Glad it's over with. (1 Viewer)

I went to the first ever 4-Wide at Charlotte and when 4 fuel cars went by at full power when I was sitting on the top row of the pit side grandstands it was amazing. I personally don't like the format and it was not Bruton's idea how the track should be used. He wanted a spare dragstrip to switch over to when a massive oildown happened to keep the show going on.
I remember that being said back at the start of the track
 
Here's an idea for 4-wide, prep one side for the fuel cars, and the other side for the pro stock cars. I'm sure Allen Johnson would agree with that LOL. Too bad he's not racing anymore.
 
I don't believe for a second that his 4 wide was for a spare track after a oil down.
Yes it was, I knew Bruton pretty well as my ex-girlfriend up in Charlotte was a nanny for, believe it or not, Marcus when he was young. He himself told me that he was going after NBC for a giant special drag race to run LIVE on network TV. RIP the greatest fan of racing in ther country...
Bob&Bruton.jpg
 
That is surprising as Vegas 2 was the last race before the finals with many championship's still not decided. Not sure how the schedule shakes out this year.
I believe that Alan was comparing the April two wide compared to the April 4 wide. April attendance in Vegas was strong the first few years but dwindled over time. 4 wide increased the attendance but I don’t think it outdraws the October race.
 
I don't care for it either and rarely watch it. However, perhaps it's one of those events where YOU HAVE TO BE THERE to appreciate it.
 
Actually, I think being there makes it worse. I did find that watching on NHRA.tv this year helped keep track of what was going on. Alan does a nice job of describing the staging, the race progress etc. and you get a quick replay. Plus … names on the screen. With sponsors changing all the time, you need a minute to figure whose car it is.
 
I would like to see some data to support the claims that 4 wide attracts new fans. Do they come one time only? Do they only go to 4 wide races? Do they go to other races as well? Does 4 wide alienate enough die hard fans that any gain in new "fans results in actual net loss of fans total?

You don't need 4 wide to make new lifelong fans. All you need to do is crank that starter and let the nitro flow.
 
Does 4 wide alienate enough die hard fans that any gain in new "fans results in actual net loss of fans total?
No, because you aren't losing any fans because of 4 wide. I don't know of anyone who's stopped watching drag racing entirely because of 2 four wide races a year. Sure, some people don't watch those two races, but they'll still watch all the other traditional format races, so that's really no big deal if you're NHRA. So no, there is no "net loss" going on.

And for the record, despite what the Facebook comments might tell you, the amount of people who don't watch the four wide races is very very small. They got a tick under half a million viewers on the broadcast Sunday, which is right in line with what the typical FS1 NHRA broadcast gets in the traditional two wide format.
 
Yes it was, I knew Bruton pretty well as my ex-girlfriend up in Charlotte was a nanny for, believe it or not, Marcus when he was young. He himself told me that he was going after NBC for a giant special drag race to run LIVE on network TV. RIP the greatest fan of racing in ther country...View attachment 12546
In the 1960's Bruton ran a Ford dealership in Rockford Illinois Guess where they raced 4 cars at the drag trip Could there be a Ron Leek connection????
 
It's to attract the casuals, the WWE and monster truck crowd. I get it, it's a business decision and more fans is better for the bottom line. Just like the moronic new rules in baseball designed to attract casuals and non fans. I wonder what the numbers really are, as in how many more people come to see the circus vs people like me who will never go to that Vegas race again?

Cincinnati Reds season ticket holder here, I love, LOVE the new rules. It hasn’t cut out ANY baseball, it has only cut out batters endlessly stepping out and pitchers endlessly jacking around on the mound. Glad the shift is gone too. And the bigger bags are contributing to more stolen bases. The games move quicker and there is more action. The rules are WIN WIN WIN in my book.

4 Wides … meh … take it or leave it as far as I am concerned. I have attended in Vegas and it was something to see.
 
I would like to see some data to support the claims that 4 wide attracts new fans. Do they come one time only? Do they only go to 4 wide races? Do they go to other races as well? Does 4 wide alienate enough die hard fans that any gain in new "fans results in actual net loss of fans total?

You don't need 4 wide to make new lifelong fans. All you need to do is crank that starter and let the nitro flow.
Good question, as is the one in your other thread. It would be very interesting to see what, if any, data is out there.

Personally, we really enjoyed the 4-Wides (attended I think 5 in Charlotte). Yes it does require paying close attention. I do think it's worth seeing in person at least once, it's quite the sonic experience. And as the Red Letter Man indicated, they sure seem to draw large crowds. However, that being said, we still thoroughly enjoy the "normal" events too. If they did away with the 4-Wide concept, it wouldn't take away from our desire to see other events including our traditional one in Norwalk. I'd be glad that we got to experience it, chalk it up to experience, and keep on keepin' on.

It might attract new fans because of the oddity of it. But it's hard to measure the effectiveness of attracting new fans though, since there's just two of them and on opposite coasts. The regular 2-wide has done a pretty good job of bringing in new fans over the years. I think a newbie would have to go to both and then decide if they are a convert. But I would be interested to see if the 4-Wides are still around in 10 years.

About your other question, I've long believed the drivers don't care for the 4-Wide concept and keep quiet as not to get punished by NHRA for speaking out against the body (as I have also long believed NHRA to be vindictive against drivers like that). Seems like it was maybe 2017 or so that the Pro-Stock drivers made noise about boycotting the 4-Wide in Charlotte?? But, I'd say their sponsors also expect full participation too, they pay for the exposure. I guess it pays the same for the drivers. Like sitting through painful meetings in my job. Endure it and move on.

As I also stated in the past, I'd rather see the countdown go away. To me it does much harm that the 4-Wides do.
 
Cincinnati Reds season ticket holder here, I love, LOVE the new rules. It hasn’t cut out ANY baseball, it has only cut out batters endlessly stepping out and pitchers endlessly jacking around on the mound. Glad the shift is gone too. And the bigger bags are contributing to more stolen bases. The games move quicker and there is more action. The rules are WIN WIN WIN in my book.

4 Wides … meh … take it or leave it as far as I am concerned. I have attended in Vegas and it was something to see.
Well as a season ticket holder, you certainly are not a casual! If fundamentally changing the game like that works for you then good, I'm glad you like it. And as a Seattle fan, thanks for Castillo!
 
It’s two races out of 23 or whatever, it’s no big deal. The problem is the races were back to back which is ridiculous. Some great story lines from both events though so while the purists don’t like the events, they’re great for drag racing.
 
I know it was done around the country off & on in early years of drag racing......Not a fan of it myself.....Bring back something like the Winston No Bull Showdown....Just sayin...
 
Judging by the very small crowd on the spectator side, and the far from full pit side, at Z-Max this past weekend, I’d say NHRA has a lot more work to do.
Yes you have to remember some of the seats are colored on the left side and from a distance it appears fuller than it is.
 
I would like to see some data to support the claims that 4 wide attracts new fans. Do they come one time only? Do they only go to 4 wide races? Do they go to other races as well? Does 4 wide alienate enough die hard fans that any gain in new "fans results in actual net loss of fans total?

You don't need 4 wide to make new lifelong fans. All you need to do is crank that starter and let the nitro flow.
I think new fans would be attracted to Larry Dixon's 2 seater. I'll never forget the experience.
 
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