Tim5636sc
Nitro Member
UP FRONT: IT?S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT
Good read as usual Jon... thanks for the lesson.
Good read as usual Jon... thanks for the lesson.
Nitromater
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Asher's latest 'Up Front' Column
- Thread starter Tim5636sc
- Start date
Memphis is done.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
Thanks for the link Tim. GREAT column Jon.
Jon's right, I was one of those who Thought Fuel racing was over with 1000'! However going to the first two 1000' races and talking to the racers I figured it was better than nothing!
As for the 4-wide deal, for Sportsman classes it could be a Huge Time saver. For for the Fuel classes where 20 cars is considered a good field, 5 laps down the track for a qualifying seems to quick for me! And that is "If" the Oildown situation doesn't get out of control, if they have any double oildowns it's gonna get Old quick! But....like the 1000' I'm willing to hold back till I get feedback from those who do go.
As for the 4-wide deal, for Sportsman classes it could be a Huge Time saver. For for the Fuel classes where 20 cars is considered a good field, 5 laps down the track for a qualifying seems to quick for me! And that is "If" the Oildown situation doesn't get out of control, if they have any double oildowns it's gonna get Old quick! But....like the 1000' I'm willing to hold back till I get feedback from those who do go.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
Joe I still can't believe yer not gonna be at the INAUGURAL with camera in hand....
That's my feeling too Joe ... I always loved 1 hour + fuel qualifying sessions (w/o oil). If the sessions are "clean" with 4 wide racing, I'm thinking the total time to complete both Fuel qualifying sessions in a day will be less than an hour. It does seem like race days for a fuel car lover will get really short. The key is how will the fans feel about the "bang" for their $$. Same money, same # of cars, but less actually racing time.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
There is another "UP" side to the time saving gang. They won't have to restrict the teams to 70 Min. between RD's. And 4-wide opens the door for larger fields, that would please everyone.
There is another "UP" side to the time saving gang. They won't have to restrict the teams to 70 Min. between RD's. And 4-wide opens the door for larger fields, that would please everyone.
How would the 4 wide open up to larger fields?
mw6789
Nitro Member
I know its not exactly L A or New York, but Memphis is not exactly a media black hole either.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
What do we have now: 16 / 8 / 4 / 2 = 4rds.
With 4-wide : 32 / 16 / 8 / 4 = 4drs.
The fan gets twice the car count, on Sun. and the event takes the same time as now. 4 rds.
More cars on Sun. = more sponsors happy
Of course this would be if only the winner of each rd moves on. This two winner format stinks.
Horsepower & Heels
Nitro Member
problem with that is would you fill a 32 car field or would it be a bunch of bye-rounds?
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
Over time we would fill 32 car fields. Bye runs are a part of the sport now , so no biggie. Also with short fields you still get 3 or two cars run instead of one. Example 30 cars: 7 sets of 4 + 1 set of two cars.
31 cars: 7 sets of 4 + 1 set of 3 cars.
Yes depending on the number of cars we could still see a one car bye.
31 cars: 7 sets of 4 + 1 set of 3 cars.
Yes depending on the number of cars we could still see a one car bye.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
The cars are out there. It's just that the smaller (lower funded) cars don't bother to show for the 16 car fields. Look at last season, with so many big $$ cars parked, we saw several new names/faces show because they knew they could make the Sun. show.
Make it a 32 car event and see how many cars show. I'm not saying you'll have 32 right off the bat...but once teams see they TO can race on Sun. the car count will grow.
Make it a 32 car event and see how many cars show. I'm not saying you'll have 32 right off the bat...but once teams see they TO can race on Sun. the car count will grow.
none
Nitro Member
Rollout96
Nitro Member
LOL!! Yeah, I read that and said, "Hey... I sort of know one of those guys"!!
They will not expand the field, If part of the deal is to make things go quicker and possibly have live TV then it would be counter productive to double the field. Also doubling the field will require more pit space that many places will not have.
Hey Jon, does this mean I'm supposed to quit hating the countdown
Hey Jon, does this mean I'm supposed to quit hating the countdown
A few thoughts, if I may.
I don’t believe we’ll ever see “bigger fields” again, particularly in the sense of going to 32-car fields. It is simply too expensive to race these cars without major sponsorship support, and if the fields were expanded to 32-cars the “bang for the buck” from the sponsorship perspective would be diluted. Bottom line: In a 32-car field a first or even second round loser is going to be ignored by the media.
What I do think would help drag racing immensely is an expansion of the ENTRY lists to numbers in the high 20s or even low 30s (unlikely). That would make qualifying actually worth seeing.
Paul Sapienza may be right in suggesting there are cars out there, but let’s ask this question: Do you want to see some of those leakers oiling the track and slowing up YOUR show?
Regarding the “media black hole” I referenced in the column, even if Memphis were still hosting a race I would consider it just as much of a negative for drag racing as I do Brainerd. Had Memphis still been on the schedule the week before Indy, and if that’s where the Countdown to 10 ended, how many out-of-town media people do you think would attend? Memphis has never done well in attracting media coverage, and the problem with Brainerd’s location – some three-plus hours from Minneapolis – makes it even worse. Imagine the NHRA Media Department trying to entice someone from out of town into going to Brainerd. It ain’t happenin’ people!
PJ, you certainly don’t have to stop hating the Countdown. It’s your right to protest it ‘til your dying day – but you aren’t going to change it!
Sherwood bribed me to use his name……..
Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com
I don’t believe we’ll ever see “bigger fields” again, particularly in the sense of going to 32-car fields. It is simply too expensive to race these cars without major sponsorship support, and if the fields were expanded to 32-cars the “bang for the buck” from the sponsorship perspective would be diluted. Bottom line: In a 32-car field a first or even second round loser is going to be ignored by the media.
What I do think would help drag racing immensely is an expansion of the ENTRY lists to numbers in the high 20s or even low 30s (unlikely). That would make qualifying actually worth seeing.
Paul Sapienza may be right in suggesting there are cars out there, but let’s ask this question: Do you want to see some of those leakers oiling the track and slowing up YOUR show?
Regarding the “media black hole” I referenced in the column, even if Memphis were still hosting a race I would consider it just as much of a negative for drag racing as I do Brainerd. Had Memphis still been on the schedule the week before Indy, and if that’s where the Countdown to 10 ended, how many out-of-town media people do you think would attend? Memphis has never done well in attracting media coverage, and the problem with Brainerd’s location – some three-plus hours from Minneapolis – makes it even worse. Imagine the NHRA Media Department trying to entice someone from out of town into going to Brainerd. It ain’t happenin’ people!
PJ, you certainly don’t have to stop hating the Countdown. It’s your right to protest it ‘til your dying day – but you aren’t going to change it!
Sherwood bribed me to use his name……..
Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com
