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Can I answer with another question?
Did Cory replace "Ace" because of his age?

That was exactly the case, as for the 90's and watching for records to get broken. That is very true, but let's remember less than half of the races were Televised then! And sometimes 2 weeks later, I bet if only "Big" races made it on the tube, the ratings for those races would jump!
 
Can I answer with another question?
Did Cory replace "Ace" because of his age?

I was 8 when that actually happened but my idea of that was that Cory brought youth and better marketability to the table. Either way it's safe to say that and correct me if i am wrong, Cory got a big time driving job replacing ace using the exact same tactics that spencer used to replace cory?
 
I was 8 when that actually happened but my idea of that was that Cory brought youth and better marketability to the table. Either way it's safe to say that and correct me if i am wrong, Cory got a big time driving job replacing ace using the exact same tactics that spencer used to replace cory?

Not exactly the same tactics. Spencer brought a large sack of cash to the table. The same person who provided a small sack of cash to Snake for Spencer sent a larger sack of cash to DS. Cory may or may not have been replaced bacause of marketability but Spencer got the job because he bought it.
 
The difference is this....
Back then during th golden years, the records were always up for grabs. E.T., speed.. You name it, we went and we saw records tumble at the technology grew. Everybody couldn't wait to see what Eddie Hill would run at Ennis, or what record Kenny would break at the Reading race, or what crazy numer Prock would pull out of the hat for Cory.
Now, there aren't any of those records to chase, but rather the new, stand-in "fake" BS records like 1000' E.T. and speed.
It's all so hysterically moot to those who were apart of the NHRA back then, so the question is this, what are we tuning in to see?.

Unfortunatly, it's not the NHRA's fault that technology passed right by and with that, the ability to contain it safely, but it is their fault for not preparing for it earlier in track safety and maintaining a safe 1,340 race by slowing things down a little sooner with the cars. The NHRA liked feeding that performance animal, it was good for ratings and the product was spectacular to say the least.
So like General Motors finances, one day, the NHRA's safety "performace" bill (at the cost of lives) comes due, and here we are...
Kind of an impossible situation to fix, I think.

george, what a great summation of the last 30 or so years of nhra;
somewhere in your two paragraphs indirectly lies the answers to the
majority of the questions & topics asked and discussed on this website.

can't imagine any organization in nhra's position (ever increasing et's
and mph's) being proactive during such a prosperous run; human nature
now forces them to be reactive and i agree; what is the object of
the exercise now?.......my argument is still to be creative with the nat. events,
move away from 22 identical races.........and go find another l. vaughn
or d. brittsant to be Ms. Full Throttle
 
That was exactly the case, as for the 90's and watching for records to get broken. That is very true, but let's remember less than half of the races were Televised then! And sometimes 2 weeks later, I bet if only "Big" races made it on the tube, the ratings for those races would jump!

Uh, I am pretty sure since 1988 every race has been televised. They didn't have coverage of force's first win in 87 at Montreal. But I can assure you every race from the 90s were televised, and I have the majority of them on VHS to prove it. The only ones that were delayed in the mid 90's were on ABC or NBC and they were usually delayed a week at best. Otherwise it was same-day coverage, live, or monday night primetime.
 
Uh, I am pretty sure since 1988 every race has been televised. They didn't have coverage of force's first win in 87 at Montreal. But I can assure you every race from the 90s were televised, and I have the majority of them on VHS to prove it. The only ones that were delayed in the mid 90's were on ABC or NBC and they were usually delayed a week at best. Otherwise it was same-day coverage, live, or monday night primetime.

Topeka 1990 wasn't, that was the race Gary Ormsby went 296, thus panicking NHRA into the 3.20 gear rule!
 
Topeka 1990 wasn't, that was the race Gary Ormsby went 296, thus panicking NHRA into the 3.20 gear rule!

He also broke the 4.8 second barrier with a 4.88, but didn't back it up for the record. However i thought the gear rule was put in place for the 1990 season after Connie Kalitta broke the 290 barrier. Either way the gear rule didn't slow them for long. I wonder why a similar rule couldn't be enacted now. I know everyone has special purpose built rear ends but they can sell them to the australian teams that would be allowed to use them. It's also nice that they still run a full quarter mile in australia and they aren't losing any drivers.
 
He also broke the 4.8 second barrier with a 4.88, but didn't back it up for the record. However i thought the gear rule was put in place for the 1990 season after Connie Kalitta broke the 290 barrier. Either way the gear rule didn't slow them for long. I wonder why a similar rule couldn't be enacted now. I know everyone has special purpose built rear ends but they can sell them to the australian teams that would be allowed to use them. It's also nice that they still run a full quarter mile in australia and they aren't losing any drivers.

No the 3.20 Gear rule went into effect in 1991! It kicked them in the ass for awhile, Prudhomme had Top Speed at the 1991 Winter's at just 276! Ironically Joe Pisano's FC ran 284! I had never seen such a speed disparity like that at any race since!
 
A few things need to happen before the NHRA stops taking on water.
.
First, the NHRA needs to take a look into the stands and look the the TV ratings because the fans are the final judge. They are the final judge because the FANS buy the products that our drying sponsorship pool sells in order to fund this sport. Sponsorship money NEVER dries up if it is a good advertising investment and a solid vehicle to sell product.

A couple of sayings come to mind here.
"If you find yourself in a hole... Quit digging".
I think C.K. Spurlock also said at the time when his son was driving, "It's show business.., If there's no show, then there's no business"
I think AJ, Head, and probably all the rest of the teams prefer running 1000', especially AJ because he is on record saying that 1,000' falls right into his sweet spot. I think the first thing NHRA needs to do is forget what the teams want, and start looking at what sells to the fans, and eventually attracts sponsors back to the sport. I can tell you that nobody, NOBODY wants to see a 3 second drag race, and the casual fan thinks it's a joke on TV.
Maybe AJ and company love it, but someday I would have to assume the Sheik, while supporting a large portion of the nitro classes lately, might tire of the sport, and find a new thing that men in his unlimited position do to keep themselves occupied and entertained, and that will be that. He'll be looking for a traditional corporate sponsor, and unless there is a show, there is no business....

Job 1 is simple, re-create fan interest in order to survive, and make this a better show on TV. Again, just look at history to see the future. Study "American Sports Cavalcade" for pointers of how to get it done...
I don't know a thing about tuning Nitro, or how slight tweaks affects parts, but here is my perspective in "a perfect world".

1.Personally, I think the NHRA needs to be looking at 1,320 racing by no later than 2013.

2.They need to dump the current funny car (COT) bodies in favor of stock factory lines so they look like cars instead of poly wrapped bubbles.
Just look at the nostalgia circuit for direction. Look at the new Nationwide cars. Re-create the factory wars by actually recreating the factory look.

3.The engine power needs to be reduced in order to get back to acceptable speeds at 1,320, and no I don't want to hear from any single team that 1,000 is better, because it's only better for them and not the sport.. There are many approaches available. Pick one that allows the independent to compete. Where "wins" are based on race day tuning, instead of cubic blocking.

4. Limit ownership to a maximum of two cars. Multiple car owners per class maintain too much power and control over the race, the cars, that those who want to participate. Personally, I would rather see one, which opens up the field for more independents to have a chance to qualify and make their travel expenses. If a man has an actual shot, and I think we can safely say there currently isn't one with the current ownership fields, he/she will build a car to participate. If not...well you see where we are at in 2011. The days of 25 nitro cars per class are long gone.

IMHO, and no disrespect, but what John Force is doing to the class with all of his kids is a NOT good for the long term health of the NHRA, and will eventually kill the class for the independent. I think the NHRA is equally irresponsibility for putting all of it's eggs into the "team" basket instead of fostering indepentent baskets.. Personally, and with all due respect for the girls, I won't to pay for a ticket to see Ashley and Courtney race FC. To me personally, I just think it stinks to high heaven of Nepotism, and I think it's a turn off to fans who naturally love to pull for the underdog. You know, the "little" guy who is laying it all out there to compete with John Forces's kids, along with Robert....
The world loved the Trevor Bayne story, not the Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr. story...
If the girls want to race, and who are we to tell them they can't because they are JFR's daughters, think the TF class is a better overall fit for everyone involved as long as the Force cars are limited to two of the sixteen TF spots. It's an unfair rap to be the Boss's kid, But, I truly think TF is a place where the girls either sink or swim, and EARN their respect rightfully from the fans, and not under a father's guarded protection and block..
I want to re-lay the groundwork to see more independents who just can't buy an easy seat from FC seat brokers like DSR. Owning multiple cars makes this "broker" and blocking business possible. There is just something wrong when you create an avenue for an owner to sell multiple seats along with qualifying spots to the highest bidder. It may be capitolistic and legal, but is it right for the fans and the health of the NHRA? It also forces everyone to either buy another blocker car of their own to compete, or lose the odds of bringing home a championship. It may work in Nascar, but I believe it just doesn't work for the NHRA fan.

I think the human stories like Whit, Al, Jerry Caminito, Gary Densham, Chuck Etchell, and just about any golden era car owner are what fans like to see have the opportunity to play out today, and not about how Massey ponied up the cash to buy the seat for 2011. If you limit car ownership, it will open the door for the eventual new breed of independent.
Taking one step back will propel the sport two feet forward.

I am sure there are many more fine ideas, and my ideas may not even be possible considering the damage done, so I'll step aside and read what follows.
 
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Those are all valid ideas and well worth considering. I only see one possible problem with whatever is done and that is the idea of more competitors. I seriously doubt that we will ever see much more in the way of independent teams. Limit Force racing and DSR to two cars and I believe all that will happen is there will be 3 or 4 less funny cars trying to qualify. Not saying it's not worth a try because something must be done to improve the quality of the show just not sure that's it.

With just a couple of exceptions driving nitro cars has become a rich man's fraternity and most of today's drivers act like spoiled rich guys. I find it amazing that today's driver has a golf handicap of 2 and a stock broker instead of a job at the local chevrolet dealership. Many of today's drivers need to go back home and leave drag racing to guys with desire burning in the pit of their stomach. We need drivers with some character that we can idenitify with.

I do like the idea of getting back to basics. Slower times and vehicles we can identify. Full quarter mile racing and get rid of the marginal tracks, I don't care where it is and what history it has if it can't be brought up to safety standards kiss it goodby.
 
George, you and I both know NHRA won't change a thing till it has too! Second the crowds in the stands i.e. The Shots on the television shows can be be very misleading! We all know what the stands look like when the Fuel cars are finished, one shot of that on the TV show and John and Jane Doe thinks "Wow there is nobody there". One thing that still gets me, is we Drag racing fans seem to have the need to feel validated! Like unless ESPN gives Drag racing more coverage, then the sport must be a joke!!

How many of you have a better experience at the track when there is 30,000 people, as opposed to if say 10-12,000 show up???
 
I don't agree with everything in George's post but I think a lot of it deserves serious consideration.

I just don't see the current NHRA management as being the kind of guys that are proactively discussing concepts like the ones George proposed to try to figure out which ones make sense and then figure out the best way to put them in place.

To me they are purely just acting reactively now, only making moves when forced by circumstances but not seeing ahead to make proactive moves that would avoid some of the problems the NHRA has been facing.

I feel they are just circling the wagons to preserve their inbred "private club" of full control over the NHRA. As I've posted on previously I don't think they deserve or have full legal rights to this "run it like we own it" (they don't) death grip they currently exercise on the NHRA.

Meanwhile under their control I feel like the ship is just wandering around aimlessly and slowly sinking. I actually believe that eventually enough water is going to be coming into the ship that the teams and members will finally become motivated to band together and do something about it.

I wish they felt that way already but I think its inevitable that it will happen eventually, hopefully we're not sitting on the bottom of the ocean by then.
 
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I think Georges' post hits the nail right on the head. People on this site are jaded in their thoughts (and I used to be one) that NHRA is healthy. No matter what anyone says the facts are that everything regarding NHRA is in a downward trend. Yes, the ecoonomy is tough, and NHRA needs to get creative to keep the fans coming, and in my opinion has failed miserably. The IHRA takes alot of flack by the NHRA fans, but their attendance is on the rise. While I am not a huge fan of the format if the show was in town I would pony up the $25.00 and check it out. Young fans show up to those events, and percentage wise I would guess blows away the youngsters at an NHRA national race. The NHRA marketing department would be well served taking a page from that format. What would be wrong with offering family tickets or discounted prices for a Friday or Saturday evening show to see final round pro qualifying and end the show with some jets, fuel alterds and /or nostalgia cars, wheelstanders, fireworks etc.. Say after 4:pM families of 4 enter for X amount of $, start the big show (final qualifying and exhibitions) at 5:pM and have it wrapped up by 8. The hardcore fan is satisfied as well as the possible new fan. The team format does'nt bother me that much, but the cars absolutely need to be scaled back, and 1000 ft. racing abolished (as George said 3 second runs are ridiculous). Looking outside of the racing arena could help reverse the dwindling fan base. The LA Angels would be a prime example. They understand the tough economy and are very creative to fill the stadium. They find sponsors that will cover "giveaways" on weeknight games, and you will rarely find an Angel game with less than 40,000 in attendance (and capacity is 44,000). We went to a game a couple weeks back on a Tuesday night against Cleveland. Yokohama sponsored a blanket giveaway and guess what--Sellout. Upper level tickets are regularly sold for $5 on weeknight non-pemium games. They also have value priced souveniers (you can get a Halo hat for $7). They realize that in this day and age you CANNOT ask for the same $$ and give less. NHRA continues to offer the fan less (cars, track etc....) yet wants to charge the same $$$. I have not attended a single national event since 2007 (after attending over 150), and contrary to some on here believe there are thousands more just like me. The shows are stale, and as George said one step back could re-elevate the sport. The NHRA needs to get a backbone and quit letting a few of the "upper-echelon" teams dictate rules before it's too late.
 
I sure hope the NHRA brass or whoever reads all this stuff. Right or wrong they need to at least look at it. If drag racing goes down so do the big sponsors and that slope will be very steep downward. I hope someone at NHRA puts the kool-aid down long enough to make some positive changes. As stated IHRA is on the move but they have a very steep upward climb, but you never know.
 
A couple people have said top end interviews are lacking these days. Well from watching old races i can come up with a few reasons for that. First is the win light. No need to have someone get out asking who won? No more surprise.. "i sure hope you saw that red light" interviews. The other thing that goes hand in hand with that is the on board radios. Not only do they know if they won or lost but they get the ets recapped in the shut down area. No more climbing out hearing about a new record or holeshot win. Not that there are many new records anymore... Lastly is the amount of people at the top end. You watch some of these old races and its the driver and steve evans and thats it. Now they are being pushed and pulled all over, safety equipment yanked off, given a hat and a full throttle drink (which tastes like ****. I dont know how they can stand to chug one on camera), and a sponsor hat. If they win they are told where to turn and when to hold up the trophy or give a thumbs up. Plus by that time the crew has made it down there and are taking the car or trying to talk to the driver. Of course they are emotionless.. They dont have a chance to get any out. I dont recall drivers getting out back in the day and lighting a smoke going "man, the only thing smoother than that pass is this winston cigarette." But that all stems back from this being a business now, not a sport or a show.
 
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