Reaching the Younger fans?? (2 Viewers)

[chop]

Over the past week or two on another thread the subject of younger fans and how to get them came up. I maintain that younger driver's such as Ashley, J.R. Todd, Dave Connelly, Steve Torrence and others have brought younger fans into the fold. And I think Driving Force has done that as well, however a lot of people dissagree with me, saying that our fanbase continues to age. But I also think your average 18-24 year old doesn't relate to the 45-60 year old drivers they see out there racing every week either. And if Younger drivers doesn't expand the Youth base, I don't think anything can. I wanna hear what others think on how to get the Younger fans out to the track, I don't see NHRA lowering prices anytime soon, and I think that's the first place to start IMO.

Hey Joe,check this out.
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Wanna rethink that statement?

 

[Toejam]

Hey Joe,check this out.
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Wanna rethink that statement?

Not really, as I said in an earlier post. Kids who grew up in this sport will certainly follow the Stars of the sport, a kid who's never been to the track's Not going to know who Don Prudhomme is!

 

[Raconteur]

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.

Byron, NHRA did embrace the sport compact crowd and that embrace lasted way too long, sport compact racing had it's own series. The NHRA sport compact series never did grow beyond 55 professional racers over 5 eliminator categories, often with only two cars in some eliminator categories.

Even NOPI had problems with a stand-alone series, it is NOT viable.

The local Summit Series for sportsman and Competition Eliminator for the well financed, competitive sport compacts are the place to race. There's plenty of room at the divisional level for sport compact entries in Comp Eliminator.

Sorry, but the sport compact craze, once thought to be the next "small block" only evolved into a thud for competitors, sanctioning bodies, spectators and manufacturers.

E-Town and Moroso are the exceptions.

 

[1992Si]

The local Summit Series for sportsman and Competition Eliminator for the well financed, competitive sport compacts are the place to race. There's plenty of room at the divisional level for sport compact entries in Comp Eliminator.

Yes some of us realize that, NHRA has added a few classes for some of our cars.

As for our car, it will fit in Comp as a BB/AF car.

There are a few turbo charged street cars that run low to mid nine's hopping for a class. That group of cars is what a lot of the Sport Compact guy's follow, that class was SFWD sport front wheel drive. The top guy's in that class seem to be the driving force in SC racing.

IMO NHRA is going to need to reach out to them to get the masses to follow.

Next year will be interesting to see if the sport will continue to lose racers.

Hopefully it's just a sign of the times and when the fuel prices drop more young guy's will come out and play...

 

[Raconteur]

IMO NHRA is going to need to reach out to them to get the masses to follow.

Next year will be interesting to see if the sport will continue to lose racers.

Hopefully it's just a sign of the times and when the fuel prices drop more young guy's will come out and play...

NHRA did reach out and very few spectators responded. Look where the Titan guys went... ADRL, and they are having a ball!

 

[1992Si]

Titan also just signed Lucas as a sponsor, good for them.

Some of the other Pro RWD cars have moved on. BOTI is trying hard to keep give the young guy's a place to race.

It's hard to keep young people now day's involved in racing or anything that take dedication and work.

May be part of the problem is parents have had the kids in so many different sports or in other after school activities in the early years, they don't know how to stay focused on one hobby. Let's also remember cost plays into this sport too.

 

[Toejam]

Last year I was at Indy watching the Pro FWD cars run, I was standing on the fence pitside and I noticed Lisa Kubo standing next to me! As some of you may know Lisa was one of the Sport Compact racing's early stars when the series started. I had asked her what happened to the Pro RWD class? What used to be 8-10 cars at every race was sown to maybe 2-3 with Personett dominating every race! She said they just got to be SOO Expensive to build and the sponsors just bailed out!

 

[Meeks]

There is a few different subjects going on here...do you want to reach out to younger fans or reach out to younger fans that are involved in sport compact racing? I am a sport compact racer and really don't want to get started in the NHRA SC/NOPI bull crap but I can tell you this...BOTI is becoming very successful because Frank does this for the racers and listens to what the racers want and tries to make everybody happy.
The problem is the older generations not accepting the younger fans that are in the sport compact scene. You should hear the horrible things that are said about those of us who actually know what we're doing but are put into the stereotypical group. Younger fans might come to more races or be more involved if they were actually accepted...because right now they aren't and haven't been for a really long time.

I've always thought to help make things better and get a better turnout put the sport compact cars at events in another class. This would give people that want to watch other cars the opportunity to go roam around the pits while the sport compact cars run and vise versa but the problem is that the older generation doesn't want that...why? because we are all rice burners.

 

[Toejam]

There is a few different subjects going on here...do you want to reach out to younger fans or reach out to younger fans that are involved in sport compact racing? I am a sport compact racer and really don't want to get started in the NHRA SC/NOPI bull crap but I can tell you this...BOTI is becoming very successful because Frank does this for the racers and listens to what the racers want and tries to make everybody happy.
The problem is the older generations not accepting the younger fans that are in the sport compact scene. You should hear the horrible things that are said about those of us who actually know what we're doing but are put into the stereotypical group. Younger fans might come to more races or be more involved if they were actually accepted...because right now they aren't and haven't been for a really long time.

I've always thought to help make things better and get a better turnout put the sport compact cars at events in another class. This would give people that want to watch other cars the opportunity to go roam around the pits while the sport compact cars run and vise versa but the problem is that the older generation doesn't want that...why? because we are all rice burners.

Mikaela, younger fans is what's the focus here, I'm referring to the under 25 crowd whether or not they race Sport Compacts. As for Sport Compacts NOT being welcomed at NHRA races, I can say I was one of those who thought the NHRA was TOO Good for 4-6 Cyl. Turbo/NOS cars. But performance has a way of changing minds and Hearts, especially when you see 6-7 sec. E.T.s Pop upon the Lane boards! Comp. Eliminator has Far more 4-6 cyl. Turbo cars than I've EVER seen in the past! I bet if you ask any of the Sport compact racers who have run at NHRA races over the past 5-6 years, I bet the attitude is changing.

 

[1992Si]

Be it domestic or import the younger guy's are looked at as trying to take over.

It's been a problem through out the ages.

Those of us who are stepping up to Comp realize that are ET's will bring respect that's all we ask for.

If the older guy's take the time to realize what we have to work with and still be able to run high 7's I think they will be impressed.

At our local NHRA track we have had a couple of older guy's, my age, come and a ask if this was the same car they saw a few years back at the local cruise spots. They were impressed when the car ran high 9's with the 1.6L.

I have taught my son, even if you don't care for the style of the car respect the effort.

The biggest problem I see is for some people to learn respect for others, I don't want to sound raciest but all though my sons life there are some people that are pushy and loud. It's this stereotype person that give the import crowd the bad name. It's just the way they have been through out time. They have different music and seem to have loud cars and for some unknown reason think they have to rev those rotaries all the time. Trust me when I tell you most of don't appreciate that noise either.

It's just a few that give a bad name to all the rest. It's a very devious crowd, this younger generation, must of them know how to respect others.

These are the new guy's coming to the staging lanes, if you show a small interest in them and just say a welcoming hi to the new guy in the lane next to you, you'll see how nice these kids can be. Remember it's hard being an outsider trying to fit in.

Let's hope 30 years from now they do the samething.