Interesting Nitro Rumor

[Cliff]

Wow, this was interesting. Could see some of this adapted to Drag Racing & NASCAR (& maybe Indy Car) as well. Maybe not the tiny little 1600cc V-6 engine (what is the red line on that? 12,000 RPM?).

 

[sammi]

F1 is really driving hard into the future. They have made their drivers way more accessible. Freaking Lewis Hamilton was on Letterman's Netflix series. They produced an amazing multi episode Netflix series on their 2018 season and their podcast is absolutely the best thing to be playing in the shop while working on the racecar. (sorry Luke and Jed)

 

[TSK]

Did anybody notice the spending cap F1 is implementing for teams in 2021?
$175 million per team, per year! And that does not cover all expenditures.
What kind of ROI do they see?

 

[vegasnitro]

Wow, this was interesting. Could see some of this adapted to Drag Racing & NASCAR (& maybe Indy Car) as well. Maybe not the tiny little 1600cc V-6 engine (what is the red line on that? 12,000 RPM?).

They are limited to 15,000 RPM by rule. They would have no problem getting them into the 20-21,000 RPM range if the rules would allow it, that is what the 2.4L V8's in F1 were turning 10 years ago.

 

[FABMAN]

I think there are a certain number of folks that have been lulled into a false sense of security because the participation numbers seem to be improving, but the fact still remains the sport is being supported by very few owners when it comes to the nitro classes, as well as a few more owners, but fewer suppliers of competitive power in Pro Stock. When the withdrawal of a single owner/engine supplier can affect the percentage of field size that this sport currently has competing it's a problem that can't continue to be overlooked.

I've said it before and I'll pound the horse again; I just don't get the argument about all the inventory. These teams have struggled for years to get primary level funding to run these cars full-tilt, literally from year-to-year. The business plan of running on the professional level in the NHRA isn't that strong as it is, so I just can't make sense of holding a bunch of inventory when you may not know your plans for each coming season. And I know the wealthy folks that are just hobbying aren't necessarily affected by year-to-year sponsor/marketing partner issues, but that isn't any better of a business plan, especially as it pertains to the long-term health of the sport itself and THAT'S what needs to be worried about, not the very few who's spending is out of control resulting in a bunch of excess parts on the shelf. So if there are changes that need to be made for the overall health/survival of the sport, get it in motion and give the necessary amount of lead-time if need be.

As has been mentioned, the low-hanging fruit would be reducing the number of events. Many of the teams have come forward and verified travel costs as one of, if not the biggest issue that hits the bottom line of the operational expense sheet, so it's probably time to take a hard look at that along with the logistical end of things when it comes to running rigs back and forth across the country. I realize Mother Nature likely plays a role in that, but if there's a cut in the schedule I'm sure that part could be adjusted/improved as well.

Sean D

Most all teams running Pro Stock are millionaires and race cause they love the class. The payouts don't mean a lot to them, not like the days I remember when majority were doing there own motor program. A lot if older Pro Stock guys are still building motors for variety of classes.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Most all teams running Pro Stock are millionaires and race cause they love the class. The payouts don't mean a lot to them, not like the days I remember when majority were doing there own motor program. A lot if older Pro Stock guys are still building motors for variety of classes.

And that's what I meant when I mentioned the hobbyists in the 2nd paragraph. That's fine and dandy for those folks, but it should be a point of concern for the sanctioning body.

People keep mentioning the payouts as it pertains to the business model/ROI. In the glory days, as well as the other motorsports that have thrived, the payouts aren't an integral part of the business plan to start with. The racers and their operations are nothing more than marketing tools for prospective sponsors. THAT'S where the money comes from in the business model, not the purse. As a racer, you're not guaranteed a single round win, let alone a winner's purse, so the model is to market your team and racing series as something that many eyes will see, because that's what the marketing folks at the companies that have big budgets really care about. I'm not saying they don't want to be a part of a winning team because I'm sure they do, but the bottom line will always be exposure first and foremost. That said, it's obvious the NHRA has something not quite right because the sponsors are very hard to come by, which equates to one of two things; either the current budget to run a top-level professional team isn't commensurate with the exposure the sponsor can get as it compares to other racing series (dollar-for-dollar), or the price to compete needs to get back in line with what the current exposure/viewership can quantify per advertising dollar spent.

Until that is resolved, the sport will continue to have what it currently has, especially in Pro Stock; wealthy folks that like to play with fast cars supporting the sport.

Sean D

 

[Z28LT1]

Below is a list of cost savings ideas that I have:

2. I know that this was done in the past, but reduce the amount of days that teams are allowed to test. It seems that well funded teams run the Monday Nationals several times a year which also costs money. Reducing test days will help with leveling the playing field as well, as lower budgeted teams will not be at as much of a disadvantage to the well funded teams that can afford to test throughout the season.
What if someone books in a match race (I know this doesn't happen anymore, but what if...)? That's taking money out of their pocket.

3. Refine the schedule so that the tour makes more sense for miles traveled. Why on earth have we always started the season in Pomona, head to Phoenix, then head as far East as possible to Gainsville, only to come all the way back to Las Vegas? Wouldn't it make more sense to run Pomona, Phoenix and Las Vegas before making the trek to Florida.
There is some merit here. However, in you example of running Winters, PHX then LV, would saturate the American Southwest market in a short amount of time. I agree with the sentiment, but I get why it is the way is in some cases. However, I'd move Houston between the Gators and Vegas1 though. In all, I agree it needs to be streamlined. Look at the western swing this year; they go from out west to Brainerd to New Hampshire then back to Indy? That's dumb and completely idiotic. That means these guys are going to be on the road for almost 8 strait weekends (figuring in the pre-Indy test after New England).

Using the Reinhart red text trick here.

 

[Rat]

Beckman's Reaction and I could never agree more.

“I have said from the get-go, the Countdown has a huge overarching benefit for the sport,” Beckman said. “That’s create excitement later into the season. Championships have still been locked up before the final race under the Countdown format. I am a fan of doing it the old way. Drag racing is supposed to be about a season-long sport. Our sport doesn’t lend itself to a playoff format in any way shape or form. It would take me 10 minutes to articulate the different points why and I would debate anybody over that. There’s less overall car count right now and that likely is the reason for this decision. I understand this from the sanctioning body’s side of it, at the end of day we need to have a successful sport, so it works for the most amount of people. I get that. I just think there’s a better way to do it.”

 

[Tom Slick]

You are correct that they split the two Anaheim Supercross races with a Monster truck show. But for the past few years they would do the west coast events before heading to the mid west. But this year they did Anaheim 1 and then went to St Louis and then came back and did Anaheim 2. Last year they did 17 races and ended in Las Vegas in May but this year they are doing 18 races and ending in Carson Ca in October. It looks like they dropped Houston Tx but added St Louis Mo and Carson Ca. Here is a link to their 2019 and 2020 schedule.

2019 Monster Energy Supercross

The 17-round schedule for the 2019 season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, will deepen its live event footprint with new and returning markets and the debut of Supercross Futures, an AMA Amateur National Championship.

www.monsterenergy.com

Monster Energy AMA Supercross | A Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Championship race is an SMX World Championship™ series event

The official home of Monster Energy Supercross

www.supercrosslive.com

Hey Eugene,

The Monster Energy Season actually ends in May in Salt Lake City. The race you're referring to in Carson is the annual Monster Energy Cup, which is a stand alone event unrelated to the championship series that runs from Jan-May. I'm not sure why the Final and Monster Energy Cup are both moved from Sam Boyd Stadium in Vegas, but I bet they will be back in Vegas in 2021 in the new Raider Stadium.