I’ve been going through this thread in order, so I hope no one minds if I respond to specific posts as they appear, even if they’re “answered” later in the thread.
Dan Becker: You weren’t the only one confused by the announcement. While it may have put the basic information out there, there were significant holes in the press release, and no real explanation of how things will work. For example, does this mean that each driver gets one shot at each lane?
Bruce Mullins: Bruton is now THE major force in NHRA drag racing. He owns enough tracks to start his own organization, and NHRA management knows it, and therefore is more than willing to listen to his concepts.
Bill Sweeney: This appears to have been Bruton’s idea, not NHRA’s.
Al Cacioppo: Al, you’re right in that this event will draw attention, and it may spill over to other races, but there’s a problem. If the four-lane deal “works,” it can’t be duplicated at any other facility, so it could become a negative in the sense of someone seeing the four-lane race on TV and being exited by it, and then not being able to see similar racing anywhere else.
Erica Ortiz: Smart girl!
Billy Weeks: You raise a very interesting point. Drag racing has been ”sold” to sponsors on the basis of there being only two cars on the track at one time, so the TV people have only two to choose from, thereby almost guaranteeing good exposure for even the sponsor of the losing car in a race. With four?
Gino Ofria: While we may not like it my sense is that a return to full quarter mile racing is unlikely. The drivers have largely indicated they prefer the shorter track from the safety perspective, and there’s been no movement in terms of slowing the cars down and returning to the traditional length. Too bad.
Bobby Bennett: (Full disclosure: I am a Senior Editor for CompetitionPlus.com) Bobby's report is accurate – the PRO did not know about this in advance, and regardless of the merits of the four-wide race, this is not going to do anything positive for the relationship between the racers and NHRA. However, since NHRA obviously realizes the racers are unable to unify on any major issue, my guess is they figured to go ahead with the four-wide race and face the complaints later.
Lance Peltier: I completely agree, as LVMS was always planned as a four-lane track. If it works in Charlotte we’ll see it in Vegas.
Mark Krogen: The early estimates are for a 3:30 completion time. That came from inside NHRA, by the way.
Mark Beauchamp: Mark, it’s not less racing in the truest sense, as you will see the same number of competitors in eliminations.
William Payne: William, don’t give up on your dream. Every form of sports, including drag racing, evolves and changes over time. Who is to say, at this point, that four-wide racing won’t work? For all we know, it could elevate drag racing’s reach to a much larger audience.
Mark Westfall: Mark, much of what you say is true, and as someone who’s been going to the races since the late 50s, a lot of what goes on now is painful, so I share your pain. But at the same time I’m willing to see if this works before I turn my back on the endeavor that’s brought me a lot of enjoyment over the years.
Bill Huseth: Success will be determined by attendance, TV numbers, racer comments and willingness to do it again, and by what the media says. What NHRA management says will not be the determining factor.
Paul Sapienza: NHRA has always believed that live TV is a must for the sport to succeed, and this could be the way towards making it happen in a viable manner.
Mark Westfall: I think the single, main reason you don’t hear a buzz after good 1,000 foot runs is because not only do most fans not understand what a good 1,000 run is, NHRA has done, in my opinion, a very poor job of educating the fans as to what constitutes a good run.
Gino Ofria: “…there were no superstars back then.” Wow! So how would you list operations like the Pat Minick-driven Chi-Town Huslter? Raymond Beadle’s Blue Max? Barry Setzer’s Vega with Pat Foster driving? Pisano & Matsubara? Don Schumacher? And obviously, dozens of others.
Jason Laimonis: I seem to remember everyone saying that about the first AFL vs. NFL championship game. You know, what we call the Super Bowl now….
Chris Wilson: Chris, half of the people on Nitromater who are constantly bemoaning the state of NHRA racing place the blame for the way things are now squarely on NHRA’s proclivity for following NASCAR. Where do you think the whole Countdown concept came from, thin air? But you’re right about live TV. It may not matter to some of us, but it does to many in the corporate community, who relate live TV to an event’s importance, i.e., if it’s not important enough to be live, it’s not important at all.
Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com
