Does Pomona deserve 2 weekends? (1 Viewer)

[Jim]

I hate to sound negative but, seeing the sparsley populated stands all weekend was really depressing.
Gosh one of the best (and most consequential) races of the year and a crappy turnout.
I've attended National events there in the past : it's a great venue but....just wow.
I consider California to be the birthplace of Drag Racing but maybe they should re-locate to Indiana (or Dallas).

PS: I know they've NASCAR'd the stands on the right side of the track but (for me) it's hard to tell if there's additional seating on the pit side...Anyone?

 

[LAZYC]

I hate to sound negative but, seeing the sparsley populated stands all weekend was really depressing.
Gosh one of the best (and most consequential) races of the year and a crappy turnout.
I've attended National events there in the past : it's a great venue but....just wow.
I consider California to be the birthplace of Drag Racing but maybe they should re-locate to Indiana (or Dallas).

PS: I know they've NASCAR'd the stands on the right side of the track but (for me) it's hard to tell if there's additional seating on the pit side...Anyone?

We went on Friday, and it was pretty much like it always is for a Friday. They have a lot of seating on the pit side, there was a lot of room, so you weren't on top of each other which I like.
it's the only side used now as they closed the other side grandstands.
They advertised the crap out of the race on TV and internet and had the local news channel "Ch 5" out there for Thursday and Friday promoting the heck out of the race. Great runs mine shaft conditions, and the pros ran twice on Friday like the old days. It isn't cheap to go out there $57.50 for a ticket online and parking $30.00 for pit side parking.
My daughter got a picture with Erica, and she was stoked, Erica is very cool to the fan's, a great racer/well deserved champion.

 

[Bubba]

My daughter got a picture with Erica, and she was stoked, Erica is very cool to the fan's, a great racer/well deserved champion.

I was in the Pro Stock pits at the 2018 Arizona Nats and watched Erica put a young fan into her driver's seat. I told Erica that it's great that she does that, giving a child a moment they'll never forget. She replied, "That was me when I was their age. That's why I do it."

 

[glofria]

To answer the question, yes. Although, I haven't been to a national event at Pamona in over 15 years. And the reason being was that I felt like I was trapped in a all day infomertial and the cheerleaders, t-shirt gun and trick motorcycle riders were a turn-off for me. The fact that I was being charged so much for that, left me soured to the experience.

Friends on Facebook claimed $30 for parking,$15 (average) hot dogs and 10 $for a soft drink. In-n-Out was charging $10 for a double double with chips and a drink, which is slightly more than what they charge at the outlets these days. Don't know what the tickets were, but I can only imagine.

Great weather this past weekend and lots of other things going in here in So. Cal. too.

 

[Jim]

Gino "Friends on Facebook claimed $30 for parking,$15 (average) hot dogs and 10 $for a soft drink. In-n-Out was charging $10 for a double double with chips and a drink, which is slightly more than what they charge at the outlets these days. Don't know what the tickets were, but I can only imagine."

I don't know....There are plenty of entertainment experiences that (IMHO) are no where near the VALUE NHRA Drag Racing provides. Concert...ballgames...even museums. Everybody sells a $12. beer and a $10. Hotdog.
Everybody got 2 rounds of Pro-Qualifying...great weather...great view of those mountains.

Maybe California has fallen out-of-love with the internal combustion engine. Although (I don't really know) you could probably take that commuter train to the track, no?

 

[Just Paul]

In-n-Out was charging $10 for a double double with chips and a drink

Good to know, I saved myself about $750 right there by not going to Pomona this year.

I love Pomona. There is something magical about coming around Fairplex Drive, seeing the track, and realizing all the history that’s taken place there. Does it deserve 2 races based on that? Maybe, maybe not. Is it AS special having 2 races there but not being the season bookends anymore? Again, maybe, maybe not.

 

[Scoe]

On the broadcast they noted how Sunday's crowd was the best that it's been in a long time.

 

[Nunz]

I thought the stands looked way fuller than they have been over the last decade or so, over all 3 days. Eliminations day definitely tapers off as the day progresses, but that's seems to be common place in the modern era. I'm pretty sure that on the TV broadcast they said attendance was the best it's been in years, and it looked that way to me. As far as prices, I think national events are still not expensive compared to pretty much any big time sporting event these days, concessions included. JMO

 

[mick]

just looked at ticket prices for the eagles/steeley dan tour......$210 for the nose bleeds. there is nothing wrong with nhra ticket prices. i wish concessions at sporting
events weren't so high priced, but it's a reliable revenue stream.

 

[LAZYC]

On the broadcast they noted how Sunday's crowd was the best that it's been in a long time.

NHRA is not perfect, but they do a hell of a job putting on a race, for me going to Pomona since I was 18 is a must do, I go to both races every year, some years are better than other years but it's the best drag racing in Sothern California hands down, I will be pissed if they ever close the track.

As to the $10.00 in & out burgers large coke and a bag of chips, that's a deal, (there $4.90 at In & Out.) Cokes in the stands are $6.00 for a 16oz bottle.

IN & OUT is putting a lot more money in the track/NHRA than they make at the track selling burgers and a coke.

 

[glofria]

What struck me odd was when Amanda was interviewing Matt Hagen and Doug Kalitta after each won the championship, there was no one in the background except the Safety Safari moving around the cars. Seemed anticlimactic to me.

Would have been better if Amanda jumped in the back of the truck with each driver and do the interview as they drive back up the return road just to get the fan reaction. But that's just me.

 

[Z28LT1]

I actually laughed when they showed the grandstands as "full" on the broadcast. from the angle they were shooting, it hides all the open spots.

I've only been to Pomona once, the Finals in '08. It was the first 1000' race at that track and they had the pit side, 1000'-1320' grandstands, closed. The rest of the pit side grandstands were pretty full and the GA grandstands no longer in use were about half full both Saturday and Sunday. I had a great time and it sent a chill down my spine watching racing there. I do however feel that its probably time to scale back to one race there. Move the Winters back to their original season opener slot and move the finals to Vegas.

@Paul Songas and I have a buddy Pete who had a great idea. Hold the finals in Vegas and at the end of the day, put all of the champions in convertibles and open SEMA with the champions rolling into the convention center hoisting their championship trophy's and jackets and kick it all off with a big ass party open to the fans. The finals have moved around over the years anyway (Dallas, Ontario, OCIR, Pomona, etc), so it's not as historic as the Winters IMO. Additionally, that would open up a weekend at the track for a regional.

 

[TSK]

What struck me odd was when Amanda was interviewing Matt Hagen and Doug Kalitta after each won the championship, there was no one in the background except the Safety Safari moving around the cars. Seemed anticlimactic to me.

Would have been better if Amanda jumped in the back of the truck with each driver and do the interview as they drive back up the return road just to get the fan reaction. But that's just me.

I watched the race on FS1. They had a short post-race segment. Amanda was in the truck with all the pro champs and interviewed them as the truck drove up the track to the staging area.
People were lined up on the track getting fist bumps from the drivers. Doug got the most.
It reminded me of the time Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500. All the other crews lined up to congratulate him on his way back to the pits.
The staging area was packed with people.

 

[*******]

It's just a nostalgia thing anymore and has outlived it's usefulness. It's really a dump. I've raced there twice. It's short, there are no lights, getting in and out of that place with a rig and stacker trailer is a nightmare, The highway patrol in California are assholes and there is lot's of sketchy neighborhoods and people surrounding it. But the two times I've been the place was packed. Not so much this weekend. Looked more like a Friday qualifying day at most other races.

 

[Huge]

It's just a nostalgia thing anymore and has outlived it's usefulness. It's really a dump. I've raced there twice. It's short, there are no lights, getting in and out of that place with a rig and stacker trailer is a nightmare, The highway patrol in California are assholes and there is lot's of sketchy neighborhoods and people surrounding it. But the two times I've been the place was packed. Not so much this weekend. Looked more like a Friday qualifying day at most other races.

If you think getting a rig in and out of Pomona is a nightmare you would really love Maple Grove.

 

[DanTheFan]

Made me sad when I watched the race promo and saw ‘The Run’. The stands on both sides were packed. I always thought the L.A. area was the birthplace of all this and with such a large population should be packed. Guess not. Sign of the times. I used to drive to a downtown news stand in my town just to get pics and stories from the west coast tracks. Same old story….I went to Vegas 2 and it looked like 70 percent of the fans were over 50 or maybe even 60. The future isn’t bright but this was a great race with an even better result.

 

[PJ]

I don't really know if anyplace should have 2 races. Sure the diehards will make both but the more casual fan, which lets be honest is a larger number then us, is heading out one time to see the show when it hits town

Beyond that we all have more options for entertainment and SOCAL seems really apathetic to most sports. If it wasn't for the visiting teams, the Rams and Chargers would play in empty stadiums.

 

[Cliff]

Beyond that we all have more options for entertainment and SOCAL seems really apathetic to most sports. If it wasn't for the visiting teams, the Rams and Chargers would play in empty stadiums.

This is true. If you look at the population in SoCal now, "it ain't like it used to be".

 

[z28]

I don't really know if anyplace should have 2 races. Sure the diehards will make both but the more casual fan, which lets be honest is a larger number then us, is heading out one time to see the show when it hits town

Beyond that we all have more options for entertainment and SOCAL seems really apathetic to most sports. If it wasn't for the visiting teams, the Rams and Chargers would play in empty stadiums.

being in Texas I'd like to see a spring race in Ennis since Houston is gone.

 

[Dennis]

What struck me odd was when Amanda was interviewing Matt Hagen and Doug Kalitta after each won the championship, there was no one in the background except the Safety Safari moving around the cars. Seemed anticlimactic to me.

I thought the same! Poor Doug had to go around looking for someone's hand to shake!