CAPACITY CROWD AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY FOR (1 Viewer)

[ResidentEvilRock]

I am only an hour away from Thunder Valley. Some buddies and I drove up after work. We got there 20 minutes before they closed the gates. By 10pm beer was sold out. You had to stand in line an hour to get a Mountain Dew. There was so many people it was crazy. There were little 6 year old kids who knew every driver at the race. They were naming each and everyone by the look of their cars. You won't see hardly any 6 year olds name NHRA racers. The cars were slipping and sliding all over the place. The crowd was eating it up. They were so into the race. They also did just about full 1/8 mile burnouts. That is something I hadn't seen since I was a kid. There is no doubt in my mind that even if Bristol had charged $10 per person, it would have still been a sold out event.

I still haven't gotten around to watching the show. I have only seen pieces and parts from YouTube and Facebook posts. To me, the whole Street Outlaws atmosphere at Bristol reminds me of the old Attitude days of the WWE. That is a direction that racing has needed to go for a long time. These guys just did not care to rip through a fresh set of tires just to put on the longest burnout there. They played mind games on the tree with each other. They popped chutes early. Just all kinds of off the wall stuff you don't normally see anymore.

I really enjoyed it, and I would pay full price to watch it again. And as for them being "weak ass door slammers", I have no doubt in my mind those cars were running in the 4s on an 1/8. That is far from weak.

 

[Bob]

Wrong! This is legitimate racing that his been around for a very long time with a big following long before TV and will be around long after TV. The nitro cars will always be the show but why not add more cars that people will actually stay in the stands to watch. One race with small tires and you consider it a failure? I know add a nostalgia class right? C'mon Bob!

The words "street" and "outlaw" are a direct contradiction to the words "legitimate racing". I have no problem at all with tracks hosting different events that draw different crowds - some tracks pack the grandstands with tractor pulls, mud bog racing, monster trucks and drifting contests - but to state "This the future of the sport" like Jay did is just ludicrous.

 

[Jimbo]

Guy's let's agree to disagree on the future of drag racing.

There will always be an N.H.R.A. along with other sectioning bodies who are putting on their own forms of drag racing shows.

Both will survive in the future and each will have their own fans.

Jim Hill
www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[ROCKY]

NHRA and NASCAR has gotten too regulated and cookie cutter. And give me door cars launching with two foot wheel stands over the fuel cars anyday. I'm thinking nostalgia racing is gonna get more and more popular.

 

[Butch]

In watching the final, I had flashbacks of Ohio George and Stone,Woods&Cook or
Grumpy and Dyno Don in early PS.

 

[ironpony]

Guy's let's agree to disagree on the future of drag racing.

There will always be an N.H.R.A. along with other sectioning bodies who are putting on their own forms of drag racing shows.

Both will survive in the future and each will have their own fans.

Jim Hill
www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

And flat screens eliminated the picture tube business
And transistors eliminated tubes
And circuit boards eliminated
And chips eliminated
And cell phones
And CD's
the world progresses and things do change, entire industries have disappeared

 

[Jimbo]

Ken Maune:

Are you saying drag racing may be going the same way?

Jim Hill
www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[ironpony]

Just that things do change and some that are accepted to be to big to fail do.
Right now all NHRA has that is keeping them afloat is NITRO, it would not take much to cause Nitro to fail.
What if something happened to Kallitta, Force or Shue??? half the field is gone, then what??

 

[Huge]

As Jerry Russell said he had to wait an hour in line just for a Mountain Dew and then probably had to wait another hour in line to get rid of that mountain Dew...no thanks, I like the crowd size that NHRA pulls in. The biggest number is not always the best for the spectator.

 

[Jer]

As Jerry Russell said he had to wait an hour in line just for a Mountain Dew and then probably had to wait another hour in line to get rid of that mountain Dew...no thanks, I like the crowd size that NHRA pulls in. The biggest number is not always the best for the spectator.

Yep been there done that,i like it when nobody is there lol.

 

[Bob]

And flat screens eliminated the picture tube business
And transistors eliminated tubes
And circuit boards eliminated
And chips eliminated
And cell phones
And CD's
the world progresses and things do change, entire industries have disappeared

Apples versus Oranges. What you have listed are changes in the technology of the equipment used to produce and/or receive a product. Just because you can live stream a drag race on your tablet doesn't mean the sport itself changed.

 

[megadeth]

I'd rather drive 200 miles and pay $35 to get in to watch two fuel cars go up into instant tire smoke and idle down the dragstrip, than watch some weak ass door slammer race.

I agree! These hillbilly street racers. No place for them at national events with their clear aquarium scoops!
1/8 th mile no times or speeds!

 

[RM FAN]

Apples versus Oranges. What you have listed are changes in the technology of the equipment used to produce and/or receive a product. Just because you can live stream a drag race on your tablet doesn't mean the sport itself changed.

You said it....everything else has changed/evolved but not the NHRA.

 

[RM FAN]

I agree! These hillbilly street racers. No place for them at national events with their clear aquarium scoops!
1/8 th mile no times or speeds!

They are hillbilly's in Chicago, LA and NY?

 

[Jimbo]

Someone made this comment,
No place for them at national events with their clear aquarium scoops!
1/8 th mile no times or speeds!

I don't believe they are interested in racing with the N.H.R.A. they have their own events going on and based just on the Bristol numbers there are many promoters who I think would be more then happy to offer them a place to race if they can draw that kind of following at other tracks.

I watch the show once in a while on TV and it does remind me very much of what went on in the 60's!

There is plenty of room in drag racing for more then just the N.H.R.A. !!!

Jim Hill
www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[mgty3whlr]

As Jerry Russell said he had to wait an hour in line just for a Mountain Dew and then probably had to wait another hour in line to get rid of that mountain Dew...no thanks, I like the crowd size that NHRA pulls in. The biggest number is not always the best for the spectator.

Kinda like going to an Amusement Park especially Disney World or Six Flags and standing in line for and hour or 2 for a 1 minute thrill.

 

[mgty3whlr]

These hillbilly street racers. No place for them at national events with their clear aquarium scoops!
1/8 th mile no times or speeds!

I myself didn't seem to have a problem when I was in my late teens, early twenties taking a trip down to Front St. in South Philly to see some really good street racing. Hell, Some of the baddest cars were towed in. No times just a lot of talking about who had the baddest car and if they had a set to run him.