Nhra Hires Pr Firm.... (2 Viewers)

[Tim5636sc]

From Competitionplus.com

Drag Racing Internet Magazine - Torco Racing Fuel's Competition Plus.com - NHRA OUTSOURCES PR WORK

So, NHRA has hired an outside firm to do it's PR for it, and did not consult me first??? What are the chances that they will do the same to run the President's office and Competition Dept???? I think somebody earlier had a great article about this... JON ASHER'S ARTICLE

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Is the main reason for this move to promote the NHRA into a larger market-share of sponsorship opportunities, racer relations or is this simply for damage control?

My mother always told me before I go out and save the world, I'd better make sure my bed was made and room was clean first.

I'm not a professional racer but I believe there are restless natives within those ranks having valid questions awaiting answers. Wouldn't it be wisest to deal with their concerns first?

 

[Larry]

Doc in reference to that last line , this is NHRA after all.

Maybe they need new slogans for Top Alcohol for next year?
You can never tell when you are depending on foreigners to supply your lifeblood.

 

[Darryl]

You can never tell when you are depending on foreigners to supply your lifeblood.

Tell THAT to the rest of this country, and while you're about it ask if my job has returned from India yet!

 

[Jim]

Is the main reason for this move to promote the NHRA into a larger market-share of sponsorship opportunities, racer relations or is this simply for damage control?

Looks to me like they are trying to do what NASCAR did by getting help bringing drag racing to the general public and not talk to just existing fans. NASCAR started taking off when the average person started to know who Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon are.

Jim

 

[Triple Nickel II]

Looks to me like they are trying to do what NASCAR did by getting help bringing drag racing to the general public and not talk to just existing fans.

NASCAR went mainstream on that fateful February afternoon where most of the eastern and central US were snowed in and the first live, network telecast of the Daytona 500 ended with a Bobby Allison / Cale Yarborough brawl.

Although it would be entertaining to see Don Shumacher or a group of fans kick some NHRA suit's a$$, it would never happen on live TV, much less in front of a crowd of more than a few thousand viewers.

 

[willy]

Looks to me like they are trying to do what NASCAR did by getting help bringing drag racing to the general public and not talk to just existing fans. NASCAR started taking off when the average person started to know who Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon are.

Jim

NASCAR has had a die-hard following since Petty. It went from a profitable endeavor to the gold mine after Jeff & LIl Dale.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Although it would be entertaining to see Don Shumacher or a group of fans kick some NHRA suit's a$$, it would never happen on live TV, much less in front of a crowd of more than a few thousand viewers.

That's what I thought until Mr. Light staged a press conference smack dab in the middle of an ongoing National Event broadcast to announce to the world that Shoe was being fined $100 Grand. It was nothing short of embarrassing for the entire organization. They need a bit more than a PR firm just to correct their continued stream of blunders. Can you imagine how they will look later this year when they actually do run out of Nitormethane on the way to their latest version of the countdown?

It's only my opinion but Ron Capps was dead on when he stated that Larry Morgan was the only one who would profit from this latest debacle selling shirts. I want a dozen today! XX-LL please.

 

[Jim]

NASCAR went mainstream on that fateful February afternoon where most of the eastern and central US were snowed in and the first live, network telecast of the Daytona 500 ended with a Bobby Allison / Cale Yarborough brawl.

I know that NASCAR likes to point to that fight, but the truth is that NASCAR did not make its biggest gains until it started a large PR effort to market the drivers to people who were not racing fans.

NASCAR really took off when the soccer moms began to know who Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon are. And as much as it pains the traditionalists to admit it, Jeff Gordon was the first driver to have widespread awareness in the mainstream marketplace.

There is no reason that Edelman can't do the same for NHRA buy using some of the young drivers in the series. In addition, NHRA has something that NASCAR has never head: diversity. NHRA has the drivers that a good PR firm can use to appeal to men, women, blacks, whites, Hispanics, etc.

There's a lot to work with and they now have a good firm to do it.

Jim

 

[Jim]

NASCAR has had a die-hard following since Petty. It went from a profitable endeavor to the gold mine after Jeff & LIl Dale.

Absolutely correct. I forgot to mention Junior.

Jim

 

[cephus]

All the PR in the world can't fix stupid

In Bama with the Boyz

 

[stanman]

... racer relations or is this simply for damage control?

They better have hired the greatest PR firm of all time to deal with the sentiment in the Sportsman pits right now. But we all know that's not what this is about.

The average fan may not care but the Hughes disqualification is starting to look like a ground swell of monumental proportions.

 

[stanman]

BTW...

Nascar's beginning to rise to the top coincided with the arrival of Jeff Gordon and the original ESPN contract.

 

[Nunz]

I'm with Doc on this. While I think it's great to put out a bigger effort regarding PR, for the moment I think it's more important that NHRA gets it's house in order before attracting new people to take a look. NHRA has a tremendous base to build from, unfortunately they are making some real bad judgement calls, and many issues can really be fixed easily, but it never seems to happen that way with these guys. With all the good things that have happened recently, such as female winners, Ashley Force on Leno and everywhere else, Antron making a splash in the nitro scene, some new sponsors like the energy drinks and Dunn's Canidae deal, Dunkin' Donuts testing the waters, new Bruton track, interest from Nascar guys (with Bob V.) and much more, it seems NHRA somehow manages to screw it all up. Instead of making good business calls, and leveraging all the good we have going on, it really seems that the NHRA is on a mission of self-sabotage.

 

[Rich]

BTW...

Nascar's beginning to rise to the top coincided with the arrival of Jeff Gordon and the original ESPN contract.

Those things also came when there was yet another baseball strike and at a time when the open wheel series split. A television contract and good marketing helped, but NASCAR was also in the right place at the right time. For instance, I personally know several former baseball fans who only started watching NASCAR after becoming disgusted with the problems in Major League Baseball.

 

[clwill]

Compared to all the drivers that preceded him, Jeff Gordon was smart, charming, well-spoken, and, perhaps most importantly, very attractive to the ladies. He made it easy for the PR firms to push, and women became interested in the sport because of him. He greatly broadened the market for NASCAR, and we started seeing nontraditional sponsors like Tide, Clorox, and M&Ms.

We're seeing the same thing with Danica in open wheel, the PR people are pushing her to the hilt. And it's bringing new people and probably new sponsors to the sport.

With any luck a good PR firm can do all this and much more with people like Ashley, Melanie, Hillary, and so on. And I am excited to see Sony and other nontraditional companies coming into NHRA. Maybe we'll see much more of that with this new PR firm. We can only hope.

 

[Tony]

I don't know why the NHRA is wasting time and money hiring a PR firm, all they really need to do is read the Mater every day because all the experts are here in one place!

 

[jim]

Larry Morgan was the only one who would profit from this latest debacle selling shirts. I want a dozen today! XX-LL please.

Oh God. LOL. Does Larry have his own web site? I can't remember where the last round of t-shirts were offered.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Oh God. LOL. Does Larry have his own web site? I can't remember where the last round of t-shirts were offered.

Sorry Jim,
NHRA mandated a cease and desist order on the production and sale of the infamous "You can't fix stupid!" shirts. I'm considering printing some however. We've done others to make a point:

 

[jim]

I cancelled my shirt order last year when I got to thinking about wearing it around the Mile High Nats, so I don't know why I think I would wear one this year either. I'm a lot tougher guy when I'm home alone!