Charlotte press conference: 4 wide (5 Viewers)

[mick]

........Sorry, William, but your comment about the Olympics isn’t at all accurate. The IOC is constantly messing around with what sports to drop, which ones to add and which ones to change. There will be events at this year’s Winter Olympics that would have been unheard of 20 years ago. In the Summer Olympics golf has been added and softball dropped. Those are pretty dramatic changes...............
Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com

that was me, mike that made the olympic reference.
the IOC manipulates events to better suit advertisers/sponsors/ratings
IMO the nhra is making changes to a similar end.

 

[Rollout96]

MIKE BOWERS: As I wrote to Mr. Payne,



Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com

Please don't call him "Mr. Payne".

Sorry, couldn't resist because it made me chuckle!!

 

[squid]

lol....................

 

[Rajunz]

...........Unless you are there in person its just not a big deal. We all know the sound and feel of two nitro cars and we know how rough it is to explain to someone who has never been to the track. Doubling that does nothing for those watching on tv. ...............

That's not exactly true. Anyone that has ever "flicked their remote" and happened to stop and see a few drag racing passes will probably be intriged when they hear about 4 WIDE Dragsters and Funny cars.

Once again for those that doubt, look at the buzz it has already created.

Most replies in this thread = Grumpy old men stuck in their ways, give it a chance!

NHRA +4 WIDE

 

[Mooseman]

Haha im not a grumpy old man haha im 21, I just dont like the sport I love being molested and changed before I get a chance to race in the nhra that my heroes raced in. Though most of my heroes apart from a select few haven't raced in a good 20 years.

 

[nitrosaint]

Their is no NO room in the NHRA for 4 lane racing. If this is the case let them start up a new league and keep it out of the NHRA. Their doing enough to take the drag out of drag racing with the 1000 feet and all the other restrictions. I only hope someday we'll be able to to a NHRA Drag Race and see one.

 

[nitrosaint]

Hey i got a great idea lets put a dome over the track this way we won't have to worry about weather or track conditions eaither!! 4 lanes come on p.s. im not a grumpy old man stuck in my ways. I'd just like to see Drag Racing go back to just that. Hell I guess theirs always going to be a good track on some back country road we'll always be able to count on right?

 

[Marchboom]

I think the "trial" 4 lane race coming up at Charlotte will tell the story. The racers will be the ones to say "yes" or "no".

 

[Nunz]

This is actually a pretty good thread, that really illustrates the passion we die-hards have for the sport. We may have different opinions, but we all want the sport to grow and prosper. I've always looked at drag racing like this: There are 2 "versions" of our sport. What I mean is the "Big Show", the NHRA series, is one version. The other version is everything else out there, which is really participant driven and will probably thrive forever as long as there are cars. But to have a "big show", which includes "Professional" who make a living from racing, certain things are necessary. A ton of money, TV, and a lot of fans. Many good points have been brought up here. Once drag racing went from having a zillion match races across the country with a handful of nationals, to a corporate driven series with 2 dozen nationals and no match racing, the "big show" became it's own entity. For that entity to continue to exist, and grow, it needs more money, which means more TV and more fans, both live and watching from home. Jon Asher is right, regarding casual fans. Asher, myself, and most here will watch racing dusk til dawn. We are a small contingent. And now, more than ever, it is super competitive out there for any sport trying to recruit new fans. So maybe the 4 lane deal will get the attention of someone who may not have looked otherwise. The sport needs new blood, and if a variety of track lengths, occasional 4 lane races, a points countdown, Live TV, etc. help bring in new blood, than it's a good thing. Meanwhile to tie all my rambling together, over in the other "version" of drag racing, we have Pro Street associations, Nostalgia series', big dollar bracket events, etc. Nothing ever, ever stays the same, and that is true for a sport that's 60 years old, so I think we have have to be grateful for all the racing that still exists, and be open-minded to changes.