Drag Boats on CBS

[Toejam]

Eddie "The Thrill"........

I used 5o go all the time to Marble Falls, but the down time between runs got to be way too much.

Yeah that has always been the Fly in the Ointment where Boat Drag racing is concerned.

 

[Dave]

If it happend with the TV contract the way it is now it could be on ABC but not CBS. ABC and ESPN and under the same umbrella. Years ago the TV contract was split and about 3 races a year would show up on tape delay on network TV. I think the last couple years they did it that way they were show on NBC.

I believe the last NHRA race to be seen on broadcast television was the 1999 Sears Craftsman Nationals from Madison, IL and it was on ABC. In 2000 the schedule was shared between TNN, ESPN2, and SPEEDVISION and it marked the first time every race was on same day delay or live. 2001 started the ESPN exclusive contract that we've had to this day.

 

[rckymtn3]

NBC and ABC I've seen drag racing as well as other non-nascar motorsports (champcar irl f1 etc) but sparingly....CBS? I seriously can't remember if I've ever seen a race on that channel in 20 years. I'm with the posters saying no one watches the big three anymore. (their dramas and other shows come off as mucho-hokie when compared to HBO or Showtime or any other creative cable network)...if I want good racing, there's Speed, NBC's Sports Channel Velocity and ofcourse, the ESPN's.....problem is, most all are nascar infected. Can't seem to go an hour without a nascar program. (I would get Speed Channel just to watch the Targa Newfoundland, let-alone all the other offerings they give to us)

I love Marble Falls and San Angelo....good racing....I always go to the races all day, no matter the venue. Boat Drags are more like the way Drag Racing asphalt used to be.

If you've never gone....treat yourself....the top classes are ProMods, Alky flats and hydros (Flat Bottoms are the Funny Cars of the water) and ofcourse, Nitro Hydros....the cackle is the same, and overall, it's like watching Fuel Altereds...unpredictable, on-off-on throttle runs. Crowds are less, well, crowded. Try it....it's a different beast now that Lucas Oil combined the sanctioning bodies.

 

[FINAL EFFORT]

we ran 2 fuel boats Brad Tuttle drove Both and we sponsored him when he went and ran fuel funny car and Kebin Kinsley was the las driver of the Final Effort top fuel hydro. i grew up with drag boats and fuel cars but my love has always been boats, the only problem is the down time and only having a couple fuel boats at each race

 

[Toejam]

We use to be the Drag Boat Racing Capital of the Country at one time.
Racing was everywhere here in Cali. Seems like nearly all of it moved back East.
A bunch of Drag Boat Racers turned NHRA Tuners and Drivers...
Norm Grimes, Rick Jackson, Jerry Toliver, Eddie Hill, Dexter Tuttle, Famous Amos Satterlee...Help me.....I know I'm forgetting some.

Les Davenport, Richard Shavers, Kenny Sayers...

 

[You!]

Really sad one was Mike Bell. Got him out of a boat and then we lost him at Vegas in a TAD.

 

[vegasnitro]

Really sad one was Mike Bell. Got him out of a boat and then we lost him at Vegas in a TAD.

I was at the old Las Vegas Speedway Park that night ('96 ?), the old "Gambler Nationals" Division 7 event. I can't believe it has already been that long ago. Sad deal for sure.

 

[Toejam]

Really sad one was Mike Bell. Got him out of a boat and then we lost him at Vegas in a TAD.

The same could be said about Tim Capaldi, started driving a TAD but was killed at Puddingstone lake!

 

[twostep]

Here's one that I could sit and listen to for awhile. It's no where near the intensity of a fuel motor but there's nothing quite as cool as that blower surge - which the tuner unsuccessfully tries to eliminate with his brand new setup. Enjoy.

1,200 HP Blown Injected Biesemeyer Jet Boat - YouTube

 

[rckymtn3]

Not sure if this had been posted already. Posted on Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series - Home

"Corona, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2013) - The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series has cancelled the Gila River Desert Challenge scheduled for May 17-19, 2013 at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., due to contractual time constraints."

Not sure what this means for Firebird, but it doesn't sound too promising.

The World Finals at Firebird is still on the schedule for October, so perhaps it was, as the post states, time constraints, and they couldn't ink the deal in time for the May race.

 

[.]

That Lucas facility is an awesome place, and Alan did an awesome job. Wow, was that a wierd nitro final with one boat nose diving off the line straight down under water, and then the other running all the way to the other end on to the beach. The three bikini trophy girls wasn't bad either.

I had to find the vid of the final: Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Diamond Nationals 2012 - YouTube

 

[glofria]

Well Southern California has no 1/4 mile drag strip for us to race at, but at least drag boat racing is coming back to Orange County. Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series - LUCAS OIL DRAG BOAT RACING SERIES RETURNS TO IRVINE IN 2013

I was dinner party last night and talk is that they're getting close to opening up the Long Beach Marina for drag boats again soon.

 

[Toejam]

Well Southern California has no 1/4 mile drag strip for us to race at, but at least drag boat racing is coming back to Orange County. Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series - LUCAS OIL DRAG BOAT RACING SERIES RETURNS TO IRVINE IN 2013

I was dinner party last night and talk is that they're getting close to opening up the Long Beach Marina for drag boats again soon.

I know they run the TF hydros at 1000' but what about other classes?