ANY COMMENTS?
Below is an email I sent to NHRA in October 2007. I would like to hear your ideas on this.
Is it time to rethink NHRA drag racing as we have known it for over the past 50 plus years?
My idea is simple. Divide all events into two categories. Those that use gasoline (we will call this the Coca-Cola series for now) and those that use fuel, the POWERade series. The races would be held different weekends, at various times of the year. All tracks do not have to run both events. Some events like Indianapolis would hold both series the same weekend. Other tracks might hold one series in the spring and the other in the fall, or you
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could run events at consecutive weekends with the Coca-Cola series building up coverage for the POWERade series.
The Coca-Cola series would include what is known today as Pro Stock and Pro Motorcycle and could include a revived Pro Truck category and all the sportsmen series plus the sports compact series. With the additional pit space now available, all of those that want to participate would now be able to. As I understand it under the present format, there are more constants than space and time available. A hot rod and custom car shows would be part of this event. This series would be ideal to bring new sponsors into drag racing as the cost of participation would be less. This would be another event to sell to ESPN/ESPN2. General admission prices would be lower for the Coca-Cola series as all costs will be lower for this event.
The POWERade series would include pro dragster and pro funny car, plus nitro motorcycles, an expanded pro modified field, alcohol dragster and funny cars, fuel altered, and newstalgia cars. A hot rod and custom car show could also be a part of this event. The total time of this show would be less than the 5 hours now and which is all important in competing for today's entertainment dollar.
I do not have the benefit of seeing the actual income and expenses of an event, but believe that my assumption are correct with the information I have at hand.
Looking forward to your comments.
Ron Pellegrini
Below is an email I sent to NHRA in October 2007. I would like to hear your ideas on this.
Is it time to rethink NHRA drag racing as we have known it for over the past 50 plus years?
My idea is simple. Divide all events into two categories. Those that use gasoline (we will call this the Coca-Cola series for now) and those that use fuel, the POWERade series. The races would be held different weekends, at various times of the year. All tracks do not have to run both events. Some events like Indianapolis would hold both series the same weekend. Other tracks might hold one series in the spring and the other in the fall, or you
ADVERTISEMENT
could run events at consecutive weekends with the Coca-Cola series building up coverage for the POWERade series.
The Coca-Cola series would include what is known today as Pro Stock and Pro Motorcycle and could include a revived Pro Truck category and all the sportsmen series plus the sports compact series. With the additional pit space now available, all of those that want to participate would now be able to. As I understand it under the present format, there are more constants than space and time available. A hot rod and custom car shows would be part of this event. This series would be ideal to bring new sponsors into drag racing as the cost of participation would be less. This would be another event to sell to ESPN/ESPN2. General admission prices would be lower for the Coca-Cola series as all costs will be lower for this event.
The POWERade series would include pro dragster and pro funny car, plus nitro motorcycles, an expanded pro modified field, alcohol dragster and funny cars, fuel altered, and newstalgia cars. A hot rod and custom car show could also be a part of this event. The total time of this show would be less than the 5 hours now and which is all important in competing for today's entertainment dollar.
I do not have the benefit of seeing the actual income and expenses of an event, but believe that my assumption are correct with the information I have at hand.
Looking forward to your comments.
Ron Pellegrini
