State of the NHRA (1 Viewer)

[mw6789]

Good article. Part of the problem is that America is no longer a car culture as it was in the '50s - '70s, and kids don't relate to the muscle car era or even 20 years ago. One thing that struck me was Jeg's comment about young racers not being interested in the Big Show either in person or on TV: "we're missing the transition of getting those folks to NHRA national events or to have them watch on TV." One reason could be that racing at that level (read $$$$$) is clearly out of reach for the vast majority of younger (any age?) racers. Racing needs to be affordable to stimulate participation and competition. Of course "competition" used to mean innovation and experimentation; man and machine. Now it's mostly only a competition in the sense of who has the thickest wallet.

Absolutely correct. How do you relate to a $3 to $5 million dollar a year to race fuel car owned by a multi millionaire, or a pro stock car with a quarter million dollar rear axle housing. Talk about out of reach!! Guess you can go buy a $100K COPO Camaro and spend another $5oK to make it competitive.

 

[mick]

“I hate to say this, but I don't even watch our shows anymore,” said Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel's most prolific driver and pilot of the high-profile U.S. Army dragster. “Even on DVR, it's just boring. 'Oh wow, there goes two cars.' Then the guys get out and hug each other. Like [Oakley sunglasses founder and sponsor] Jim Jannard said, 'Who wants to watch that?' Something big has to change, or we're in trouble.

not sure what these two guys are alluding to with their comments?
two cars going down the track and drivers congratulating each other....that has NEVER changed...for years!
no different from tony's first race in TF, or jim's first race with scotty.

i watched nhra on tv when it was 'wide world of sports' and i watch today and every year in between,
but more people have watched in the past than they do now as ratings attest.

tony stating publicly that watching NHRA drag racing on tv is 'just boring'.....you're kidding rite ......always
walked rite past him as he speaks to the DSR hospitality crowd....maybe this year i'll stop and listen for
a while; see if he says to the folks, 'you know i really can't even watch NHRA drag racing on television, it is so boring'

what do you think would happen to a pro from another national sports league or series for making a comment
like that!?....when their sponsors count on the league or series' TV package for exposure and revenue?

will refrain from further negative comment

 

[Project Paladin]

There's a lot of ideas here, but dose anyone think the NHRA "powers that be" are going to listen? I'm a no-body, but I don't think the NHRA cares what any of us think. You better be named Force, Kalitta or Schumacher to have any pull.

 

[vegasnitro]

Chris, you are correct that most of the time the teams go back to their shop in Indy, but, when they are on the west coast they leave the haulers there and some stay out there and some fly home for a week.

Hey Eugene ... Sorry I didn't say hi Monday morning at El Merendero (I was with Greg). I didn't figure out it was you until it was too late, we had already sat down inside and you had already left. I will definitely say hi at Phoenix.

 

[Raconteur]

Seems as though there are no answers at all, guess it'll never work. Sorry for the interruption.

 

[Larry jr.]

Well Pomona has the Winters' and the Finals.
Fontana is back so there is a local track I can run My cars, the ones' I can allmost afford to run.

I would not even give any of the rest of it a second thought, I would NOT go back to racing like it was, no matter how romantic it sounds, touring the country in a crew cab pickup with a sleeper on the back sucked, working out of a 38ft gooseneck trailer sucked then and it sucks now.

Give Me a room at the Hilton and an 18 wheel rig, and 12 spare motors and two spair cars and a 60 man crewor al 60 all girl crew............. come to think of it.............. now thats racing .

 

[Pais]

I just went on the Tomorrowland Website and I have copied the verbiage that they use about taking videos at the event. Tomorrowland is an event for dance music and last two days. They are doing the event over 2 weekend because of demand. They sold 360,00o tickets in less than one hour.

NHRA does not allow any videos taken at an NHRA event to be used in any way other than for personal use so it cannot be posted on video sites like youtube, vine Facebook, etc.

Here is what Tomorrowland posted in regards to that. Wouldn't it make more sense for NHRA to allow the use of the videos that people take at the event to help bring more recognition to the sport instead of relying SOLELY on the TV package that they currently have set up? I would love to hear your input on this, it is a new world we live in and a new way that we use to communicate to a young audience but it seems like NHRA is just comfortable doing things the old fashioned ways. It's time for a change and it's good to see that all of you see that, now hopefully someone will do something about it.

Cameras
Photo devices/ Cameras
Digital photo cameras and/or video cameras are allowed on the grounds with the exception of (semi) professional equipment. Our advice: make as many movies as possible and put loads onto YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, etc.!

Photo- and film recording
During the festival there will be photos and video recordings: when entering the festival grounds all visitors give their silent consent to the organisation to use and broadcast this footage.

 

[Paul]

I just went on the Tomorrowland Website and I have copied the verbiage that they use about taking videos at the event. Tomorrowland is an event for dance music and last two days. They are doing the event over 2 weekend because of demand. They sold 360,00o tickets in less than one hour.

NHRA does not allow any videos taken at an NHRA event to be used in any way other than for personal use so it cannot be posted on video sites like youtube, vine Facebook, etc.

Here is what Tomorrowland posted in regards to that. Wouldn't it make more sense for NHRA to allow the use of the videos that people take at the event to help bring more recognition to the sport instead of relying SOLELY on the TV package that they currently have set up? I would love to hear your input on this, it is a new world we live in and a new way that we use to communicate to a young audience but it seems like NHRA is just comfortable doing things the old fashioned ways. It's time for a change and it's good to see that all of you see that, now hopefully someone will do something about it.

Cameras
Photo devices/ Cameras
Digital photo cameras and/or video cameras are allowed on the grounds with the exception of (semi) professional equipment. Our advice: make as many movies as possible and put loads onto YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, etc.!

Photo- and film recording
During the festival there will be photos and video recordings: when entering the festival grounds all visitors give their silent consent to the organisation to use and broadcast this footage.

The NHRA never had a recording on the PA stating that you can't transmit images or descriptions of the events seen at the track until Scott Kalitta's crash. Soon after Scott was killed, there were pictures posted on forum that had pictures from the scene of the crash showing what was left of the chassis. A few events later, the NHRA made it well known they don't want anything posted describing the events without their knowledge first. I agree that you should be able to post images/videos from the racing (which many people do today), but it has to be done in a tasteful manner. The NHRA should encourage the use of social media during the event as this is the way most people communicate these days.