I can tell you this...As someone who is out here beating the doors down for sponsorship of a fuel team (or more than one) in the NHRA, in the last 60 days the same thing has occured that did in Nascar...Sponsors want to pay for the races before the countdown, and then if the car doesn't make the chase, then they want a discount on the "chase" races...I saw it when Nascar did it, and now I am seeing it here...
I am quite concerned, as many of you are, about the health of the NHRA...I, am FAR more concerned specifically with the health of the Pro Teams in the NHRA...
With the exception of adding a few dollars to the champions take this year in each class, they havent raised a single event purse in almost 10 years...Now, at the current numbers, it is my understanding that 10 years ago, you could run a T/F or Funny Car for $750,000-$1,000,000/yr. Well, that being said, I can understand the purse, but now, it is 3-4 times that amount to run one of these cars...And not only has the NHRA not done anything to help offset thaese costs with additional purse monies, but they are now actually going to charge the racers MORE for hospitality spots and souvenir trailer spots...
Let me give you an example...It is my understanding from Glen Cromwell at NHRA that it is $2000 vs. 20% of your sales to have the right to park, and operate a souvenir trailer at an NHRA event. They are now talking about raising that to over $2500.
Furthermore, if you want a hospitality space, it is $2000 per event, unless you commit to the whole season, then its $1500 per event, and you are only allowed one spot per pro team. Now they are talking about raising that too....In addition to that, unless they cater your hospitality with their overpriced food that is unpredictable in quality and sometimes not delivered in time for your guests, you have to pay ANOTHER $750 per weekend to the caterer for lost revenue! I mean, when is it going to stop??? Look at Jagermeister. Their program was very hospitality driven. Wouldn't you think if Max Naylor could have afforded them the opportunity to "pay" him for additional hospitality, that it wouldn't have helped his program? Perhaps he isn't a perfect example (Bill...?), but I know that if you could "rent" 1,2, 3, or maybe even you neded 4 hospitality spots, and were willing to pay for them, shouldn't you be able to? There are teams that generate a fair amount of revenue from this that are going to be affected here. If you want more money, than give us more options...Doesn't that seem fair?
I know that many of you are for the chase, and many of you are against it, but let me give you a couple of facts here...
1.) Nascar's system automatically increases the purse and the championship payoff each year because these items are paid as a direct percentage of the TV and gate revenues of what Nascar and the tracks generate...
2.) The point of the above fact is that in Nascar, as ratings/attendance/revenues increase, they share that with their teams...In NHRA, they havent raised the purse in 8 years (besides the small countown champion bonus of $100,000, but that is meaningless to the other 15 teams...), and now also have items that are slated to go up by 40% next year like hospitality spots and souvenir trailer spots...yet, all these increases, with no increase in the purse...THIS is one of the things that is killing these teams...
The NHRA is doing everything to help themselves, and nothing to help their teams.
If PRO was smart, they would all go to their sponsors and get them to all agree to sit out the first 1,2, or 3 races of 2008 in an effort to unionize the teams to a degree, and create some serious leverage with the NHRA to make them get this right.
Better yet, show up and park, but refuse to race.
If the NHRA says they won't pay, we don't play. If even any, how many events do you think the NHRA could let happen without Bernstin (2 cars), Force (4 cars), Shoe (4 cars), Powers (2 cars), Kalitta (4 cars), etc...
And the sponsors that are on these cars would be fine with it because if this happened, then FINALLY, the NHRA would get a serious amount of national exposure...although, not for the reasons that they would like...
Will this happen...? Most definitely not.
Would it force the NHRA to fix these problems and start paying these teams correctly? For sure.
I am quite concerned, as many of you are, about the health of the NHRA...I, am FAR more concerned specifically with the health of the Pro Teams in the NHRA...
With the exception of adding a few dollars to the champions take this year in each class, they havent raised a single event purse in almost 10 years...Now, at the current numbers, it is my understanding that 10 years ago, you could run a T/F or Funny Car for $750,000-$1,000,000/yr. Well, that being said, I can understand the purse, but now, it is 3-4 times that amount to run one of these cars...And not only has the NHRA not done anything to help offset thaese costs with additional purse monies, but they are now actually going to charge the racers MORE for hospitality spots and souvenir trailer spots...
Let me give you an example...It is my understanding from Glen Cromwell at NHRA that it is $2000 vs. 20% of your sales to have the right to park, and operate a souvenir trailer at an NHRA event. They are now talking about raising that to over $2500.
Furthermore, if you want a hospitality space, it is $2000 per event, unless you commit to the whole season, then its $1500 per event, and you are only allowed one spot per pro team. Now they are talking about raising that too....In addition to that, unless they cater your hospitality with their overpriced food that is unpredictable in quality and sometimes not delivered in time for your guests, you have to pay ANOTHER $750 per weekend to the caterer for lost revenue! I mean, when is it going to stop??? Look at Jagermeister. Their program was very hospitality driven. Wouldn't you think if Max Naylor could have afforded them the opportunity to "pay" him for additional hospitality, that it wouldn't have helped his program? Perhaps he isn't a perfect example (Bill...?), but I know that if you could "rent" 1,2, 3, or maybe even you neded 4 hospitality spots, and were willing to pay for them, shouldn't you be able to? There are teams that generate a fair amount of revenue from this that are going to be affected here. If you want more money, than give us more options...Doesn't that seem fair?
I know that many of you are for the chase, and many of you are against it, but let me give you a couple of facts here...
1.) Nascar's system automatically increases the purse and the championship payoff each year because these items are paid as a direct percentage of the TV and gate revenues of what Nascar and the tracks generate...
2.) The point of the above fact is that in Nascar, as ratings/attendance/revenues increase, they share that with their teams...In NHRA, they havent raised the purse in 8 years (besides the small countown champion bonus of $100,000, but that is meaningless to the other 15 teams...), and now also have items that are slated to go up by 40% next year like hospitality spots and souvenir trailer spots...yet, all these increases, with no increase in the purse...THIS is one of the things that is killing these teams...
The NHRA is doing everything to help themselves, and nothing to help their teams.
If PRO was smart, they would all go to their sponsors and get them to all agree to sit out the first 1,2, or 3 races of 2008 in an effort to unionize the teams to a degree, and create some serious leverage with the NHRA to make them get this right.
Better yet, show up and park, but refuse to race.
If the NHRA says they won't pay, we don't play. If even any, how many events do you think the NHRA could let happen without Bernstin (2 cars), Force (4 cars), Shoe (4 cars), Powers (2 cars), Kalitta (4 cars), etc...
And the sponsors that are on these cars would be fine with it because if this happened, then FINALLY, the NHRA would get a serious amount of national exposure...although, not for the reasons that they would like...
Will this happen...? Most definitely not.
Would it force the NHRA to fix these problems and start paying these teams correctly? For sure.
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