Reaching the Younger fans?? (2 Viewers)

[JFrechJr]

Wow theres a lot I agree about and a lot i disagree on... I am 23 and here is my view on people my age

First off I do not think that you NEED young drivers to pull in young people. What you need are repeat champions (that did not have the richy life that "put" them into the seat - IMO). I guess it is not going to be the same for all people, as with everything, but most people find themselves fans of individuals that they can relate too. In the light of repeat champions, it seems the majority of Americans are/will become fans of the people on top. I mean maybe it is me but I swear after a team wins the Superbowl that next year they have more fans than they did the few years before. I guess what I am getting at is as long as drivers win, their age is not going to be the basis of their fans. Its seems like the referral to the young drivers is to the "he/she is my age, look where he/she is, 'that can be me!'" While psychologically correct, economically incorrect. As others have said most people in my generation do not have the money to get into racing as a sport and with the way the economy is; i doubt most of us ever will. But the money to put forward to being a fan, i disagree. Concert tickets are in comparison now-a-days with NHRA tickets and people my age have no problem paying for those.

TV is the way to bring new fans. However, "Driving Force" is not the way to go about it. I TRIED to watch the show all the time but hell to be honest I never knew when it was on. The advertising for the show, as with NHRA is/was horrible. Also, if a kid my age is going to watch reality TV, "Driving Force" would not catch their attention if they havent already been introduced to drag racing. There is way too much other ($h!t) reality shows on all day long on MTV and VH-1. The show was a good idea, bad timing.

PINKS. I personally do not like the show at all but I have a story that relates to this subject quite well. About 3 weeks ago I went to the local CVS/Walgreens/Rite-Aid, cant remember which one it is because they are all the same. Anyways I went to the store wearing my Norwalk Buick Raceday shirt and the young girl behind the counter asked if I had gone to Norwalk for the PINKS race because her and her boyfriend had. I told her that I didnt because I dont like PINKS but i did goto Norwalk for the NHRA National event. And ill tell you, I got the blank stare with the "Huh?" The girl had been to a race track but did not know of NHRA. Such a shame in my mind.

Advertising. There needs to be advertsing. Much more so than the "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday" on the oldie Rock stations (not knocking the music because thats what I tune into). Majority of people my age do not tune into the oldie rock stations and therefore are missing the advertising. If they want advertising to reach younger crowds, they need new marketing people. Make some TV commercials. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself and there are some but I have NEVER seen a TV commercial for a National Event. Which as a realization maybe a discovery in its mind. If there are commercials, they obviously are not ever shown on channels that people my age watch all the time.

Someone I recall talked about sponsorships changing bringing in more fans (sorry this has been a long time typing and I dont remember who). In part I believe this will help and the sametime maybe not. Full Throttle in its own will help. It will also help if NHRA markets themselves on Full Throttle cans. Do like amusement parks around here do in season. Have $5 discounts printed on cans to be released in areas the races are going to be. Collect all the cans at the gate and get some of the money back in recycling. Wow thats an idea i shouldnt have given away for free haha oh well. But sponsorships in general, I think can help with younger people. They tried that before with the WWF cars. Another personal insight. My little cousin used to be big into wrestling so when I would go to the races I would collect the flyers for the WWF cars for him. At the time he was interested in racing, sponsors left. Flyers stopped. Interest stopped. If the sponsors could have stuck around there might be one more fan out there still interested. On the other side of the ladder, the sponsors that would be required to get kids interested would not be willing to sponsor big race cars. Hell when I was younger I tried to get Nickolodeon to sponsor my Jr. Dragster and I got letter back saying it wasnt an industry they were interested in. A Disney car could attrack the youngins, an MTV car could attrack the middle age ones but the reality is i doubt it would happen.

I think the biggest problem overall is not the drivers, advertising, sponsors or TV shows; it is the midset of people my age. WAYYY too many kids are into sitting on their a$$ in front of the TV/computer than they are into cars. I feel that most kids today dont look at cars as something they can improve on and make go faster and harder. Maybe I am starting to get older myself but it seems to me that the interest of body-mods and "fast n the furious" is dying out. Within the last year or two, I have seen more bone stock vehicles on the street than I have in a long time. I know before I moved most of the strip car clubs were dying off in my hometown and i have not seen any in my new town. It just appears to me that the interest in cars all together is dying off. The only interest being pushed i see is "my mpg is better than your mpg". So with this mindset the whole situation is just catch 22.

my .02 and sorry if it is too long and under explained. I will chirp in more later

 

[Mooseman]

Its all good saying "we need more young drivers" but after reading some of the stuff I have read and watched some of the interviews ive seen on the net and what not . Unless the young driver is willing to build the chassis and build the car himself and fund it himself because lets be honest if you have the skills you can build a chassis for a great deal cheaper then what mckinney charges and thats with the safety improvements , as I was saying unless they are willing to do that you pretty much have to be bring money to a team and then it it must end up like a whos going to bring the most money .

 

[d'kid]

maybe it's the mindset around here in norfolk... maybe it's because there's not a track within an hour and a half drive... maybe it a total lack of advertising...

kinda like none of my kids becoming drag racing fans.. they have other interests, and believe me, all three have been exposed to all forms of auto racing... now cars are just a way to get from point a to point b... work, movies, doctors, day care, shopping, camping, concerts...

their mom hates the sport, she grew up around dirt trackers... corona, ascot... late models and figure 8 cars... biggest reaction from anyone i've taken to the drags is.... is that it? most people i know, 5 seconds is just over to quick and they can't see the start/finish line... just two cars driving away... if i hadn't grown up in so cal when i did, i doubt i'd be a fan...

i like the sport because i enjoy numbers... but i don't enjoy watching nitro cars run now as much as i did 35-40 years ago.

but i'm not the target audience, the target market...
maybe to answer the question, first we have to figure out what the target market wants...

d'kid

 

[Toejam]

Advertising. There needs to be advertsing. Much more so than the "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday" on the oldie Rock stations (not knocking the music because thats what I tune into). Majority of people my age do not tune into the oldie rock stations and therefore are missing the advertising. If they want advertising to reach younger crowds, they need new marketing people. Make some TV commercials. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself and there are some but I have NEVER seen a TV commercial for a National Event. Which as a realization maybe a discovery in its mind. If there are commercials, they obviously are not ever shown on channels that people my age watch all the time.

I think your preaching to the Choir there John! NHRA needs to take some chances, like Advertising during Nascar or Pinks! They have plenty of us older fans...

 

[turbo ken]

This could reach younger fans.
Will Bandoleros be added to Jr. Dragster?

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and INEX officials conducted a Bandolero test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to explore future drag racing applications. The Bandolero car, which is mass-produced by LVMS’s parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., under the 600 Racing banner, is designed for competition by children 8 years and older and is primarily raced on ovals and road courses.
"We've received several requests from parents who have an interest in youth drag racing who want cars that can be purchased ready-to-race, have cost controls to keep the program economical, can be used for other racing applications, and self-starting that can be raced in a heads-up format," said Chris Blair, LVMS’s vice president of racing operations. "The 600 Racing Bandolero accomplishes all of these goals and fills one huge void, since it resembles a Funny Car, which today is the most popular class of drag racing today.
The car used in the test was a stock-from-the-showroom 600 Racing Bandolero from Las Vegas and used the basic set-up for the Bullring, LVMS’s 3/8-mile paved oval. The car made multiple runs on a eighth-mile drag strip and reached a top speed of 57.85 mph (12.78 sec. E.T.). Officials predict that with a clutch spring adjustment, gear change and a change from new treaded tires to a cut tire, the cars should be able to break into the 10-sec. range and reach eighth-mile speeds in excess of 70 mph.
"The great thing about these cars is that we can create a full-bodied, spec drag racing class where drivers may compete in a heads-up format so that the first one to the finish line wins," continued Blair. “That will encourage some parents who have fears of how to 'dial-in' a car for E.T. bracket racing to join the sport.
"Another great aspect of the 600 Racing Bandolero is that a complete car may be purchased for less than $8,000," said Blair. "There are some Jr. Dragster teams who have that much invested in their motors alone.”
Additional tests will be conducted at The Strip at LVMS and an exhibition event will be held in late 2008. Plans also are in place for INEX to host a series of Bandolero and Legends Cars heads-up, eighth-mile drag races at The Strip in 2009. There currently are more than 40 Bandoleros and 60 Legends Cars within a one-hour drive of the LVMS facility.

 

[Toejam]

When NHRA created the Jr. Dragster program, it was suppose to attract thousands of new YOUNG Fans to this sport. A Lot of former Jr. Dragster racers have gone on to other forms of motor sports.

 

[JFrechJr]

When NHRA created the Jr. Dragster program, it was suppose to attract thousands of new YOUNG Fans to this sport. A Lot of former Jr. Dragster racers have gone on to other forms of motor sports.

Or havent done much because it costs to much


I have no idea how it is ran now but back in the beginning it was quite enjoyable. Kids would be running at the same track, same weekend their parents were. I think this has been changed? Also NHRA did a good job back then by having the Jr. National Dragster, not sure if that is still around. I really liked that when I was younger and looked forward to getting that over some of the other publications I used to get.

 

[JFrechJr]

Its all good saying "we need more young drivers" but after reading some of the stuff I have read and watched some of the interviews ive seen on the net and what not . Unless the young driver is willing to build the chassis and build the car himself and fund it himself because lets be honest if you have the skills you can build a chassis for a great deal cheaper then what mckinney charges and thats with the safety improvements , as I was saying unless they are willing to do that you pretty much have to be bring money to a team and then it it must end up like a whos going to bring the most money .

Yea i totally agree with you Will. I dont like seeing these young guns come up just because they are given everything because of who their parents are. A.Force, Lucas, Tasca, Bernstein, Shumacher. I doubt Connolly does much on the car but I have respect for him because he spent his time comming up through the sportsman ranks. I dont know much about J.R Todds background but I like him because he seems to have had to make his way around the ranks as well. But i am not sure about that.

 

[Gordon]

My 18 year old daughter loves drag racing. She won't spend a lot of time watching it on TV, but she'd go to every national event on the calendar if her (our) income would permit it. But she's the typical fan, nitro or nothing.

My seven year old daughter is absolutely itching to buy and race a Jr. Dragster, but she doesn't necessarily enjoy going to the drags. I know that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but she gets bored watching cars scream past her two at a time after about an hour - she is, after all, seven. I took her to Budd's Creek a couple weeks ago and she loved it - especially the Jet cars and Jet truck. I'd love to get her involved in a Jr. Dragster, I think getting her seat time and helping her learn the ins and outs of bracket racing, etc., and just plain being involved would grow her interest over time. The problem is I don't have $15,000 laying around... and that's just to get in the door.

I have taken a lot of friends, ranging in age from 10 to 40, to the races over the years - some like it, some don't and some get hooked. A lot of it is exposure. When you ask somebody who's never been to a drag race what they think about it, they simply don't know because they haven't exprienced it first hand.

Not sure if this answers any of your questions, but there it is.

 

[Joker]

The JR program used to be huge, not so any more. ANd like everyone is saying, hell it cost $10k to $15k just to compete. Thats ridiculous and I'm sure it isint exactly easy to get rid of one of those things.

 

[JFrechJr]

Well in the light of advertising I just got some brought to my attention. I guess the new Colts stadium, sponsored by Lucas Oil, is a big drag racing exposure. My cousin has season tickets and went to the preseason opener and told me that there are a lot of drag racing exhibits around the stadium. Go Lucas family!

 

[Raconteur]

Well in the light of advertising I just got some brought to my attention. I guess the new Colts stadium, sponsored by Lucas Oil, is a big drag racing exposure. My cousin has season tickets and went to the preseason opener and told me that there are a lot of drag racing exhibits around the stadium. Go Lucas family!

Here are a few sneak peeks from earlier this month at Colts Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

[PJ]

I race my daily driver several times a year at the local king of street races. The lanes are full of young kids. Many though don't seem to follow the big tour.

Something I've complained about for a long time is the lack of available products. My daughter is a huge fan and would love to have a racing bedroom. I would lve to be able to walk into walkmart and buy drag racing sheets and blankets. Maybe garbage cans and shower curtains. Of course the usual shirts and stuff as well. Where is a drag racing coloring book of folders and backpacks they could carry to school? Product placement is needed to help spread the sport

 

[Boo]

Or havent done much because it costs to much


I have no idea how it is ran now but back in the beginning it was quite enjoyable. Kids would be running at the same track, same weekend their parents were. I think this has been changed? Also NHRA did a good job back then by having the Jr. National Dragster, not sure if that is still around. I really liked that when I was younger and looked forward to getting that over some of the other publications I used to get.

John,
At most tracks it is pretty much still this way, some mix the Jr's in with the other classes during their bracket series. Some may race the Jr's earlier in the day and then start up the "big car" program when the Jr's are done for the day. Their is no longer a Jr. National Dragster publication per se but there is still a quarterly newsletter that is mailed out.

When NHRA created the Jr. Dragster program, it was suppose to attract thousands of new YOUNG Fans to this sport. A Lot of former Jr. Dragster racers have gone on to other forms of motor sports.

Joe,
There are thousands of Jr dragsters out there and a lot more of them move up into the sportsman and Pro ranks than you realize. They are running everything from stock, to Top Fuel(J.R. Todd)

The JR program used to be huge, not so any more. ANd like everyone is saying, hell it cost $10k to $15k just to compete. Thats ridiculous and I'm sure it isint exactly easy to get rid of one of those things.

Justin,
Still is huge, even with the bad economy and gas prices this year we had well over 500 racers and their families in Bristol for the Eastern Conference Finals(Normally we have 700+ with decent gas prices). There are at least 5 regional series for the Jr's where they hold 5 -6 races per series that are 2-3 day events for Jr's only. Roy Hill and George Howard are starting a new Jr series called the Jr. Million race featuring a bracket race with a $10,000 winner's purse!....Now as for 10 -15K for a Jr. sure if you wanna spend 4 grand for some fancy paint, it could get up there. But there are lots of Jr's that can be had for $4000 that you can be just as competetive as a high dollar car, with a good driver and a consistant setup..I have sold two jr's myself over the years and both of them took me less than 2 weeks to sell. The last one I could have sold 10 times more after I have already sold it........


My sons didn't know squat about drag racing, but I took the time and a little money that I was saving up for a new boat and have been racing with my boys for close to 10 years. Did it cost money.....sure.....no racing is cheap. But it has been the best money I have ever spent in my life.....My boys are with me at the track racing and having a ball... I have created two new life long fans who will pass it on to their kids..........

 

[Z28LT1]

Wow theres a lot I agree about and a lot i disagree on... I am 23 and here is my view on people my age

First off I do not think that you NEED young drivers to pull in young people. What you need are repeat champions (that did not have the richy life that "put" them into the seat - IMO). I guess it is not going to be the same for all people, as with everything, but most people find themselves fans of individuals that they can relate too.

What about JF? 25 years ago, he would have taken a unfinished sandwich just to save the buck of his own to get to another race. He grew up in a single wide trailer and his family was BROKE! No family money got him to where he is today, and love him or hate him, he earned it all the hard way.

I'm 28, and I got my start going to the races 22 years ago and I was hooked! What I don't see that much of are Dads' bringing their 6-7 year old kids to the races.

My $.02

 

[Mooseman]

I am sure young people could still get into the pro ranks without being rich or whatever , it would be hard though . Lol you would probably have to live on the basics no luxury and sleep at the track in the trailer and drive everywhere though .

I was reading a thread on a forum once about peoples trailers and someone said they would rather race in the sportsman ranks and have a nice sleeping quarters and stuff like that then race in the more expensive classes and live like a bum , and I think that statement ses alot you know . When you look at guys like john force what has kept them going is there complete desire and urge to do it no matter what .

 

[paoldtimer]

Just my 2 cents on the subject.

Years ago, kids were not as involved with other activities (sports, dance, movies, music lessons, etc) as they are today. Now their lives are scheduled from the time they get up until they go to bed. Gotta get Johnny and Susie that college scholarship....Many parents today don't spend alot of time with their kids for one reason or another.

I have a 22 year old who is a big motorsports fan but I can't get him to go the the drag races at all. He doesn't understand the fascination with muscle cars (dagger through my heart) at all and would prefer to watch F1. (He actually wants to work in F1 ) This was a kid who attended his first race at 6 weeks of age and went regularly until going off to college.

I swear, my hubby must've dropped him on his head.

 

[Toejam]

I've always maintained that Younger drivers will have to be a part of the equation. Kids that have grown up around this sport are going to follow the sports' stars, but I doubt kids attending their first race will have a clue who Don Prudhomme is!

But I also hear how it's up to us fans to bring newbies to the track, and while that may be a given what's NHRA's role in all of this? Isn't NHRA spending Major $$$ to market this sport?

 

[BrettV]

I've taken my son (8) to one local race (Delmar DE) and he went to the Richmond finals last year. He had a great time even with his typical short attention span. (like his dad lol) He likes John Force (not sure why) and was bummed he didn't get to meet him. He also likes Cruz and T-Ped because I got him their hot wheels cars. At the local race he was most interested in the junior dragster kid who's dad took the time to show him the car. The point is it doesn't take much to get their interest.

This year he is going to Richmond for Friday and Saturday, the plan is to try to get a signed hero card from as many pro drivers as he can. Another simple thing to get their interest.

 

[1992Si]

Just read through this thread. Funny know one has mentioned what NHRA did to a whole bunch of racers last Nov at SEMA. That's when they turned there back on Sport Compact.

Yea we're not talking 10's of thousands of racers, but they're all racers just the same.

Someone above mentioned F1. My son (now 21) and I were big F1 fans until our local cable company and ESPN stopped broadcasting the races. For the past 5-6 years we have been building our Honda Civic. The reason he got that car is because it was my car and as my parents did, as a lot of us, we got mom and dads old cars. How many young people get a import car for there first car these day's?

How does NHRA treat these young kids with there import or front wheel drive cars?

Can you see why may be the young crowd doesn't come to the races?

Listen to the track announcers when the import cars or FWD cars pull into the water box. I have heard a few comments that were less then favorable.

I think to get a lot of the younger people to keep coming NHRA is going to have to step up and embrace the sport compact crowd.

A lot of us speak with the head guy's in BOTI Battle of the Imports often they ask our opinion's on how to make the series better. We get the feeling they actually listen to us.

I hope NHRA can figure something out so this sport we all enjoy can keep going for or children and there's.