Another poor attendance event

[mike]

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!!!!

very true...

(and as an aside that view also really highlights just how much shorter the 1000' track is too)

 

[Marchboom]

NHRA did a hell of a lot of advertising. I lost count of how many upcoming football and hoop ball games they announced during the race.

The racers should be complaining to the NHRA as the lack of proper advertising could cause racers to lose sponsorships.

 

[mick]

whatever is going on it's not just one thing but a combination of a few;
the economy and nhra probably both to blame.
just look at this race 10+ years ago @ 1320' with last set of bleachers
still holding people - they were packed.

 

[Toejam]

Even a threat of rain will keep 10-15% of the fans away!

 

[Bill]

We have the same problem here at Rt. 66. You can't bring water bottles inside (although water is free at the fountains). It's just too darn expensive and I'm a drag racing enthusiast through and through. We never attend the Sunday eliminations because it's more than I'm willing to pay. I've never attended a NASCAR race or IndyCar at the circle track next door for the same reason.

But it's the same at the county fair where your kid can dump $20 in three rides and a lemonade. I could say the same about the recent SEMA show where a Nathan's hot dog sets you back $5 and a bottle of water for the same price you can buy a case at your local grocery store. And what about the College football game with a $75 entry fee? Give me a break!

One of my old Managers and I used to talk economics all the time about 10 years ago. We came to the conclusion salaries for blue collar workers reached a tipping point in the USA due to global economics. Blue collar workers are the engine that drives the US economy and they've been hit very hard with stagnant salaries if they have a job at all. They have to scale back so the market will need to adjust with them or those chasing their discretionary dollars won't make it. Opinions?

 

[.]

On Sunday morning when I went to the ticket trailer to buy my ticket, there were no lines. Usually there are very long lines at all of the windows.

Also, I could not help but hear other patrons being pissed off at the $68 dollar ticket price. I had an empty full throttle can for the $8 discount. This was the first time I was mad at myself for paying $60 for a Sunday ticket. It's too goddam much.

 

[Paul]

I believe we're seeing the longer term effect of the recession. A lot of people have been stretched thin for a couple of years now, savings are getting depleted and its really hitting home now.

Its during tough times like this that an organization really needs sharp planners and decision makers. I think that fact that they aren't in place in the NHRA is going to dramatically accelerate its decline.

I think the next 5 years will be pretty interesting ones for the NHRA. I'm sensing that in a few years things will get bad enough that the members will finally stand up for themselves.

 

[FC138fan]

We have the same problem here at Rt. 66. You can't bring water bottles inside (although water is free at the fountains).

Did anyone notice that the water fountains outside the bathrooms were turned off for the first time ever at Brianerd? Fortunately not that hot this year and I had a stockpile of wal mart water in my ATV right outside the gate.

 

[Huge]

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?

How much price difference was there between Vegas and Pomona, because 2 weeks earlier Vegas was packed?

 

[clwill]

One could argue that Vegas II is a special case. The SEMA show is right then, and so there is a whole raft of motorsports people from around the world in town around that time. And of course, it's Vegas...

FWIW, Vegas II is always better attended than Vegas I in the spring. I assume that SEMA is a driver of at least some of that. And it's also the next to last race of the year, with the championship implications.

 

[Jimbo]

Hmmm CHRR had full stands, 4 deep at the fence and a ton of AA/FCs... what does that tell you?

 

[mick]

Hmmm CHRR had full stands, 4 deep at the fence and a ton of AA/FCs... what does that tell you?

that tells me they had one empty spot (mine)
for sure jim, and gauging from all the photos put up from that event, a lot
of big show participants and officials can't miss that event either.

 

[Rajunz]

Hmmm CHRR had full stands, 4 deep at the fence and a ton of AA/FCs... what does that tell you?

It tells me that they have tiny grandstands, perhaps a 1/4 the capacity of Pomona at best.

 

[Nunz]

FWIW the blimp shots, I think, are terrible. Not only do they show off the empty seats, but it made the fuel cars look lke two little toys accelerating for 3 inches. It's just not a great way to capture how fast these cars cover ground, IMO.
Regarding attendance, the weather seemed pretty nice, and with the point battles, I'm amazed it wasn't packed. Yeah the economy can be part of it, but like was previously mentioned, what about NASCAR is AZ yesterday? That town has gone from boom to bust. Bottom line, NHRA needs to re-think the value of every part of the sport. Create pro classes that don't need 3-5MILLION DOLLARS a year to run, and create affordable ticket packages, and ramp up promotion. All have been mentioned here. It really isn't rocket science.

 

[Fuel FC Fan]

whatever is going on it's not just one thing but a combination of a few;
the economy and nhra probably both to blame.
just look at this race 10+ years ago @ 1320' with last set of bleachers
still holding people - they were packed.

Add in the new age of High Definition Flat Panel Television.
Making your viewing pleasure at home the "best seat in town" syndrome.

I think a lot of people here in L.A. "wanted to go...but......."

 

[RickyD]

NHRA lowering ticket prices??? (as one candidate puts it) "Ain't gonna happen!!"

 

[Rajunz]

NHRA lowering ticket prices??? (as one candidate puts it) "Ain't gonna happen!!"

They put up $20 General Admission tickets for the World Finals. It happened, still they didn't sell them.

I know that the economy is hurting a lot of people. My wife and I both still have great jobs, yet we never have extra money for entertainment like we used too. The general cost of living is getting outrageous. Fuel, Electricity, Food and Property Taxes all keep climbing, wages don't.

 

[n/a]

Add in the new age of High Definition Flat Panel Television.
Making your viewing pleasure at home the "best seat in town" syndrome.

True for Nascar for sure but quite the opposite for Drag Racing.

 

[SoCal Racer]

Hmmm CHRR had full stands, 4 deep at the fence and a ton of AA/FCs... what does that tell you?

Both CHRR and the March Meet pack "The Patch" out. Admittedly they have less seating capacity, but NHRA would do well to pay attention to what it is people like about Nostalgia racing. Things like identifiable cars, 1/4 mile racing, and large car counts to start. Plus it's a real "on any Sunday" type thing where the winners are not so predictable. I think the absence of all these things is also a factor in low attendance at the Big Show.

We were at Pomona Friday in reserved seats with plenty of elbow room to say the least. General admission was more densely packed, and the overall crowd on the east side looked pretty good for a Friday. West side "cheap seats" were almost empty. Woke up to rain Saturday so didn't even drive up, but Sunday was a beautiful day and I was really surprised to see how empty the place was - maybe 30-40% capacity.

Agree the blimp shots do the TV package no favors at all. A couple would be fine, but there was way too much of it.

 

[SoCal Racer]

True for Nascar for sure but quite the opposite for Drag Racing.

Until they can make the ground shake and my eyes and nose sting from nitro, drag racing will never translate well to TV.