Just wanted to say hi, but this has been a hassle! (1 Viewer)

[paoldtimer]

Hi John - Welcome!
Good to see you on TV again...What I would like to see are stories on the evolution of drag racing so new fans can learn about the "oldtimers" and how the cars and safety have evolved.
In depth interviews on drivers and crews, what they do at the track, other than stand at the ropes and sign things (they have to feel like animals at the zoo) their off track involvements (do they do charity work, have unusual hobbies) What about family time - they aren't making the $$$ that other motorsports drivers do so can they afford to bring their family on the road with them...human interest items. Safety Safari stuff...
I've rambled enough, but thanks again for stopping by!

 

[__]

Loved your old show "RPM 2night".

Big +1 to that! RPM 2night was one of the best all around motorsports programs out there. It was a damn shame when ESPN pulled the plug. Nothing else since has come close to the diversity and quality of RPM 2night.

John, great to have you on board here - even better that you're doing the NHRA telecasts. Best of luck!

 

[vegasnitro]

Welcome John ... I miss RPM 2Nite, it was always good stuff.

I like what you and Reiff do in the pits, I am fairly certain that you guys "get" that there are stories beyond the Force and DSR trailers, but not at the expense of getting Force and DSR their deserved airtime as the leaders of the sport. Keep on keeping on ...

If you get the chance this weekend, drop by a 'Mater meeting and say hi. There are several throughout the weekend and if all else fails, Reinhart can point you in our direction ....

 

[sdwarf36]

Hi John - Welcome!
Good to see you on TV again...What I would like to see are stories on the evolution of drag racing so new fans can learn about the "oldtimers" and how the cars and safety have evolved.
In depth interviews on drivers and crews, what they do at the track, other than stand at the ropes and sign things (they have to feel like animals at the zoo) their off track involvements (do they do charity work, have unusual hobbies) What about family time - they aren't making the $$$ that other motorsports drivers do so can they afford to bring their family on the road with them...human interest items. Safety Safari stuff...
I've rambled enough, but thanks again for stopping by!

How about how many cans of spray brake cleaner a team goes thru over a weekend? Or what does a full packed trailer look like loaded? (How about a time lapse thing from when a truck pulls in till everything is out+ set up?) A ride along in the tow vehicle from after a run till it pulls back to the pits would be cool too.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

Welcome John! I'd really like to see more hardcore info on what the tuners do. The mysterious "Slide Valve", what adjustments they can make with the laptop plugged into the car in the staging lanes, etc.
Probably too much information for the casual fan on the broadcasts, but you asked -
I'm glad we have a gearhead on board!

 

[Bullet]

Keep up the good work John!!

 

[Demon]

Welcome John!! Longtime fan of RPM2night when it was on,but glad you're at the drag races now.I'd like to see some pit coverage of the sportsman classes,and since Indy is the next stop,the SS/AH Hemi shootout would be a ideal subject.Maybe a comparison of a street car against a super stock or stock eliminator car,side by side to show the modifications..using a late model Mustang/Camaro/Dakota truck??

 

[farmje]

John,

Welcome to the Mater. I've enjoyed all of your spots on the broadcasts...I especially enjoy the crew chief interviews, and the radio interviews with drivers before, during and after runs. I would love to see more of that. (Although I don't know how much control you have over that...)

Great job and thanks for asking us what we'd like to have. That is very much appreciated.

 

[willy]

Awesome to have you here, John.

Since you are involved with NASCAR & NHRA..you have a sweet chance to roll in from the mechanical/gearhead side.

Like the entire HP rating of a NASCAR engine is = to ONE cylinder of a T/F engine. I realize drivers play a bigger role and all going 500 miles..but the power comparison is a good start.

Thanks for chiming in..I liked your stuff before you logged in..and I like it even more now.

Thanks for caring!!

 

[Fast Al]

Awesome to have you here, John.

Since you are involved with NASCAR & NHRA..you have a sweet chance to roll in from the mechanical/gearhead side.

Like the entire HP rating of a NASCAR engine is = to ONE cylinder of a T/F engine. I realize drivers play a bigger role and all going 500 miles..but the power comparison is a good start.

Thanks for chiming in..I liked your stuff before you logged in..and I like it even more now.

Thanks for caring!!

Hi John, Glad you found your way over here! I'd love for you to ask some in- depth questions of the pro and sportsmen drivers, concerning their personal sacrifices that they made to get to the point where they are now. I know that a lot of folks have gone thru relationships, bank accounts, and business's to stay in this game. I think it would be interesting to know how much, so many have "invested", and would they do it again for that "perfect run", most rewarding win, etc. (2) How long do they intend to keep at it?
Thanks for asking, al cacioppo
BTW, your doing a great job!

 

[Randy]

Welcome John. It's great to have a quality reporter such as yourself added to the ESPN crew. I would like to continue to see behind the scenes stories such as what goes on between rounds, team strategies, what goes on between events, and, as already mentioned, a story on complete pit set-up and tear-down.

 

[john]

great stuff! thanks for the ideas. we have a lot of airtime to fill this weekend at the us nationals, so maybe we can cover some of the things you have asked for.

the one thing i have learned in the four events i've done this year is that it's tough to get everything in when we are trying to show all the runs. but, i really like the ideas of a time lapse of a team setting up in the pits. i think we may have done this a few years ago, but i'll have to ask reif about it.

i also like the idea of a complete explanation of the thrash that goes on between rounds, but it is one of the wildest things to watch that i've ever seen and i know i couldn't do the explanation justice. what might be really cool is to see if a team would allow one of our little cameras to be set up right above the engine that could do a time lapse of what happens during the 75 minutes between rounds. but, it may make you dizzy! LOL.

thanks again for the input.

 

[hellfirejim]

John, Welcome aboard. I too was a great fan of RPM tonight.

I have a couple of general suggestions.

The first is to remember that the best part of drag racing is the people. There are interesting stories everywhere.

The second is to take a tour of the pits perhaps with a a golf car and when you see an interesting car stop and talk with the owner. It wouldn't matter what type of car it was because as you well know there is an amazing amount of different cars around. You could call it "Krusin with Kernan".

Thanks for caring.

jim

 

[merc49]

Just surprise me! Opps, you already did that by coming to the Mater and asking our opinions! I can't wait to see what you do next! I've been a fan of yours since the rpm2nite days too! You are a great addition the the espn2/NHRA team.

 

[Todd]

Welcome to the mater John. It's cool that you chose to come here to ask some "hard core" fans. I think the people that are on here are some great examples of fans that are a little more than just your "casual" fan. So this is a great place for you to get some ideas on what the true fans would like to see.

I agree with the "RPM 2night" show. I still miss that. I would record every one in case I worked late and missed it.

I also agree with lots of posts here. I'd love to see a team "NOT one of the big ones" Perhaps Wilkerson or a Stanfield. It would be great to see what they do to get to the races and prepare. Heck Yates drives his own truck. Hit the road with him. Between races. I'll do it......

But never the less it's great seeing you on the NHRA side of things. I'd love to see a Sirus radio show about drag racing.

Did you happen to visit the ZOO while you were at Brainerd? What did you

think?

WELCOME

 

[DLB]

John - welcome to the Mater - and you're a very pleasant welcome to the NHRA broadcast!

I like Jim Young's suggestion's, but, like he said, they may be borderline hardcore.

I have honestly kind of always wondered about the behind the scenes stuff that nobody (much) gets to see. I am sure its nothing spectacular - but I think it'd be cool bit by bit to see the stuff like up in the broadcast tower over the track and just who exactly is running around where and when.

I know it's amazing sometimes who you see in who's pit, and who is getting information from who, and I am not necessarily talking about spilling that, but just giving some insight on the goings on behind the scenes sort of.

So get it started next week. "Inside Indy - A special behind the scenes look at the Big Go."

DLB

 

[Bobby]

Now to the meat of my post: what types of information do you want when we, the pit reporters, do our little bits prior to someone's pass? It would be really helpful to me to find out what the drag racing fans would like to know. I know what I think might be important, but as a newbie, I would like to know what the veteran viewers want.

Thanks again and I really appreciate everyone's support!
John Kernan (the new kid)

John, great to see you using the forum this way . I remember you on the trackforum boards (or was it the indystar forums) back when rpm2nite was on.
A great show that I miss by the way....

maybe now that espn is back in the nascar graces that could return?

I saw the 'nascar in prime time' special last week. That's the way to promote a series isnt' it. I have no doubt that our drag racing characters would be just as entertaining. probably more so....Something like that would be killer.


Thanks,
Bob

 

[Rajunz]

Hi John, it's wonderful to see that you are a TRUE Drag Fan, and it's great to have you back on the broadcasts.

Jim Head mentioned a few races back how he modified his seat to help his back problems and suggested that others should do the same. Can you perhaps do an interview with him and show us what he did? Also I think it would be great to latch on to a different team for an entire event and report on their weekend. Sort of like the National Dragster Scrapbooks where the sportsman racers post pictures and tell a story on their race weekends.

Thanks again for asking for our input.

-Lance

 

[nick name]

I'd love to see a team "NOT one of the big ones" Perhaps Wilkerson or a Stanfield. It would be great to see what they do to get to the races and prepare. Heck Yates drives his own truck.

Great point.

I gained a bunch of respect for Jim Yates at Brainerd as I watched him and most of his family washing the rig in the blazing sun. Here's a guy who is a two-time world champion, had one of the greatest sponsorships ever (Joe Gibbs / McDonalds) and yet he wants it so bad he's doing it without the big bucks, big crews, etc. Remarkable.

And much the same could be said for Stanfield. He and his brother along with Mike Elliott do almost everything - yet are known to knock heads with the teams that have ten times the resources and staff.

Not to take anything away from the teams that are good enough marketers to land a top shelf deal, but the two examples above are the essence of drag racing as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Dave]

John
Add me to the list of big time RPM Tonight fans. How about a story or series of stories on what goes into a nitro "tuneup". How head gaskets and pistons affect compression. Air and fuel mix. Clutch timing ...... Thanks for being part of the show.