I think Glendora is more worried about paying for their mortgages and Bentleys than caring about the financial welfare of the racers, the fans and the sport in general. As far as attracting new fans, they had an opportunity with the sport compact series to bring in a new generation of fans. But like the Pro Stock Trucks, they gave up on it. NHRA essentially has no marketing/promotions department to speak of. The only time I see commercials for an upcoming race is during coverage of the current event on ESPN2. Another aspect is that people just don't have the extra money to spend on $50 tickets. Prices have steadliy ascended while the interest has simply flattened, or in some cases reduced. Racers are not without fault, a majority of them stay holed up in their haulers while fans stand patiently at the ropes just looking for an autograph. That being said, I do know and understand that drivers have a lot more responsibilities than they did 5,10,15 years ago. But, it's not going to hurt them to spare 5 minutes in-between meetings to sign for the fans, and it would look good for their sponsor or would be sponsor to see their driver being wanted like that. When fans start walking away from the trailers with the look of disappointment, that's a bad sign. Remember the tag line "Every ticket is a Pit Pass"? Try your luck at a NASCAR or IndyCar race, your lucky to get a picture of a driver walking by, and that's if your fortunate enough to get pit access. Essentially, the NHRA has done a horrible job at reaching out to new fans, they've done just as much damage to themselves by doing nothing as NASCAR has done by changing everything. From a technology stand point, NHRA had a golden opportunity to bring in EFI and alternative fuels before anyone else. But, like usual, they screwed that up too. The television package is a 50/50 situation, sure more people have a better opportunity to tune in and see qualifying and eliminations than ever before. But, when it's regulary pre-empted, those would be fans and some existing ones don't bother to stick around, sometimes for an hour or more, waiting. Personally, I'd love to see how another network, perhaps SPEED, would present the NHRA. But, with an exclusive contract with ESPN2, that won't be taking place anytime soon. As for todays kids not being interested in cars, I don't see it. I think they're just as interested, but it's a different approach. Most are interested in the celebrity aspect of cars, i.e. rims, body kits, sound systems, interiors, lowered, ect. All show and no go. Obviously this doesn't work in racing, as the point is to defeat your opponent. I don't think nostaglia is the answer either, those cars are aimed at fans that were around back in the day. Or if you can think of it like this, how many kids of today are truely interested in an Old Timers game?
