Nitromater
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Empty Tracks ..last Two Races
- Thread starter jpee
- Start date
TR
Nitro Member
So what are you saying,the full stands shown are the same shot over and over again, and it is a conspiracy by ESPN? You shouldn't call someone ignorant until you look in the mirror. Seems to me that was a pretty ignorant remark on your part.
Rick
There is some truth in what Eric says ... Not a conspiracy by ESPN, it is TV production 101 and all sports / networks practice it. You want to portray a packed house, you concentrate your crowd shots in the crowded areas. The other trick is you always pan a crowd at the ground level as over head shots more clearly show empty seats, whereas ground level shows an endless sea of heads.
I will be honest ... There were certain shots used Friday and Saturday in areas of the grandstands where I saw plenty of shiny aluminum (empty seats) even close to the starting line. Good crowd probably, packed house .... mmmmmmmm, not so sure.
I was NITRO BREATH
Nitro Member
i dont know if it was selective shots by espn but i was suprised by the full stands on sat qualifying at firebird. looked encouraging to me.
Rajunz
Nitro Member
SoCalRailFan
Nitro Member
I thought just the opposite. I'd never seen the parking lot so packed. The general admission seemed this but the reserved seating looked pretty packed.
I was there Fri and Sat. I have attended Sat for the last 15 years or so and that is the biggest crowd on Sat in recent years. The pits were difficult to navigate with the crowds. The promo going on with 12 and under free with an adult marked a noticeable increase in families attending. I was in the red section Sat and had a blast.
There ya go Rick... Jim hit the nail on the head... Besides I never said it was a conspiracy by ESPN or even said they used the same shot... There are many ways a TV camera and editing crew can trick a viewer...
Leebone
Nitro Member
Can't really tell from TV. I won't be at a race until Norwalk this year, and that track is usually ALWAYS sold out, standing room only. We really love our drag racing in northern Ohio.
However, as much as I love the sport, just speaking for myself, it's lost a bit of luster. For one thing, it's the economy. Seems like the big money teams are the only ones that can afford to be consistently competitive. Don't get me wrong, my favorite drivers are from these teams, but the drop off between the haves and have nots is getting more noticeable each year. For the first time since I've been watching, we've had the same teams in the finals in all three pro classes for the first two races.
Also, it doesn't seem like we have as many colorful characters anymore. I mean, where's Bazemore? Like him or hate him, he always stirred things up. Same with Hoffman, the comical Scelzi, Dougzilla, the moody Kenny Bernstein, the crying Angelle, the outspoken Shirley, etc. Thankfully we still have Force and WJ. Yes, I realize some of these people are retired or deceased, but just saying!!
Even the pits have changed. The dragsters have turned around. Very seldom do they blip the throttle anymore. As a fan, I love the sensory overload when they seat the clutch and blow my hat off, while I'm choking on nitro.
Also, I hate the count town. Yeah yeah, we had the same guy winning funny car for 10 years in a row, but did the count down stop that? NO!! He's still winning. In fact, it prevented Wilkerson from winning a championship. It hasn't stopped Shoe from winning all those years either. It took Al Anabi to stop that.
However, I'm one of the few that isn't bothered by 1000' racing, but I know the majority don't like it.
These are some of my thought and again, I'm just speaking as one fan. I've never turned a wrench or driven over 80 mph on the freeway. I do pay for tickets at the box office though and will continue to do so, ... for the love of the sport.
However, as much as I love the sport, just speaking for myself, it's lost a bit of luster. For one thing, it's the economy. Seems like the big money teams are the only ones that can afford to be consistently competitive. Don't get me wrong, my favorite drivers are from these teams, but the drop off between the haves and have nots is getting more noticeable each year. For the first time since I've been watching, we've had the same teams in the finals in all three pro classes for the first two races.
Also, it doesn't seem like we have as many colorful characters anymore. I mean, where's Bazemore? Like him or hate him, he always stirred things up. Same with Hoffman, the comical Scelzi, Dougzilla, the moody Kenny Bernstein, the crying Angelle, the outspoken Shirley, etc. Thankfully we still have Force and WJ. Yes, I realize some of these people are retired or deceased, but just saying!!
Even the pits have changed. The dragsters have turned around. Very seldom do they blip the throttle anymore. As a fan, I love the sensory overload when they seat the clutch and blow my hat off, while I'm choking on nitro.
Also, I hate the count town. Yeah yeah, we had the same guy winning funny car for 10 years in a row, but did the count down stop that? NO!! He's still winning. In fact, it prevented Wilkerson from winning a championship. It hasn't stopped Shoe from winning all those years either. It took Al Anabi to stop that.
However, I'm one of the few that isn't bothered by 1000' racing, but I know the majority don't like it.
These are some of my thought and again, I'm just speaking as one fan. I've never turned a wrench or driven over 80 mph on the freeway. I do pay for tickets at the box office though and will continue to do so, ... for the love of the sport.
mw6789
Nitro Member
Can't really tell from TV. I won't be at a race until Norwalk this year, and that track is usually ALWAYS sold out, standing room only. We really love our drag racing in northern Ohio.
However, as much as I love the sport, just speaking for myself, it's lost a bit of luster. For one thing, it's the economy. Seems like the big money teams are the only ones that can afford to be consistently competitive. Don't get me wrong, my favorite drivers are from these teams, but the drop off between the haves and have nots is getting more noticeable each year. For the first time since I've been watching, we've had the same teams in the finals in all three pro classes for the first two races.
Also, it doesn't seem like we have as many colorful characters anymore. I mean, where's Bazemore? Like him or hate him, he always stirred things up. Same with Hoffman, the comical Scelzi, Dougzilla, the moody Kenny Bernstein, the crying Angelle, the outspoken Shirley, etc. Thankfully we still have Force and WJ. Yes, I realize some of these people are retired or deceased, but just saying!!
Even the pits have changed. The dragsters have turned around. Very seldom do they blip the throttle anymore. As a fan, I love the sensory overload when they seat the clutch and blow my hat off, while I'm choking on nitro.
Also, I hate the count town. Yeah yeah, we had the same guy winning funny car for 10 years in a row, but did the count down stop that? NO!! He's still winning. In fact, it prevented Wilkerson from winning a championship. It hasn't stopped Shoe from winning all those years either. It took Al Anabi to stop that.
However, I'm one of the few that isn't bothered by 1000' racing, but I know the majority don't like it.
These are some of my thought and again, I'm just speaking as one fan. I've never turned a wrench or driven over 80 mph on the freeway. I do pay for tickets at the box office though and will continue to do so, ... for the love of the sport.
Excellent post that pretty well sums it all up.
Rajunz
Nitro Member
Then you owe it to yourself Lee to go enter your street car in a local bracket race one weekend. Go stage and take it down the track at least once in your life...........
Leebone
Nitro Member
Then you owe it to yourself Lee to go enter your street car in a local bracket race one weekend. Go stage and take it down the track at least once in your life...........
Hey, thanks for the suggestion!!
... That's definitely on my bucket list. For me, it would be Quaker City in Salem, Ohio. I have a buddy that runs super pro at that track. He runs in the low 9s for the quarter mile. Ain't no way I'm going to drive THAT beast. LOL ... A street car would be more like it. 
Bill
Nitro Member
Then you owe it to yourself Lee to go enter your street car in a local bracket race one weekend. Go stage and take it down the track at least once in your life...........
Post of the month!!!
Every drag-racing event is different...some draw big crowds, others don't. Good for those that do but isn't the real issue here an overall decline of the sport. Countless drag strips across the country that were once packed every weekend have long since closed and others are on "life support". The economy plays a part to be sure and the cultural "shift" is a major factor but then drag racing never did generate wealth like NASCAR. Might that be the real problem? I've watched drag racing "chase its tail" for decades while every other pro sport I know of made billions. So what is the answer? IMHO it is money...or lack of it in this case. Racers don't make enough and never have for their passion and unique skill-set. Certainly drag strip ownership is short on the wealth-building scale. So doesn't it follow that the sport needs to figure out how the other guys do it? I know, drag racing is for racers...it is participant driven and always has been. Oh wow, maybe we should rethink that and develop a spectator-friendly, market-driven component built around a non-elimination race format that keeps qualified cars in front of the folks that paid to watch them for an entire event? Perhaps we should think about pre-qualifying the field to give the sponsor-funded, pre-event advertising and marketing time to work its magic. With that approach it would be a simple matter to inform the market where and when the event will take place while publicizing driver bios and information to generate pre-race "buzz" in the community. It will have to be an event series that can grow with time and repetition and it has to fit into a 2-3 hour "window" like other sporting events. Between rounds the track can run its regular bracket program or perhaps the Jr. Dragsters and the pits will be open so race fans can mingle with the drivers/race teams, see the cars up close. use the facilities and sample the good stuff in the concession stands. In time we could even have a "midway" on site to sell racer/event merchandise and a monster truck ride for the youngsters. It know it can be done because I’ve already done it.
Jimbo
Nitro Member
Trying to figure out what's going on right now is difficult.
Yesterday the stock market had it's worst day of the year so far being down almost 335 points and yet the day before had it's best day of 2014 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do you even try to figure out what's going on.
The only consolation I see right now is it's not only drag racing that has problems it's all kinds of racing and sporting events that are seeing the exact same thing happening.
I am sure the economy can get some of the blame for some of what's happening but I also believe there are other changes happening.
Crazy times for sure. Jimbo
Yesterday the stock market had it's worst day of the year so far being down almost 335 points and yet the day before had it's best day of 2014 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do you even try to figure out what's going on.
The only consolation I see right now is it's not only drag racing that has problems it's all kinds of racing and sporting events that are seeing the exact same thing happening.
I am sure the economy can get some of the blame for some of what's happening but I also believe there are other changes happening.
Crazy times for sure. Jimbo
It's not the economy. That is the usual go-card when something is no longer making it, but those competing for the entertainment dollar are not having a problem filling up their venues.. Expensive NFL, NBA, College football simply sell out to today's kids.
Things change. Look at the movie theater business for example. That segment is dying fast.
Wild swings in the Dow are normal. After the gains two days ago, it was simple profit taking yesterday. Nothing to be elated about on Wednesday, and nothing to fear yesterday.
Things change. Look at the movie theater business for example. That segment is dying fast.
Wild swings in the Dow are normal. After the gains two days ago, it was simple profit taking yesterday. Nothing to be elated about on Wednesday, and nothing to fear yesterday.
