Jim Head Racing / Maple Grove. (1 Viewer)

[M Jones]

Jim Head is not the only sponsor ! They also have Pronto which I believe Blake Alexander brought on board. So is Pronto ok with this?

Depends how many races they paid for and what races they paid for

 

[Polish Hammer]

Pros show up. Not just in racing and sports, but in everything.

Showing up and doing the job is what sets professionals apart from amateurs.

Would’ve been nice to see his team out there, but the cost to just show up and compete is significant. I’m sure he weighed all options and made a business decision based on his personal decision.

 

[Jim]

So jim head skips race because of financial load or for business that keeps load manage levels that can keep him racing how’s that different, not sure that is what he is doing just asking for clarification on your points

My point is that NHRA has to change the situation with teams skipping races because of money if it wants to be seen as a real professional sport.

 

[Jim]

Jim, you have done a great job complaining about the way things are. But you have done nothing to say what should be done to fix the problem. Do you think NHRA should ban teams that skip races? Should they come up with enough money (and tell us from where) to make it a no brainer for teams to show up (US Open tennis paid $2.6 million to the winner.). What are your practical (emphasis on practical) solutions to the problem? Just complaining isn’t effective.

I have mentioned in other posts things NHRA could do. Share TV revenue. Work with teams to help them find sponsors instead of trying to pull sponsors away from teams. Institute budget caps so less-funded teams can compete on an equal footing. Change some rules, so it becomes less expensive to run each race. Run spec engines and chassis so winning becomes a matter of who hits the day's tuning better and the driver's skill, not who can spend the most money. Forget about winners' payouts being the only income source for teams at the race. Instead, pay guarantee money for showing up. Cut qualifying to two sessions to reduce wear and tear on the cars. Make each event a two-day event for the pros to cut costs. Use Friday for sportsmen only to set the fields for eliminations between pro rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Clean up and improve tracks to make them more attractive to spectators (improving food concessions and restrooms would go a long way). Provide activities for kids to make it more attractive for families, like baseball is doing now. Have entertainment activities on the track between rounds, ala the Savannah Bananas.

Stop looking at streaming video solely as a way to generate revenue but rather as a way to promote the sport. More features on videos throughout the week between races. Improve the production of the TV show. Online videos to explain the sport to newcomers. Speed up the show on Saturdays and Sundays. Make the cars more relevant to the cars people drive - have Mustangs look like Mustangs and Camaros look like Camaros instead of every car looking like the same blob. After all, how many of us drive cars on the street with teardrop rear windows? Pro Stock cars, in particular, should look like real-life cars with no more than 10% variance from the real thing.

Encourage drivers to show their real personalities, not just be corporate shills. Build awareness of drivers among the public. NHRA should be promoting the drivers, not leaving it up to the drivers themselves. Forget about print publications and enhance the website so fans can follow the sport on their phones. Make sure every track has good wi-fi available so fans can follow along.

 

[Jim]

This is dumb. NHRA is a sanctioning body and race promoter, not a league.

That is the attitude that holds them back. If NHRA runs the sport, it needs to promote the entire sport, not just individual races. NHRA should be the umbrella brand over everything that happens in the sport.

 

[Jim]

BTW looks like a sellout at the Grove today.

There is no such thing as a true sellout in NHRA. No track, nor NHRA itself, will ever say what the capacity is for the track or how many tickets were sold. It is not like other sports in which both are revealed.

 

[Jim]

If NHRA was really worried about full fields then Camping World as a sponsor could spread some money around. NHRA as an org is not in a position finacially to do that. If they were they wouldn't be selling drag strips and office buildings. In this day and age drag racing is a niche sport. BTW looks like a sellout at the Grove today.

I totally agree. Money to help fund the teams should be part of the deal NHRA signs with a title sponsor. It should be the same with TV rights too. Glen Cromwell is a nice guy but I am willing to bet that other than his family, no one looks for him on TV. The racers are the attraction.

 

[Mike]

Man, I never how wrong my life is. Thanks Jim for getting me down the right path.

 

[TSK]

The engines and chassis are basically spec units as it is.
There’s already a spec engine size, spec nitro load with spec blowers.
There may be slight variations in the chassis but I doubt it’s enough to throw spending out of whack.
But, what do I know? I’m just a part-time, not professional, spectator.

 

[Nunz]

Jim you have some good ideas, although many are not so easy to implement. Couple things: There kind of already has been a spending cap. There’s been a moratorium on developing new stuff in the fuel classes for quite awhile. They’re pretty close to spec cars already. As far as having race cars that look like street cars, we have that with the FSS class, among many others. You can’t have 330+mph race cars that look like street cars, nor should they IMO. Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes doesn’t look too much like any Mercedes you’ll see on the street. Even NASCAR cars look nothing like their street counterparts anymore. Like Alan always says, not arguing, just discussing!

 

[ScottRod]

I totally agree. Money to help fund the teams should be part of the deal NHRA signs with a title sponsor. It should be the same with TV rights too. Glen Cromwell is a nice guy but I am willing to bet that other than his family, no one looks for him on TV. The racers are the attraction.

Jim, I understand your points and point of view, but myself and many other non-professionals are very appreciative that this is not reality. I have been drag racing as an individual for 35 years. I did what I could afford and have been blessed financially mainly due to the fact that I could set my racing to the side and work to improve my financial position for myself and family. I was able to earn my Top Fuel license last year, and was luckily able to participate in 5 Professional events this year. We weren't a "top tier" team in the field, and probably will never be. From the very day I asked Clay Millican "how do I go about getting licensed as a Top Fuel driver", I have been treated with graciousness and acceptance as a new driver and wanting to do my best for the team. Everyone, and I mean everyone from other team's drivers, the teams themselves, the NHRA tech and safety crews, everyone has worked with me at my level to be as successful as possible. Getting a full time team together is extremely hard, and us little guys will be showing up doing our best when we can make schedule, money, and geography work. I am very grateful that the NHRA will let me do this with the team I race with, and the fans are very happy we are there trying as "normal humans". They become inspired to race what they have, or find out that they could start racing, and it is obtainable. Also, there aren't places to run a 14/71 nitro deal while the team is in training similar to the big school college football ranks. You can run a Pro Mod series (as I did, Outlaw PM in PDRA), or Nostalgia Nitro, but the jump from those events to a full time, 22 race season, in the pack TF or NFC "professional team is HUGE, and not obtainable but for a very, very blessed few. I agree the sport is struggling. I think bolstering up Pro Mod with real payouts and not treating that class as second class citizens (politics) and adding imports (what many of the younger generation can identify with) would do more for the sport than mandating the fuel (or any class) to participate "all or none". It's my opinion, and I think it has merit. Having the class filled with regional racers in TF and NFC adds obtainable to the equation. And when that underdog does pull of a round or two, the fans love it and came back for more.

 

[Jim]

Man, I never how wrong my life is. Thanks Jim for getting me down the right path.

Drag racing, as it exists today, is a niche sport. The fans and participants are literally dying faster than they are being replaced. National events themselves are boring, and many tracks are not spectator friendly.

Too many people in drag racing don't want to change because this is the way drag racing is. That's fine but just be content that the sport is going to die in the not-too-distant future. Other sports and entertainment businesses are continually changing to make their events more exciting for fans. You may not want to accept change because you like things the way they've always been. That's fine. But then don't complain when purses don't increase, teams drop away, drag strips get sold and redeveloped, or events are dropped because of a lack of fan support.

Drag racing is competing against stick and ball sports, other forms of motorsports, movie theaters, streaming TV channels, and this time of year it competes against the NFL on TV. I am sure there are people at Maple Grove today who would not be there if the Eagles were playing today and not Monday night.

It's a change or die world.

 

[Jim]

Jim, I understand your points and point of view, but myself and many other non-professionals are very appreciative that this is not reality.

Of course, it is not reality. The problem is that the current reality will not survive.

From the very day I asked Clay Millican "how do I go about getting licensed as a Top Fuel driver", I have been treated with graciousness and acceptance as a new driver and wanting to do my best for the team. Everyone, and I mean everyone from other team's drivers, the teams themselves, the NHRA tech and safety crews, everyone has worked with me at my level to be as successful as possible.

You could not pick a more gracious person to ask than Clay Millican. Nearly all the people I've met in NHRA -- racers, NHRA officials, etc -- have been great people and very committed to helping people in the sport.

 

[Ramjet]

Drag racing, as it exists today, is a niche sport. The fans and participants are literally dying faster than they are being replaced. National events themselves are boring, and many tracks are not spectator friendly.

Too many people in drag racing don't want to change because this is the way drag racing is. That's fine but just be content that the sport is going to die in the not-too-distant future. Other sports and entertainment businesses are continually changing to make their events more exciting for fans. You may not want to accept change because you like things the way they've always been. That's fine. But then don't complain when purses don't increase, teams drop away, drag strips get sold and redeveloped, or events are dropped because of a lack of fan support.

Drag racing is competing against stick and ball sports, other forms of motorsports, movie theaters, streaming TV channels, and this time of year it competes against the NFL on TV. I am sure there are people at Maple Grove today who would not be there if the Eagles were playing today and not Monday night.

It's a change or die world.

I have heard "The Sky is Falling" since I was in my 20's - now I will be 80 in a few months and it hasn't fallen YET or at least it is falling very very slowly. Why does it have to be the size of other Sports as long as people enjoy it.

 

[Ice Bucket]

Unless things have changed, I am pretty sure NHRA pays for the tv coverage

 

[Jim]

I have heard "The Sky is Falling" since I was in my 20's - now I will be 80 in a few months and it hasn't fallen YET or at least it is falling very very slowly. Why does it have to be the size of other Sports as long as people enjoy it.

Unless things have changed, I am pretty sure NHRA pays for the tv coverage

They should be making money from it. When sports or any organization pays for the TV package, they sell the advertising and keep all the revenue.

 

[timebombkal]

The one thing I wish they would do is park so the fans can see the whole side of the cars not just the end. I know they have space for hospitality area, but that leaves out most of the other fans that like to see the whole pit crew work deal.

 

[aakar]

Drag racing, as it exists today, is a niche sport. The fans and participants are literally dying faster than they are being replaced. National events themselves are boring, and many tracks are not spectator friendly.

Too many people in drag racing don't want to change because this is the way drag racing is. That's fine but just be content that the sport is going to die in the not-too-distant future. Other sports and entertainment businesses are continually changing to make their events more exciting for fans. You may not want to accept change because you like things the way they've always been. That's fine. But then don't complain when purses don't increase, teams drop away, drag strips get sold and redeveloped, or events are dropped because of a lack of fan support.

Drag racing is competing against stick and ball sports, other forms of motorsports, movie theaters, streaming TV channels, and this time of year it competes against the NFL on TV. I am sure there are people at Maple Grove today who would not be there if the Eagles were playing today and not Monday night.

It's a change or die world.

Loving your passion, but gotta say I have never been to a National Event NHRA IHRA or Match Race and left thinking it was boring!!! Been to hundreds of events many half full of fans and zero event promotion by association or tracks, that is the real issue. If the sport is not promoted, nobody will know about it and nobody will come. Rt 66 is in the third largest market in North America, can't even fill half of their stands (30,000 seats), have never bothered to promote races then they face a possible extinction event even though they have had amazing races there!
Maybe I'm wrong, but this year seems to be an extremely excellent growth year and NHRA being much more proactive than in the past

 

[Custom Body Fan]

They should be making money from it. When sports or any organization pays for the TV package, they sell the advertising and keep all the revenue.

Unless things have changed, I am pretty sure NHRA pays for the tv coverage

They should be making money from it. When sports or any organization pays for the TV package, they sell the advertising and keep all the revenue.

Jim, I admire your passion too, but you seem to think everyone else is an idiot. Of course NHRA “should” be making money from TV. But time on Fox ain’t cheap and we have no idea how much ad revenue they get. You also say nitro qualifying should be 2 sessions in one day to hold down costs, but it’ll also hurt track revenue at the same time you say tracks should spend more to spruce up the facilities. Scott H weighs in and you discount an actual NHRA driver’s POV. And BTW my guess is Jim Head doesn’t want a primary sponsor - and it sure looks like the Torrences don’t either, and I am sure there are more. I wish it was all as easy as you seem to think.

 

[Mike]

Chris, passion? All I've is how everyone is doing it wrong and He knows it all. Waste of internet.