I know its been sometime since most teams have done it . What's the reasoning behind it ? I feel it brings people to the races . It makes the regular attendees want to bring someone to watch them jump when they whack the throttle . Believe me it brings them back and makes them an instant fan . Look at the attendance , my thoughts are its down compared to what it used to be . Makes it easier to walk the pits , because now not as many people seem to roam the pits anymore . So that confirms my belief that its effecting attendance and interest in our sport . I say the NHRA should regulate this in a manner that makes it fun for the fans again . How ? give each team that burps their car a minimum of 2 times during all warm ups an extra point or two . The big teams will still probably not do it . The small teams that need the points , that's where the fans will be hanging . I can guarantee that . I think the corporate environment has affected the sport to what it has become . Not relevant or fun for the younger generations . These younger kids are into extreme sports . Nothing extreme about watching a car start and shut off . Just my thoughts . What's everyone else think ?
Nitromater
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Revving/Burping the Nitro Cars (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter slicky
- Start date
stitcherbob
Nitro Member
I want the return of dry hops at the starting line for nitro cars and relaxed rules for burndowns in Pro Stock 
FABMAN
Nitro Member
Listen to the crowd cheering, to bad they can do that now, I think it would help attendance.
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
I want the return of dry hops at the starting line for nitro cars and relaxed rules for burndowns in Pro Stock
Right, nothing wrong with a little gamesmanship.....
TR
Nitro Member
stitcherbob
Nitro Member
they way the nitro cars punch you in the chest in the stands, you would expect two guys with four broken forearms after that!
That would be around the time progressive lock up clutches became normal. Dropping the dry hop routine was probably done so as to not heat up the clutch too much too soon.
I was thinking about this. When I go to the big show, I want to see performance, amazing numbers and the whump that a modern day top fueler makes. If I want a show, I go to a nostalgia event, where they whack the throttle and do dry hops, etc.. I get the best of both worlds. As I said before, times change and the big show is not going to go back to the way things were, all in the name of performance.
mike
Nitro Member
I think track prep had something to do with it too
I think changes in track prep had something to do with it too.
I think changes in track prep had something to do with it too.
If you really want to increase attendance, take a newbie. They get a surprise when the cars launch. I took a newbie last year and he is going to go again this year. Taking another newbie this year. Can't wait until my youngest nephews are calm enough to take to the races for a day.
More VHT?
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
I agree with this whole-heartedly. And for goodness sakes don't bore them the whole time about what they aren't seeing (dry hops, throttle whacks) or how it "used to be better back in the day" ... Accentuate the positives of what drag racing is, or better yet let the cars speak for themselves.
Such an old topic. This sport was built on performance, and breaking barriers. The show was the byproduct. I too miss some of the things from the old days, but you can't force teams to do things that are no longer mechanically beneficial just to make fans happy. The result of all the evolution are cars that run over 330mph in 3.70 seconds, and pretty darn consistent.
CrewMan
Nitro Member
Nothing beats a good ole throttle smashin'. I remember years ago at the US Nationals....there were 4 or 5 of them close to each other all going bezerk....couldn't breath for S**T but man was it fun. 
. I am pretty sure the alcohol cars still give a wind up in the pits though.
As far as getting butts in the seats:
1. Increase the turn around time BACK to 90 minutes
- Obviously live coverage doesn't mean a damn thing these days, and neither does tape delay if you are sucking hind tit to Little League Baseball
- You eliminate all the extra "bs" with having to have part of the team down at the top early, and you would actually get to see the crews go down the return road after victory. Remember that? All that cool waving hooting and hollering? Now all we are treated too is a closed up SUV barreling down the road and maybe a honk or too.
- You could actually, just maybe, get some decent interviews, more than the mere 5 seconds plug fests we see now and get some technical info out there. Technical info....drives interest on and off the track for the curious minds.
- The crews will actually WORK on the cars because they have time. What I see in the pits is not "Working" like it used to be. Hurt something....it gets changed...not worked on...cleaned up etc...just changed. Put a new one in. I would rather go back and watch these guys save a busted motor than wheel a fresh plant out of the trailer...drop it in the rails....hook the magnetos up and call it done. Gee...THAT was exciting...NOT.
- You cut down on the craziness of returning to the pits....someone, someday is going to get run over and get hurt if they haven't already (I'm not aware of anything at the moment) All in the name of time...which really doesn't matter anymore...because nothing is "live".
- You get people IN THE PITS....IN THE MIDWAY....and that is where the interest starts. NHRA allows a very unique experience in that we as fans get to be part of the pit area...if you keep the turnaround so short people have no time to explore (you don't have time to watch a thrash on a car that caught fire etc), you force them to stay in their seats...and that becomes boring (hey look kids...big ben...parliment...zoom.....hey look kids...).
2. Drop the damn ticket prices.
- Your brand is suffering
- You need exposure, charging inflated ticket prices is not the way to bring people in, hell even NASCAR has dropped prices
3. Bring back NHRA Today....the SHOW....not the raceday version
- Go back to 1/2 hr or hour show each week covering the NHRA. From manufacturers, to race shops, to bio's to the excellent sportsman coverage that Bob Frey did.
- Quit giving me this 1/2 hour to hour BS on raceday
- Doing that just may bring someone into the sport....you get manufacturers exposure, the why's of things, etc etc. I loved when ole Steve Evans would go to someplace like Lexan, or Edlebrock, or BDS blowers that's how you peak interest that how you get people talking
I'll have more down the road...god my heads already for a Monday.
. I am pretty sure the alcohol cars still give a wind up in the pits though.As far as getting butts in the seats:
1. Increase the turn around time BACK to 90 minutes
- Obviously live coverage doesn't mean a damn thing these days, and neither does tape delay if you are sucking hind tit to Little League Baseball
- You eliminate all the extra "bs" with having to have part of the team down at the top early, and you would actually get to see the crews go down the return road after victory. Remember that? All that cool waving hooting and hollering? Now all we are treated too is a closed up SUV barreling down the road and maybe a honk or too.
- You could actually, just maybe, get some decent interviews, more than the mere 5 seconds plug fests we see now and get some technical info out there. Technical info....drives interest on and off the track for the curious minds.
- The crews will actually WORK on the cars because they have time. What I see in the pits is not "Working" like it used to be. Hurt something....it gets changed...not worked on...cleaned up etc...just changed. Put a new one in. I would rather go back and watch these guys save a busted motor than wheel a fresh plant out of the trailer...drop it in the rails....hook the magnetos up and call it done. Gee...THAT was exciting...NOT.
- You cut down on the craziness of returning to the pits....someone, someday is going to get run over and get hurt if they haven't already (I'm not aware of anything at the moment) All in the name of time...which really doesn't matter anymore...because nothing is "live".
- You get people IN THE PITS....IN THE MIDWAY....and that is where the interest starts. NHRA allows a very unique experience in that we as fans get to be part of the pit area...if you keep the turnaround so short people have no time to explore (you don't have time to watch a thrash on a car that caught fire etc), you force them to stay in their seats...and that becomes boring (hey look kids...big ben...parliment...zoom.....hey look kids...).
2. Drop the damn ticket prices.
- Your brand is suffering
- You need exposure, charging inflated ticket prices is not the way to bring people in, hell even NASCAR has dropped prices
3. Bring back NHRA Today....the SHOW....not the raceday version
- Go back to 1/2 hr or hour show each week covering the NHRA. From manufacturers, to race shops, to bio's to the excellent sportsman coverage that Bob Frey did.
- Quit giving me this 1/2 hour to hour BS on raceday
- Doing that just may bring someone into the sport....you get manufacturers exposure, the why's of things, etc etc. I loved when ole Steve Evans would go to someplace like Lexan, or Edlebrock, or BDS blowers that's how you peak interest that how you get people talking
I'll have more down the road...god my heads already for a Monday.
mick
Nitro Member
tend to agree...there was a time when the technology of the sport played perfectly into a pit spectacle for fans; a residual effect was
a larger mfgr'rs. midway than what we see today, and those companies that no longer are part of the midway are money lost to nhra.
the pit experience is still great, but IMO not what it once was. i agree, the faster turn around time provides a much quicker 5 hour day
for elims, but at a cost to the fans; less time to wander not only the team's trailers, but the midway, souvenirs and concessions.
i suppose it all works fine today; just that some of us can't help but to make comparisons then to now.....IMO i was entertained more
in the past than i am now.
Leebone
Nitro Member
Well, if not blipping the throttle supposedly make the clutch more consistent, it doesn't seem to be working. I'm seeing as much tire smoke as I ever have. Bring back the blips. Tim Richards had Kenny Bernstein blip it three times. Dick LaHaie had Dixon do it twice. The whole Kalitta team used to whack it. Hillary Will nearly put her foot through the floor board. Bring back good ol' fashioned Pro Stock burn downs too. I miss those days. Drag racing has gotten too sanitized these days.
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