Here is what I had posted over there
Marketing, marketing, marketing
you can't grow if you don't invest. I don't remember who said it but the famous line of "you have to spend money to make money"
-I want to be able to go into walmart and buy drag racing towels, my kids want racing sheets for their bed. I don't want to have to go to a race to buy a shirt. I see nascar stuff everywhere, we need to be the same way
- a one stop shop for all racing items online. Most drivers e-stores are lacking and nitromall doesn't carry everyone. My in laws don't know anything about drag racing but they do know that their grandkids love it. They would love to be able to go to one website and buy gifts. Instead they have try to remember who is who and who they drive for and then find their website just for one kid. Then they need to repeat it for the next. A one stop e-store is much needed
-drag racing themed toys for kids
-eliminate the countdown (big surprise from me right lol)
-exposure. get one of our drivers on dancing with stars or something like that. Hillary was on a game show but it really didn't give her a chance to promote the sport. Why don't I ever see a racing ads on pinks, pimp my ride, nascar or any other car themed shows. How about putting together an ad blitz that shows on non racing times. Maybe epsn during football or on whatever the hot show is right now.
-lower the cost for fuel cars. Going back to 90% is the right direction, lets look at ways to keep the cost a little more controlled even if it means slowing them down A LITTLE. Both fuel classes need to be above 300mph. But if slowing them 10-15mph can make it more affordale not only for the drivers out there now but also for the ones wanting to be, well then thats something that should be explored. Also lower cost mean less money needed from sponsors, with a lower level of funding needed it may open the possibility of sponsoring to more companies.
-Audiocast is great but there are ways to improve it and to even make it a revenue stream. <my own little million dollar idea
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-A small form of profit sharing. Could be sticky I realize but a mentality of group growth and survival should overcome.
-There is a sense that nhra snags sponsors away from teams. While there are occasions when this has happened, there are also time that they have helped teams. There needs to be a bigger sense of all for one and one for all. If nhra holds a race but teams can't afford to get there who does that help. Develope a program to not only bring up new drivers but also to help grow sponsors.
What if they helped start a group for new drivers as well as helping to get regional sponsorships. They could combine a driver in training with a regional sponsor and have them exhibition at a couple of divisional events. The benefits are huge if a divisional event could promote that they had 2 fuelers there. It would increase people coming to those events, give a smaller or regional company some publicity and a taste of racing. That could help entice them to jump in bigger on the national level. Plus it could help be a training ground for up and comers. More people through the gate would make the local tracks happy. The sportsman racers would have more people seeing them and in turn their sponsors.
-part of marketing it to see who are the faces of our sport. Obviously Force, Shoe and the likes but the main 2 people that present the sport to the masses are Mike Dunn and Paul Page. Mike does an awesome job, any first timer can tell he has a love for the sport and a deep knowledge if it. Paul...well he is trying and is improving but he's still nowhere near what we need. Put Dave Rieff, Alan Reinhart or John Kernan into that spot.
-Put people with race experince onto the board of nhra. There is a sense that everyone there is either a suit or hasn't been in a car since the 50's. We don't need all suits or all greaseheads running the show. A good healthy mixure is needed.
ok I suppose thats good for now
