Ratings down for NHRA/ESPN2 show

[Super Mod]

Mike, you can talk about fill in's, leakers, boomers and whatever other name that comes vibrating from your butt cheeks, but the facts remain. The stands empty when pro stock comes to the line and the fast forward buttons are pressed at home.

I like Asher and Cook's ideas, run them on Saturday or revamp the class.

Yeah, only if they danced all over the real estate like back in the sixties or spewed a few parts while traversing the quarter. Oh that's right............... those turbo cars do that now.

I think buttcheeks has a point. If you can't make a decent clean run in TF qualifying, why should they be let in as mere cannon-fodder.

 

[vegasnitro]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

I agree completely. I watched a few of those NOPI sport compact races on TV and it was one of the most immature shows I've seen. Gang bangers in the background flashing their gang signs, guys wearing pants 10 sizes too big, goofy looking hair styles, gross looking piercings and tattoos, etc. The interviews with the racers were even worse. Talk about a lack of education. There was no doubt they were targeting the viewing public with an IQ under 30. If this show was the first exposure to drag racing a person had, they would think that drag racing was for idiots. Putting distance between sport compact racing and NHRA drag racing was the best thing NHRA has ever done.

Way back when drag racing started, they said all the same things you are saying about people who are now heroes. Only punks, hoods and no good tuffs drag raced. Now quite a few of them are in various halls of fame.

All of the sweeping and narrow generalizations that were made in the post above could be made about the X-Games, the NBA, the NFL, MLB, UFC, and any other activity where the majority of competitors or performers are under 35. This is another problem with an aging demographic ... they get stuck in that "back in my day" mode and are resistant to change. I guess if you don't have a buzzcut or a ducktail, wear a black leather jacket with a white TShirt and blue jeans you can't be a "real" drag racer.

I will bet you dollars to donuts you do not care that the Left Tackle on your favorite football team, college or pro, has both arms sleeved with tats as long as he can protect your QBs blind side.

People in Denver don't seem to mind that their power forward has a multi-color mohawk with many tats as long as he keeps getting Chauncey and Melo's rebounds (both of which have numerous tats).

BUT ... if a guy pulls through the gates at a NHRA event with a modern car, with modern technology and wants to compete ... well then that is the end of modern civilization because his pants are baggy? Give me a effin break ...

 

[T.Smith]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

Way back when drag racing started, they said all the same things you are saying about people who are now heroes. Only punks, hoods and no good tuffs drag raced. Now quite a few of them are in various halls of fame.

All of the sweeping and narrow generalizations that were made in the post above could be made about the X-Games, the NBA, the NFL, MLB, UFC, and any other activity where the majority of competitors or performers are under 35. This is another problem with an aging demographic ... they get stuck in that "back in my day" mode and are resistant to change. I guess if you don't have a buzzcut or a ducktail, wear a black leather jacket with a white TShirt and blue jeans you can't be a "real" drag racer.

I will bet you dollars to donuts you do not care that the Left Tackle on your favorite football team, college or pro, has both arms sleeved with tats as long as he can protect your QBs blind side.

People in Denver don't seem to mind that their power forward has a multi-color mohawk with many tats as long as he keeps getting Chauncey and Melo's rebounds (both of which have numerous tats).

BUT ... if a guy pulls through the gates at a NHRA event with a modern car, with modern technology and wants to compete ... well then that is the end of modern civilization because his pants are baggy? Give me a effin break ...

Nominee for post of the year.

 

[d'kid]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

Nominee for post of the year.

I agree, and add one more thing...
'Race The Strip, Not The Street'

Guess what's racing on the street. The same 'rice rockets' and kids that are being 'dis'd' . Those are the cars that should be running in Stock, Super Stock, and Pro Stock.

Live What You Preach NHRA, Live What You Preach.

Rant over

d'kid

 

[Rajunz]

................Why are the ratings down? How about this is becoming more and more a driver/personality driven sport? No Tommy Johnson Jr., no Melanie Troxel, no Hillary Will, Rod Fuller, Angelle Sampey, Whit Bazemore, etc., etc., and so on and so forth. People can't watch who they want to watch so they don't watch. :/

This is the right answer. NASCAR grew enormously once people had someone to boo, and someone to root for!

 

[rocketman]

I haven't read all the posts here and no matter what I say will upset someone, but I'll tell you why I think the ratings are in the tank. The show is way to long period. It's not the personalities as I think Page does a professional job along with Dunn. But the length of the show is the problem.

It's just way to long to sit down and devote that much time too. How many people will sit down on a sunny sunday afternoon inside the house and watch a three hour show other than a few of you? Plus if you have other family members wanting to watch their show, they won't want to wait while you have the TV wrapped up for 3 hours.

Here's what I would do: Limit the bikes to the semis cut pro stock back to the semis. Start top fuel and funny car in the second round and show notable highlights from the first round.

Cut out all the so called funny stuff and gags and make it a 1.5 hour action packed show. I remember getting 20 minutes on ABC and even though it wasn't enough it was something I would make time to watch.

 

[nitrofishblue]

It is a two-fold problem for me. My favorites drivers are missing; Melanie, Hillary, Angelle, JR, and for the first part of the season Hot Rod.

Also, I can't stay up to watch when the show starts any time after 9:00pm. I get up at 3:30am for work. I just wish there was one consistant time for the shows rather than leapfrogging all over the times.

I don't have a dvr since I can't afford the extra cost. All my pennies go into my high speed internet connection that I HAVE to have so I can complete certain projects. The pocketbook is on the lean side with no spare pennies anywhere.

I do follow the action over the internet broadcast which has been great for me.

 

[4g63rwd]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

I agree completely. I watched a few of those NOPI sport compact races on TV and it was one of the most immature shows I've seen. Gang bangers in the background flashing their gang signs, guys wearing pants 10 sizes too big, goofy looking hair styles, gross looking piercings and tattoos, etc. The interviews with the racers were even worse. Talk about a lack of education. There was no doubt they were targeting the viewing public with an IQ under 30. If this show was the first exposure to drag racing a person had, they would think that drag racing was for idiots. Putting distance between sport compact racing and NHRA drag racing was the best thing NHRA has ever done.

Talk about dumb, sport compact racers don't even know which end of the car to put the slicks on.

1. I don't know any gang bangers. I don't know any gang signs.
2. I will never EVER wear pants that don't fit me. I don't want ANYONE around me with their pants damn near falling off of them. HUGE pet peeve for me!!
3. I've never been interviewed....guess my team is not "cool" enough.
4. My hair is very plain. Simple everyday cut with nothing fancy at all.
5. I don't have any piercings or tattoos. (I'm scared of needles!!)
6. I'm pretty well educated, thank you. Been to college, got out.
7. I'm one of the people who is against Sport Compact being broadcast and mainstreamed and put on display like it was.
8. I was never in favor of NHRA being involved with Import racing.
9. I have 2 racecars: one with the slicks in the "wrong" place (your opinion), and one with them in the "right" place (rear wheel drive). Why does this make me dumb?

With all that being said, why do you generalize all of us who decide not to use a V-8? Maybe my team is not "Pro Stock" professional, but I don't allow anyone on my team to look/act like you described above. I know plenty of people who thought that anyone with a V-8 racecar was a banjo pickin' tobacco chewin' redneck....I took them to some NHRA events, now they're fans for life and their opinions have changed. Posts like one this turn potential fans away.

Edit: The NOPI television shows were the absolute worst 30 minutes of wasted film I've ever seen. It was all about "lifestyle" crap and not at all about the racing, which is what it SHOULD have been about. Those shows were a very bad example of what Import racing is really all about. Those of us who are serious racers (there are quite a few of us) never paid any attention to that garbage. The sad thing is, it put a big spotlight on the "racers" who looked like total asses because that's what they (NOPI) wanted.

 

[nick name]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

1. I don't know any gang bangers. I don't know any gang signs.
2. I will never EVER wear pants that don't fit me. I don't want ANYONE around me with their pants damn near falling off of them. HUGE pet peeve for me!!
3. I've never been interviewed....guess my team is not "cool" enough.
4. My hair is very plain. Simple everyday cut with nothing fancy at all.
5. I don't have any piercings or tattoos. (I'm scared of needles!!)
6. I'm pretty well educated, thank you. Been to college, got out.
7. I'm one of the people who is against Sport Compact being broadcast and mainstreamed and put on display like it was.
8. I was never in favor of NHRA being involved with Import racing.
9. I have 2 racecars: one with the slicks in the "wrong" place (your opinion), and one with them in the "right" place (rear wheel drive). Why does this make me dumb?

With all that being said, why do you generalize all of us who decide not to use a V-8? Maybe my team is not "Pro Stock" professional, but I don't allow anyone on my team to look/act like you described above. I know plenty of people who thought that anyone with a V-8 racecar was a banjo pickin' tobacco chewin' redneck....I took them to some NHRA events, now they're fans for life and their opinions have changed. Posts like one this turn potential fans away.

Edit: The NOPI television shows were the absolute worst 30 minutes of wasted film I've ever seen. It was all about "lifestyle" crap and not at all about the racing, which is what it SHOULD have been about. Those shows were a very bad example of what Import racing is really all about. Those of us who are serious racers (there are quite a few of us) never paid any attention to that garbage. The sad thing is, it put a big spotlight on the "racers" who looked like total asses because that's what they (NOPI) wanted.

That's a sad story you tell, Shawn, since you were the kind of racer we needed a bunch more of.

I haven't found too many Pro Stock fans who aren't interested in the level you've taken high tech to. I think it goes with the territory of being interested in maximum output on gasoline.

Trouble is, not many of the teams were ready for prime time. I don't know if it was a question of finances, skill, or motivation but when the time came to strut their stuff a whole bunch of the imports racers left most of it in the first 330 feet.

It was really too bad since there were some very strong, professionally run cars also in the class but the antics of the leakers ruined it for everyone. In the last couple of years, we've got some Comp racers who are starting to find some consistency and their turbo cars are beginning to be feared by the other competitors.

I once was taken to task for commenting that a session of SC cars at Indy was underwhelming and quickly it was assumed that I had a bias since my background is in carbureted PS cars.

What people didn't know is that I owned a 62 Corvair Spyder in 1966, a turbo GS750 Suzuki in 1980, and a Buick Grand National and GMC Syclone later on. I'm a total fan of the concept, and a total enemy of ill-prepared cars.

Here's hoping you and the rest of the good racers will get another chance somehow.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

I've said this for years: As long as I see each and every car go down the track, I'm happy!

 

[NitroRichFire]

I was at my wife's office party early this year. A group of the husbands of the other women my wife works with, were talking racing. When the racing subject turned to drag racing it was very interesting to hear what these guys were saying since they were NASCAR fans. They simply said "Drag racing use to be the bad boy of all motor sports, there were no limits to what those fuel cars could run, and there's no race car badder than a fuel car. At any moment you might just see a world record, who ever thought these cars would run over 300 mph, but now the record in dragsters is 337 mph and funny car is 334. But since the points change and the shorten length of the race track for the fuel classes, that intensity just isn't there. They took that bad boy element away. After the wreck in E-town, rather then fix the problem which anyone could see, was the boom crane for the camera and concrete retaining walls across the end of the track, they shorten the length of racing"
I was really amaze these guys knew as much about drag racing as they did, after all they were NASCAR fans. I later that night learned they use to go to Reading and Englishtown ever year to get their nitro fix, but since the length of the track issue they have not been back. Now they're reply to slowing the fuel cars down was to change the gearing in the rear ends. If there was a lower gear, the cars would leave slower and take longer to build up speed and the RPMs wouldn't be so high at the finish line. Now I am not a mechanic so I really didn't understand what they were talking about with this gear change as far as slowing down the fuel cars.

 

[vegasnitro]

I've said this for years: As long as I see each and every car go down the track, I'm happy!

In theory Steve, I am 100% with you. For all the complaining I do about the ESPN2 show, it is very cool to see National Event qualifying and eliminations same day fairly extensively covered. My only beef is the problems the show has are relatively easy to fix, and NHRA is paying thru the nose, so why not fix it?

 

[Bullard Anderson]

In theory Steve, I am 100% with you. For all the complaining I do about the ESPN2 show, it is very cool to see National Event qualifying and eliminations same day fairly extensively covered. My only beef is the problems the show has are relatively easy to fix, and NHRA is paying thru the nose, so why not fix it?

I see your point. Maybe there has been a conversation where the ending jab was: "Listen, our TV ppl here know about TV, you know about Super Comp, so let's leave it at that."

Just food for thought.

 

[HEMI6point1]

Re: NHRA TV Ratings

1. I don't know any gang bangers. I don't know any gang signs.
2. I will never EVER wear pants that don't fit me. I don't want ANYONE around me with their pants damn near falling off of them. HUGE pet peeve for me!!
3. I've never been interviewed....guess my team is not "cool" enough.
4. My hair is very plain. Simple everyday cut with nothing fancy at all.
5. I don't have any piercings or tattoos. (I'm scared of needles!!)
6. I'm pretty well educated, thank you. Been to college, got out.
7. I'm one of the people who is against Sport Compact being broadcast and mainstreamed and put on display like it was.
8. I was never in favor of NHRA being involved with Import racing.
9. I have 2 racecars: one with the slicks in the "wrong" place (your opinion), and one with them in the "right" place (rear wheel drive). Why does this make me dumb?

With all that being said, why do you generalize all of us who decide not to use a V-8? Maybe my team is not "Pro Stock" professional, but I don't allow anyone on my team to look/act like you described above. I know plenty of people who thought that anyone with a V-8 racecar was a banjo pickin' tobacco chewin' redneck....I took them to some NHRA events, now they're fans for life and their opinions have changed. Posts like one this turn potential fans away.

Edit: The NOPI television shows were the absolute worst 30 minutes of wasted film I've ever seen. It was all about "lifestyle" crap and not at all about the racing, which is what it SHOULD have been about. Those shows were a very bad example of what Import racing is really all about. Those of us who are serious racers (there are quite a few of us) never paid any attention to that garbage. The sad thing is, it put a big spotlight on the "racers" who looked like total asses because that's what they (NOPI) wanted.

I think the issue here is that there are import tuners and racers that know how to do things right and the "ricer boys" that are giving them a bad name. You know who they are: the idiots who think that by putting a fart cannon and massive wing on their Civic DX it makes it a hot rod. Not to mention 50 decals.

At least you guys know how to make an import go fast.

That said, I still think front wheel drive is wrong wheel drive.

 

[Gilles]

Ratings are down because people like me could give a **** anymore.

 

[PJ]

Ratings are down because people like me could give a **** anymore.

Holy crap a Jerry sighting....has the man, they myth, the legend returned.

 

[MW]

Ratings are down because people like me could give a **** anymore.

I hear ya!! , but as Jim Head said "we won't be missed". I guess time will tell.

 

[Gilles]

Holy crap a Jerry sighting....has the man, they myth, the legend returned.

Just for a minute

 

[90-percent]

that new young fellow in PS Bike Doug Horne comes off great on TV. the dude has a star kind of quality and charisma about him and I can see Doug bringing in lots of new YOUNG PEOPLE into the living rooms of America.

Identification was always a big thing in solving the problem of: "How do you grow a drag racing fan base". That was always the argument back in the mid to late 60's about why Funny cars were almost instantly more popular than fuel dragsters of the era. Fans could see a facsimile of their car racing nitro and could imagine themselves driving the race car! The average person could not identify with the not-of-this-earth quality of mid 60's dragsters.

So, I don't think the youngsters can identify with the aging demographics of most Pro Drag Racers. But they could connect with a guy like Horne. He looks like he'd fit right in to any category of X-games or what ever else the kids are in to these days.

I think the TV folks kind of know this as they do features on Doug...alot.

The current state of NHRA TV is like Beau Bridges line in the Lounge in Heart Like a Wheel; "They're trying to take this sport and turn it into......golf!"

my too scents.

-90% Jimmy

 

[Bullard Anderson]

The world is evolving. TV is not as important as it once was. And, even if it were, there are so many more options on your Preview Guide than there were in 1995. Matter o' fact was there even a Preview Guide in 1995.

I am extremely happy with the time slot set for the NHRA races at 6 or 7ish here on the east coast. This tape delay thing is a great thing for me personally. I don't sit around and waste a pretty Sunday watching circle track all day affair anymore. It's very reasonable for me to target Sunday evening for the drags and get juiced up about it.