Jon asher's latest up front commentary (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter JF
- Start date
Yeah I thought the same thing, however the c-down pissed me off so much that I discovered or I should say rediscovered that there is alot more to drag racing then nhra. After rarely missing a telecast I haven't been able to complete a c-down season yet, by the end of the season I just cease to care about it. I go to the local strip a lot more often. Been to divisional races, specality races, ihra, nmca, and others. I still get my fix that way.
Yeah I still go to NHRA national events but not as many races/days as I was a few years ago.
Gordon
Nitro Member
I'll be attending my first IHRA race at Budd's Creek in September (Been out west too long)... and if that's 1/2 as fun as I expect it to be... well, I'll let you figure it out.
90-percent
Nitro Member
This is pure speculation on my part, but for every corporation out there sponsoring a PRO car, there are probably FIVE corporations that decided to "pursue other interests" after being introduced to NHRA and being shown how they do business.
"Sorry, we don't do business that way" is something I bet NHRA management hears....frequently, from big sponsors they could have had if they weren't so small minded in their ways.
One recent (recent? the deal was made back in 2000 or so, wasn't it?) example is that NHRA decided that the US Army, after signing Schumacher, decided to give the Army exclusivity for NHRA Pro Racing. In other words, the Army got there first, so, in order to please the Army by sponsoring a fuel car, NHRA proactively banned all the other branches of the military from also sponsoring a fuel car. And the Army did not even ask NHRA to do this!
And you don't have to be a Dr. Robert Post to know that back in the 70's, the Marines, the Army, the Air Force and the Navy all had fuel cars out there back then.
I think NHRA suffers from groupthink that brings out some of the worst decision making that could be possible in all of drag racing. I think any person with a clarity of vision for growth has been driven from NHRA years ago, and all that's left is people that agree with each other on their bad decison making.
-90% Jimmy
"Sorry, we don't do business that way" is something I bet NHRA management hears....frequently, from big sponsors they could have had if they weren't so small minded in their ways.
One recent (recent? the deal was made back in 2000 or so, wasn't it?) example is that NHRA decided that the US Army, after signing Schumacher, decided to give the Army exclusivity for NHRA Pro Racing. In other words, the Army got there first, so, in order to please the Army by sponsoring a fuel car, NHRA proactively banned all the other branches of the military from also sponsoring a fuel car. And the Army did not even ask NHRA to do this!
And you don't have to be a Dr. Robert Post to know that back in the 70's, the Marines, the Army, the Air Force and the Navy all had fuel cars out there back then.
I think NHRA suffers from groupthink that brings out some of the worst decision making that could be possible in all of drag racing. I think any person with a clarity of vision for growth has been driven from NHRA years ago, and all that's left is people that agree with each other on their bad decison making.
-90% Jimmy
paoldtimer
Nitro Member
and that's what NASCAR too thought for a very long time. I think they are FINALLY realizing people will tune out, turn it off and spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere. NHRA, are ya listening??
yoda
Nitro Member
OK- here's how it shakes out, in a simple format.
Most of you here get so up in arms when some team has to spend an additional $XXXX for something to bring their ride to The Show. So obviously, most of you here are concerned with how someone else has to spend their money.
Now, most of you have been to the midway lately and seen how everyone has some sort of carnival ride/ burlesque show/ skill game to get your attention out there. You probably walk right by a bunch of the non-descript vendors to make it over to the H-D R/T game, or the UST thing, or the Full Throttle flopper thingy, or the BIG ASS ARMY display... Those places always have some big crowds...
And big displays. That costs lots to drag around and get that attention they have spent big bucks to earn, as well as the stipend they pay to be involved in "the circus". And they are targeting a specific clientel, in the case of the US ARMY.
So, when Joe GoFast wants to bring on the US Air Force (or insert another competitive business new to the 'New" NHRA- FedEx, Pepsi, et al) to sponsor his nitro team, he wants to make sure they get the proper exposure. The problem is- the US ARMY (or insert another competitive business in the same line of work- UPS, Coke, et al) has done all the legwork on what makes a sucessful marketing program and spent a boat load of cash to try and woo that 1-5% of race fans to come and give them a shot, and now they are being forced to split that group with some new company on the midway that has just mimicked the marketing plan for a fraction of the cost because they didn't have to do market studies, ad development, etc... NOW, someone that has been on board in the sport of NHRA Drag Racing and invested lots of time and money into the sport has half of the reason for them to be there in the first place sitting in the tent down the way....
OF COURSE the NHRA is going to protect the exclusiveness of the companies that are supporting the NHRA as well- and NOT biting the hand that feeds them!!
Now, if you are Mr. GoFast, how do you sell yourself to the new company if you can't promise them the same midway exposure as their competitor? Note, I didn't say side-of-the-car/ trailer exposure or TV exposure- just the midway. You could still do handouts; you could still sell T-Shirts. You just can't go head to head with a true marketing area BECAUSE:
IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO THE GOOD COMPANY THAT IS ALREADY THERE
So, USAF and Mr. GoFast can't come to an agreement that is satisfactory to USAF (et al) because they don't see themselves getting their full dollars worth of advertising because of no midway space, and they take their dollars to NASCAR or X Games or anyplace else because the organization hasn't climbed in bed with, and totally relies on support from, the primary company that already has a spot on the midway and in the program...
Its a tough business out there, and the only fix is NHRA becoming finacially self-dependant and stop living off the teat of the companies that currently keep the circus going...
Asher you hammered it.
Now all we need is the factual style Jon Asher reporting follow up to the whole Nitro Gate issue and you will be forever immortalized on the urinal cake targets at HQ.
NOTE: (all rights reserved for/by Jon Asher should he decide to market these himself...put me down for the first dozen please and next day shipping. Oh and make up some stickers too! LOL.)
Damn boy, just damn.
Now all we need is the factual style Jon Asher reporting follow up to the whole Nitro Gate issue and you will be forever immortalized on the urinal cake targets at HQ.
NOTE: (all rights reserved for/by Jon Asher should he decide to market these himself...put me down for the first dozen please and next day shipping. Oh and make up some stickers too! LOL.)
Damn boy, just damn.
Kati
Nitro Member
It will be FUN!! Please looks us up while you're there. If we get our regular pit spot....we'll be close to the staging lanes.
I hear you Gordon, I'm in that same boat! But I have noticed the crowds this year are quite a bit down from year's past!
Gordon
Nitro Member
It will be FUN!! Please looks us up while you're there. If we get our regular pit spot....we'll be close to the staging lanes.
I will definitely do that Kathy, I look forward to meeting you - Thank you.
90-percent
Nitro Member
As an American, I was taught that competition is good and monopolies are bad.* If the US Army INVENTED ORGANIZED DRAG RACING and wholly owned the NHRA, then, as a monopoly, they would probably exclude their other competitors.
That is not the case, so they should be prepared to compete on the merits of their product - the benefits of serving in the Army. Your argument that the first company to the specific game should have a monopolistic grip on that game completely escapes me. Is there only one soft drink, fast food joint, overnight delivery service, auto maker and car insurance company during the Super Bowl? Of course not. It don't work that way.
To me, NHRA offering up monopolies to big sponsors early on in the relationship is negotiating from a position of weakness. I think having "beer wars" and "soft drink wars" and even "fast food wars" within NHRA would make things more interesting and appealing to fans, but NHRA is so desperate for even one corporation's involvement in any of aforementioned categories that they would gladly give away the store for the first company willing to participate.
Perhaps if NHRA didn't have their habit of alienating potential sponsors with such magnificence, then they wouldn't have to grant these "instant monopolies" to the few willing to participate in big sponsorships?
A friend described a sales manager I went to work for like this: "Urban thinks he's the only one in the whole company that should be making any money" I got fired by Urban 6 months later. The company went under about 5 years after I left, after about 78 years in business.
And I want to suggest the possibility that NHRA thinks they're the only one's that should be making any money out there.
-90% Jimmy
*having studied some of Dr. Edward Deming's principals in the early 90's, that truism may not be so correct all the time. Deming preferred cooperation to competition in many areas and he thought monopolies were wonderful in many areas.
That is not the case, so they should be prepared to compete on the merits of their product - the benefits of serving in the Army. Your argument that the first company to the specific game should have a monopolistic grip on that game completely escapes me. Is there only one soft drink, fast food joint, overnight delivery service, auto maker and car insurance company during the Super Bowl? Of course not. It don't work that way.
To me, NHRA offering up monopolies to big sponsors early on in the relationship is negotiating from a position of weakness. I think having "beer wars" and "soft drink wars" and even "fast food wars" within NHRA would make things more interesting and appealing to fans, but NHRA is so desperate for even one corporation's involvement in any of aforementioned categories that they would gladly give away the store for the first company willing to participate.
Perhaps if NHRA didn't have their habit of alienating potential sponsors with such magnificence, then they wouldn't have to grant these "instant monopolies" to the few willing to participate in big sponsorships?
A friend described a sales manager I went to work for like this: "Urban thinks he's the only one in the whole company that should be making any money" I got fired by Urban 6 months later. The company went under about 5 years after I left, after about 78 years in business.
And I want to suggest the possibility that NHRA thinks they're the only one's that should be making any money out there.
-90% Jimmy
*having studied some of Dr. Edward Deming's principals in the early 90's, that truism may not be so correct all the time. Deming preferred cooperation to competition in many areas and he thought monopolies were wonderful in many areas.
yoda
Nitro Member
Not defending the policies, Jim- just bringing to light that this is the way the Association has to roll based on the fact that they are now so totally dependant on these companies, and with declining attendance and TV ratings, the best thing they think they can offer is the rights to be exclusive (a.k.a. monopolizing) to these companies to make it attractive to stay on-board for the amount of cash investment they must make.
NHRA has always worked that way; Wally never wanted the sport to be a way to make a living for it's participants. When it became evident that the sport was going to be more about business than competition, a board of directors was aligned to work twords that direction. How many teams can you say make their initial investment of car(s), parts, trailers, gear, travel, crew, etc and then compete for a year and wind up breaking even? I thought I learned that lesson years ago when I was driving, and obviously didn't (we're in for about $13K this year on the Jr. and we race for NO prize money in most instances
).The same applies in the Association's attitude twords sponsors, although they don't exactly say it. The only benifit NHRA can really offer is the opportunity to be exclusive and not have to worry about direct competition, at least on the main marketplace. And for that benefit, those companies must make a substancial investment, not unlike the race teams themselves.
It's not right, but it's all they got....
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90-percent
Nitro Member
Martin - thanks for your response. I think we are saying the same thing in our own different ways. It just took a little back and forth for me to realize that.
I became a fan in the mid to late sixties and I longed for the time when drag racing would go mainstream alongside all the stick and ball stuff that most American kids like.
It now seems like that day came and went and the pinnacle of popularity for drag racing was around 1985 to 1995. I think that era had the most non-automotive sponsor participation - tobacco products, beers, fast foods, candies, soft drinks, and so on all had cars. I would like to have seen that continue, but most of those sponsors have come and gone and I consider dealing with NHRA was a factor in those corporate decisions. (The govt big tobacco settlement in the late 90's was another)
NHRA is an easy target, but I will acknowledge they do more right than wrong and their success over 6 decades is impressive. However, I think their squeezing money out of every possible nook and cranny is an unfortunate mind set that ultimately drives sponsors out and makes it more difficult for racers to participate. Grabbing bigger slices of a shrinking pie is no long term solution for the health of professional drag racing!
NHRA has no idea how much they need a guy like Jon Asher around to give them a healthy dose of reality. Oh oh oh, I can sneak a Zappa quote in here: "A mind is like a parachute. It only works when opened."
-90% Jimmy
I became a fan in the mid to late sixties and I longed for the time when drag racing would go mainstream alongside all the stick and ball stuff that most American kids like.
It now seems like that day came and went and the pinnacle of popularity for drag racing was around 1985 to 1995. I think that era had the most non-automotive sponsor participation - tobacco products, beers, fast foods, candies, soft drinks, and so on all had cars. I would like to have seen that continue, but most of those sponsors have come and gone and I consider dealing with NHRA was a factor in those corporate decisions. (The govt big tobacco settlement in the late 90's was another)
NHRA is an easy target, but I will acknowledge they do more right than wrong and their success over 6 decades is impressive. However, I think their squeezing money out of every possible nook and cranny is an unfortunate mind set that ultimately drives sponsors out and makes it more difficult for racers to participate. Grabbing bigger slices of a shrinking pie is no long term solution for the health of professional drag racing!
NHRA has no idea how much they need a guy like Jon Asher around to give them a healthy dose of reality. Oh oh oh, I can sneak a Zappa quote in here: "A mind is like a parachute. It only works when opened."
-90% Jimmy
Dave
Nitro Member
Jon Asher deserves some kind of award every time he puts out a column like this. I wish more people in Drag Racing had the balls Asher does to call out the NHRA and their stupidity. Jon hits it on the head every time and all NHRA seems to do is get pissed at him. NHRA's reaction to Asher's words just backs up what he says. Instead of NHRA saying something like "screw Asher", maybe they could pull their heads out of the dark and smelly place they usally are, and say, "maybe Asher's got a point here". But sadly I doubt they ever will. I think NHRA truly believes the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" logic. I know some will disagree with my "ain't broke" comment, but it's through who's eyes are you looking? Tom, Graham, Dallas, and the rest are able to thicken their pockets every year while the sport continues to die. If the sport losses money, just raise fees and our pockets will continue to swell. I'm sure the ain't broke theory is pretty clear now.
It is time for all of these disgusted Racers to make their feelings known to NHRA in a way only they can. The U.S. Nationals is just a couple weeks away and I can think of no better place to make a statement. Everybody goes through qualifying and does business as usual. Labor Day Monday morning would be the the day of the Revolution. Pull the first pair of Top Fuelers under the bridge, play the National Anthem, announce the first pair, give the command to fire engines, and then......nothing. Nobody fire their engines. Just stand their with your arms folded, do nothing. Do just what NHRA does to better this sport, nothing. The only way the Racers are going to get anywhere with NHRA is to show them there is no show without the Racers. NHRA needs the Racers probably more than the Racers need them. If you are fed up with the foolishness, take a stand. If the Racers don't stand up to the powers soon, all hope for a future of successfull Professional Drag Racing will be lost. Racers, I beg you, please stop the insanity!!!
Dave
It is time for all of these disgusted Racers to make their feelings known to NHRA in a way only they can. The U.S. Nationals is just a couple weeks away and I can think of no better place to make a statement. Everybody goes through qualifying and does business as usual. Labor Day Monday morning would be the the day of the Revolution. Pull the first pair of Top Fuelers under the bridge, play the National Anthem, announce the first pair, give the command to fire engines, and then......nothing. Nobody fire their engines. Just stand their with your arms folded, do nothing. Do just what NHRA does to better this sport, nothing. The only way the Racers are going to get anywhere with NHRA is to show them there is no show without the Racers. NHRA needs the Racers probably more than the Racers need them. If you are fed up with the foolishness, take a stand. If the Racers don't stand up to the powers soon, all hope for a future of successfull Professional Drag Racing will be lost. Racers, I beg you, please stop the insanity!!!
Dave
yoda
Nitro Member
Jon really doesn't do much more than what is done on drag racing chat pages all over the internet, so handing out awards may be a bit premature.
What has he said that hasn't been hashed around here for weeks now? If nothing else, seeing his pedigree in the sport, why not more SOLUTIONS from Mr. Asher as opposed to just giving us the Cliff notes version of what everyone has been *****in about here on the 'Mater??
What has he said that hasn't been hashed around here for weeks now? If nothing else, seeing his pedigree in the sport, why not more SOLUTIONS from Mr. Asher as opposed to just giving us the Cliff notes version of what everyone has been *****in about here on the 'Mater??
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
