Bristol T.V. Ratings (1 Viewer)

[Mike]

Harry, Id have to go back and look but as I recall starting line tickets were $250 a day.

 

[Reese]

Mike and Chris, I'm huge Street Outlaws/NPK fan and if you watch NPK you'll that at a lot of Tracks the first of the race the place is packed but then it drops off. Its not cheap to get into one of those races but they are lot of fun. My big complaint is down time and they had a lot. I havent been in a few years but I'm planning on Tucson this year which draws very well every year.

I am too a a NPK fan but I hate the down time in between races(chip draws, setting up cameras in cars, etc). I was thinking of going to Houston this weekend but may not because of the sitting around. I think the young fans like the fact that the cars have names(shocker, prenup, murder nova, etc) and the drivers(Kye Kelly, Daddy Dave, Big Chief) are easily recognized. I don't watch the tv show much because of the drama but drama is selling these days.

 

[Nunz]

A couple of points about no prep kings. 1st, they lease the track, so limited income for track. 2nd accessibility, drivers and teams available to fans, kind of like NHRA use to be. NHRA now with all the haulers, cannot get close to cars and drivers. 3rd. No et or speed on scoreboards. Who cares about et, reaction time, only thing that matters is who gets to finish line 1st.

The haulers are big and there's more of them, but not sure why you think NHRA drivers "use to be" accessible to fans. I think today's crop of racers work real hard to engage with fans as much as time allows. And the workspace may be roped off, but fans can stand literally a few feet from the car while the crew services it.

 

[QuantumGreg]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. Excited to be part of this forum. I live in Bristol, TN, and have all my life. Been a huge drag racing fan since high school. I've attended the Thunder Valley drag races (nearly every one) for most of my life here (from the 1970s onward). What is deceiving about stand pictures at Bristol, is that there are two tunnels that go underneath the track so folks in the stands can easily walk to the other side of the track where the pits are (Nitro Alley). Oftentimes those empty seats are just empty because people who purchased them are wandering around in the pits, meeting drivers, watching the teams work on the cars, getting concessions, etc. I know when I'm there, I'm rarely in my seat. And there is always a thick crowd in the pits walking around! Great fun. And this year was particularly good!

 

[mick]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. Excited to be part of this forum. I live in Bristol, TN, and have all my life. Been a huge drag racing fan since high school. I've attended the Thunder Valley drag races (nearly every one) for most of my life here (from the 1970s onward). What is deceiving about stand pictures at Bristol, is that there are two tunnels that go underneath the track so folks in the stands can easily walk to the other side of the track where the pits are (Nitro Alley). Oftentimes those empty seats are just empty because people who purchased them are wandering around in the pits, meeting drivers, watching the teams work on the cars, getting concessions, etc. I know when I'm there, I'm rarely in my seat. And there is always a thick crowd in the pits walking around! Great fun. And this year was particularly good!

welcome aboard gregory. IMO bristol is one of the nicest, and most picturesque venues on the nhra tour. you are definitely rite about fans wandering around and
not always in their seat ....... 1st Q on sat., and 1st and 2nd rounds on sunday always seem to fill the bleachers the most.

 

[.]

A couple of points about no prep kings. 1st, they lease the track, so limited income for track. 2nd accessibility, drivers and teams available to fans, kind of like NHRA use to be. NHRA now with all the haulers, cannot get close to cars and drivers. 3rd. No et or speed on scoreboards. Who cares about et, reaction time, only thing that matters is who gets to finish line 1st.

That may be true at most tracks.... but BIR makes PLENTY of money off this type of event with thousands of spectators. The campground at BIR probably takes in more cash from spectators who camp, than the front gate take in from event ticket sales.

I tried to look up prices on BIR's site but since the NPK event is over that page is gone. But these are roughly the charges if you want to camp at BIR for a major event like this.

1) First, you must also have a event ticket in order to camp on BIR property
2) Depending which package you buy and how many nights you stay, "open camping" can cost roughly $75 - $150 bucks
3) If you want a basic reserved camp site, that will also cost extra, not sure of that price but probably $100-500 bucks. Sites with FULL hookups cost more. (BIR has 164 of these sites)
4) If you happen to camp near an electrical outlet and you want to plug into the track's electrical system, that is $75.00
5) If you want to ride around on a ZOO cruiser/ATV/auxiliary vehicle that is $90 bucks
6) If you camp in anything other than a tent or your car, you also need to pay extra for your RV/motor home which is also $90 bucks
And considering BIR has roughly 500 acres of campground, and it's usually packed to capacity at this type of event, you can easily see where this IS a big deal for the owners of THIS track.

I watched several youtube videos from the NPK event at BIR and from what I could see, the campground (The ZOO) looked like it was just as full as it is when the NHRA big show is in town.

BIR made plenty of money with this event.

 

[mick]

would it be better to try and schedule all the early season races on the fox network? as a lot of the country is still cold, maybe more likely to be in front of a tv?
guessing the network costs more than fs1 and 2? ...... while a .54 is respectable for bristol on the network, the flipside is tony stewart's new series basically drew the same on cbs,
while F1 beat everyone......just a few years ago F1 was bottom of barrel in US ratings.

 

[none]

would it be better to try and schedule all the early season races on the fox network? as a lot of the country is still cold, maybe more likely to be in front of a tv?
guessing the network costs more than fs1 and 2? ...... while a .54 is respectable for bristol on the network, the flipside is tony stewart's new series basically drew the same on cbs,
while F1 beat everyone......just a few years ago F1 was bottom of barrel in US ratings.

I think the NetFlix series has really enhanced public awareness and created interest..............

 

[qualified17th]

I think the NetFlix series has really enhanced public awareness and created interest..............

Absolutely. Fastest growing motorsport in the US, and biggest motorsport period among the under 40 demographic (for reference, ESPN paid $5 million a year for the rights a few years ago, they just renewed and had to pay $90 million this time around)

 

[Mike]

Brian, the track gets very little of that money. Most goes to NPK.