro Member
Didn't hurt the sold out NASCAR race in Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) this weekend, and they literally have the 2nd worst housing market in the nation, at web-link:
Home Values: 5 Worst Markets | Bankrate.com
I'm sure the economy had some effect, but after looking at those T.V. shots of the stands-Well...., You..Know........
Sure hope next year is much better for everyone!!!! Here in Sacramento I wouldn't bet on it-it's tough over here!
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Didn't hurt the sold out NASCAR race in Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) this weekend, and they literally have the 2nd worst housing market in the nation, at web-link:
Home Values: 5 Worst Markets | Bankrate.com
I'm sure the economy had some effect, but after looking at those T.V. shots of the stands-Well...., You..Know........
Sure hope next year is much better for everyone!!!! Here in Sacramento I wouldn't bet on it!
Maybe scheduling and NHRA and a NASCAR race that close on the same weekend isn't a good idea from NHRA's perpective!
The Little Lizard
Nitro Member
You know they use to have a wonderful program they ran with a number of school districts industrial arts and automotive programs that brought out allot of high school kids. It was a nice way to introduce them to the sport, and its history as it related to modern/California pop culture (NHRA museum tour). They would bring them by the bus loads-I mean dozens and dozens of those buses on thursday and Friday. It was great!, with what appeared to be all that spare attendence capacity it would be nice to see them at the track in increased numbers.
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Marchboom
Nitro Member
Weather had nothing to do with the turnout. This was great weather for Mid Nov. Been attending all the Pomona races from 1969 to 2006 and this is the worst I have seen it for a Sunday, especially with the points race so tight. But with ticket prices as high as they are, combined with at least a $10 parking fee (and you still have to walk 1/2 mile to the ticket booth), the high priced food, etc, NHRA should be getting used to low attendance numbers.
I just wonder what the sponsors think when they see the empty seats?
I just wonder what the sponsors think when they see the empty seats?
The Little Lizard
Nitro Member
Rain!
Marchboom
Nitro Member
Not on Sunday! And that's when I was looking at the semi-packed grandstands.
That's the day when a track expects the most people.
scsp390
Nitro Member
While I am all in favor of having & seeing the Good Year Blimp at the NHRA Races.. It does NOT help the NHRA when there are shot being taken by the blimp looking at the starting line when a pair of the Fuel cars are going down the track. You can really see the EMPTY Seats from that point of view!!!!
rocketman
Nitro Member
Remember Vegas was very well attended BUT:
Here it is in a nut shell. A man came up to me after the races at Applebees wanting to know how the races went (i was wearing an NHRA jacket). He then said he would have loved to have been there but couldn't go because he can't afford it. He said IF he gets his christmas bonus he's going to buy tickets to the NHRA Winternationals.
This tells me ticket prices are at the tipping point and even thought I'm content to go by myself most casual fans are not and they simply can't aford 110.00 for tickets, 10.00 to park and 9.25 for a hamburger.
Yes it rained Saturday but they got most of the schedule in. BUT what I noticed was there were not a lot of people sitting in the reserved seats so you can't blame it all on the weather because the seats were to be purchased in advance or otherwise those folks who bought advanced ticket would have been there regardless because they already had bought their seats. Right? Sunday wasn't to bad but there were big gaps of empty seats between the top eliminator club and the general admission seats.
There was little done in the way of advertising. I heard one ad and it was Uncle Joe Bentson announcing that you can get 7.00 tickets at some store. The TV news that I saw in the hotel room didn't mention the race and others asked me about the event all weekend not knowing it was even going on. I was in Taco Del and my coat got mentioned, Orange County got mentioned, The Mongoose was mentioned but nothing about the finals going on.
I don't write this to be critical of NHRA but that's my honest observation. They need to come up with a family pack and promote it to the hilt. That's what I would do anyway.
Here it is in a nut shell. A man came up to me after the races at Applebees wanting to know how the races went (i was wearing an NHRA jacket). He then said he would have loved to have been there but couldn't go because he can't afford it. He said IF he gets his christmas bonus he's going to buy tickets to the NHRA Winternationals.
This tells me ticket prices are at the tipping point and even thought I'm content to go by myself most casual fans are not and they simply can't aford 110.00 for tickets, 10.00 to park and 9.25 for a hamburger.
Yes it rained Saturday but they got most of the schedule in. BUT what I noticed was there were not a lot of people sitting in the reserved seats so you can't blame it all on the weather because the seats were to be purchased in advance or otherwise those folks who bought advanced ticket would have been there regardless because they already had bought their seats. Right? Sunday wasn't to bad but there were big gaps of empty seats between the top eliminator club and the general admission seats.
There was little done in the way of advertising. I heard one ad and it was Uncle Joe Bentson announcing that you can get 7.00 tickets at some store. The TV news that I saw in the hotel room didn't mention the race and others asked me about the event all weekend not knowing it was even going on. I was in Taco Del and my coat got mentioned, Orange County got mentioned, The Mongoose was mentioned but nothing about the finals going on.
I don't write this to be critical of NHRA but that's my honest observation. They need to come up with a family pack and promote it to the hilt. That's what I would do anyway.
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Old Man
Nitro Member
NHRA doesn't have a clue how to market. Their whole thing is revenue stream and if they can't get it from tickets they just increase the cost to the racers and sponsors. They don't understand that empty seats don't buy food and products. A perfect example is the new fee to hang banners. Bite the hand that feeds.
I agree 100%, if NHRA truly wants to fix things they would fix attendance issues, target new demographics, the sport is not growing if the only people who see the growing NHRA related commericals are the ones that already know about the sport. Also, what is more pitiful is the TV, that's free to watch, all you gotta do is pay a cable bill. It is pitiful that it's suffering like it is. Off target production, that's not even really the point, but all that work for shows that less than a half a million people watch.....PITIFUL!
