Nick Name
Nitro Member
Most drag race fans have some technical expertise as far as the cars. NASCAR fans know nothing about the technical side, only about the drivers.
NASCAR would be much easier to be a fan of than drag racing.
Nitromater
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Street Outlaws has 4 times more TV viewers than NHRA
- Thread starter Paul
- Start date
Most drag race fans have some technical expertise as far as the cars. NASCAR fans know nothing about the technical side, only about the drivers.
NASCAR would be much easier to be a fan of than drag racing.
Paul
Nitro Member
I believe there is still enough current interest and potential interest in drag racing to make it much more successful than it currently is.
Candidly, we just have the wrong guys running the biggest drag racing organization right now and that needs to change.
The thread on the yellowbullet forum discussing the Street Outlaws show has close to 600,000 views right now:
http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576560
Has there ever been any thread discussing the NHRA that's come anywhere close to that?
The current board just doesn't have to skills or vision to generate this kind of interest in the sport and keep the NHRA healthy and growing. They've clearly demonstrated that over the past 25 years, its time for them to move on.
I hope that at some point the NHRA members will wake up and realize that this change is necessary or the sport will slowly die.
If there are any pro team owners reading this thread I think you need to look really hard at the performance of the NHRA over the past 25 years and about what you think their prospects are for doing any better over the next 25 years.
I think you'll come to the conclusion that future prospects aren't good. For self preservation its definitely time to look very seriously at banding together to force a change in the NHRA board.
Because of the unique nature of the NHRA as a business league non-profit with zero private ownership, by law it is required to be doing a satisfactory job of furthering the business interests of its primary members, the pro team owners.
Its clearly not doing that and thus I believe that if a majority of the pro team owners were to join in a legal challenge to the NHRA that membership voting rights could be restored and a new board of directors could be put in place.
Candidly, we just have the wrong guys running the biggest drag racing organization right now and that needs to change.
The thread on the yellowbullet forum discussing the Street Outlaws show has close to 600,000 views right now:
http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576560
Has there ever been any thread discussing the NHRA that's come anywhere close to that?
The current board just doesn't have to skills or vision to generate this kind of interest in the sport and keep the NHRA healthy and growing. They've clearly demonstrated that over the past 25 years, its time for them to move on.
I hope that at some point the NHRA members will wake up and realize that this change is necessary or the sport will slowly die.
If there are any pro team owners reading this thread I think you need to look really hard at the performance of the NHRA over the past 25 years and about what you think their prospects are for doing any better over the next 25 years.
I think you'll come to the conclusion that future prospects aren't good. For self preservation its definitely time to look very seriously at banding together to force a change in the NHRA board.
Because of the unique nature of the NHRA as a business league non-profit with zero private ownership, by law it is required to be doing a satisfactory job of furthering the business interests of its primary members, the pro team owners.
Its clearly not doing that and thus I believe that if a majority of the pro team owners were to join in a legal challenge to the NHRA that membership voting rights could be restored and a new board of directors could be put in place.
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DrRocket
Nitro Member
That was 1998-ish....
This is now....
AWESOME!!!
And Jim Head is on record as saying that if he could have driven around the water and skipped the burnout, he would have.
cephus
Nitro Member
Jay u are somewat rong on the expertise,, a lot of round-track fans r dirt track racers or x dirt track racers that start out with an enduro car (beginner class) at their local track that is basically a car with out the windows,a roll cage, headers & with dirt tires, so a lot of these guys have spent endless hours in their back yards building their cars, then they get the bug and start wantin 2 go faster and faster and build faster cars, so a lot of the same knowledge to make a car fast on the dirt track is the same for the pavement, each track has a different data requirement, I use to do it and it takes a lot of info on shocks, springs, tires, caster & camber, the chassis is really trick. so they do relate to the crew-chiefs wen they r talkin set ups. and track lingo
Paul
Nitro Member
Bill, the original NHRA incorporation papers and associated bylaws, which I have copies of, clearly state that the board of directors are to be elected by periodic elections. If you would like to see these let me know and I'll upload a copy.
The board member election rights were stripped from the members in a pretty sketchy move by the board members around 20 years ago. They basically wanted to make it impossible for them to be removed from office. In a pretty strange "inbred" arrangement now only the board itself can hire or fire any of its members.
The problem with this is that its clearly stated in IRS documents that business league non-profit companies are "generally to be ultimately controlled by their members".
I believe that the NHRA is clearly not in compliance with this requirement and that if a majority of the existing pro teams were to join together in a legal action based on the removal of these voting rights along with the poor performance of the organization that these voting rights could be restored.
Its certainly worth a try, otherwise we'll keep getting out marketed by reality shows done on a shoe string like Street Outlaws. That's pretty embarrassing.
Paul, you are 100% right, it is worth a try.
Isn't it nice when you reply to a post and it disappears?
Nick Name
Nitro Member
Jay u are somewat rong on the expertise,, a lot of round-track fans r dirt track racers or x dirt track racers that start out with an enduro car (beginner class) at their local track that is basically a car with out the windows,a roll cage, headers & with dirt tires, so a lot of these guys have spent endless hours in their back yards building their cars, then they get the bug and start wantin 2 go faster and faster and build faster cars, so a lot of the same knowledge to make a car fast on the dirt track is the same for the pavement, each track has a different data requirement, I use to do it and it takes a lot of info on shocks, springs, tires, caster & camber, the chassis is really trick. so they do relate to the crew-chiefs wen they r talkin set ups. and track lingo
Not talking about the racers themselves. Talking about the fans that fill the stands. They wouldn't know a restrictor plate from a dinner plate. But they can tell you when Jeff Gordon's and Dale Jrs birthdays are.
Ok a few observations on this thread, as crazy as it sounds street racers do like the fact that what they are doing is against the rules and unlawful.
As far as nhra broadcasts I can only say they should hire Dean Papadeas his main event video drag racing films are incredible.
As far as nhra broadcasts I can only say they should hire Dean Papadeas his main event video drag racing films are incredible.
rckymtn3
Nitro Member
I vote to leverage huge fines, loss of license for a minimum of ten years, and mandatory jail time when such morons choose to take it to the streets. They are as dangerous as an armed robber on meth, and nothing short of a huge change in their thought process will change them. (I know you weren't advocating street racing William)
^^^too true^^^
I understand your thoughts, as it mirrors a number of posters, so I'm not butting heads with you, just replying to the idea of your post...
Most of the time, 18-28 live in a different world, no matter what generation they're from. Yes, apparently, marketing still considers this group an important group. The biggest reason is that they are more culturally motivated versus intellectually motivated. Basically, "cool" is worth money, "practical" is not. In a nutshell, it's easier to market crap to this age group when you wrap it in a hip-hop soundtrack and bookend it with almost naked bikini party girls. (Think AXE body products or all your "friends" watching how cool you are as you wave your hand in front of your phone and the page turns)
Yes, there is a performance portion of the import crowd, but for the most part, it's a campus party held at a drag strip. Nothing against that, honestly, who doesn't remember enjoying a party crowd, but when the bikini contest and the dB stereo contest is a bigger hit than the national record for a FWD strangemobile, it's hardly a "racing" crowd.
Dumbing down real racing to embrace a mentally stunted target audience is not the answer to make real racing's longevity improve. All that will happen is that whatever you attach to this group will disappear as quickly as the latest "fad".
Sometimes, it's better to stand your ground, and make someone embrace "your" idea. Drag racing would morph into something else completely if it embraces these ever-changing child-brains. You wouldn't be saving drag racing, you would be enslaving it.
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Nick Name
Nitro Member
Grudge racing is alive and well. As for the younger crowd, many are embracing motorcycles. The no wheelie bar bike stuff is growing.
Bikes are attractive to the younger crowd because if one has a 625 credit score they can run 8 second ETs.
I believe it is just NHRA big show drag racing that is in trouble.
When I was young, two or three guys with steady jobs could run a fuel car. Almost everyone I knew back then did that. So if you went to a drag race and saw fuel cars run, and liked it, with a little effort you could actually do that.
Not so today. Young people today may think seeing John Force is cool, but they know they would never have a chance to do it themselves. So they don't really relate.
Bikes are attractive to the younger crowd because if one has a 625 credit score they can run 8 second ETs.
I believe it is just NHRA big show drag racing that is in trouble.
When I was young, two or three guys with steady jobs could run a fuel car. Almost everyone I knew back then did that. So if you went to a drag race and saw fuel cars run, and liked it, with a little effort you could actually do that.
Not so today. Young people today may think seeing John Force is cool, but they know they would never have a chance to do it themselves. So they don't really relate.
Paul
Nitro Member
The Thunder Valley drag strip in Oklahoma pulled in over 4300 fans to meet the Street Outlaws racers last night, apparently the line in to the track was several hours long. Lots of families came with kids in tow to meet the racers and several attendees commented that they had never seen so many people at the track.
http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576560&page=377
Like the interest that occurred in import car modification and racing, here's yet another opportunity for the NHRA to capitalize on and leverage this grass roots driven interest in drag racing, just like originally happened during the birth of the NHRA.
But the only thing that the current NHRA board members are good at is self preservation so with them in place this opportunity will likely slide by them.
The NHRA should sign these guys to a deal before someone else locks them down. Have them run "Outlaw" style match races at every NHRA national event against the best local cars that show up and have the local cars run a small bracket for the right to face the touring Outlaw stars.
If they ran this Outlaw show Saturday night as a special event after qualifying I wouldn't be surprised if it equaled or out drew Sundays attendance.
Families like the ones that drove hours to meet the Street Outlaw stars at the Thunder Valley race would then start coming out to National events. On top of that the NHRA would be achieving its primary mission, getting racing off the street and into a track environment.
http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576560&page=377
Like the interest that occurred in import car modification and racing, here's yet another opportunity for the NHRA to capitalize on and leverage this grass roots driven interest in drag racing, just like originally happened during the birth of the NHRA.
But the only thing that the current NHRA board members are good at is self preservation so with them in place this opportunity will likely slide by them.
The NHRA should sign these guys to a deal before someone else locks them down. Have them run "Outlaw" style match races at every NHRA national event against the best local cars that show up and have the local cars run a small bracket for the right to face the touring Outlaw stars.
If they ran this Outlaw show Saturday night as a special event after qualifying I wouldn't be surprised if it equaled or out drew Sundays attendance.
Families like the ones that drove hours to meet the Street Outlaw stars at the Thunder Valley race would then start coming out to National events. On top of that the NHRA would be achieving its primary mission, getting racing off the street and into a track environment.
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If I was left to save the NHRA at this point not sure what to do ?
Bob
Nitro Member
I wouldn't prop up anything posted in trash or be trashed as being absolutely factual, much less a viable reason to make changes in NHRA national event scheduling.
These smaller events are very important in keeping smaller drag strips in business. Most national event drag strips host similar programs for the same reason. Quick 8, Quick 16, Quick 32, Box and No Box Gamblers, Grudge Match Racing are all part of regular weekly schedules. Brand specific events also figure into local event schedules. Some tracks feature jet cars and wheel standers as part of special events. All of these classes keep tracks open, but I can't think of one those classes being added to the NHRA national event schedule that would increase attendance. Jets maybe, but outlaw street? Pass tech and run Stock, Super Stock, Comp or Top Sportsman. The classes are already there.
Nick Name
Nitro Member
You can't get people to watch that stuff, even if admission was free
mw6789
Nitro Member
Bingo---you make some very valid points.
Paul
Nitro Member
This is the core of the problem. Young viewers don't identify at all with any of those cars and drivers and also aren't even that familiar with most of the Pro class drivers.
Like it or not, the Street Outlaws drivers are becoming stars and both kids and young adults identify with them much more closely than any of the NHRA stars.
Its a great opportunity for the NHRA to latch on to and take advantage of this new grass roots interest in the sport by bringing these new stars into the fold. By promoting them under the NHRA banner, thus making them even bigger stars, the NHRA would benefit heavily also from the growth and interest in the sport, especially with young fans that are critical to future growth.
I know it will never happen in a million years with the current board members in place but its the kind of thing that a board that was actually capable of growing the business would be doing. I know a lot (ok, most) of the older NHRA members wouldn't like it but at this point bold moves are need to keep this sport alive.
Project Paladin
Nitro Member
Top Fuel and Funny Car racing is out of reach for 99.9% of the people in the country.
A Mustang with NOS is not.
The Fuel ranks are getting smaller and the fast door car ranks are growing.
A Mustang with NOS is not.
The Fuel ranks are getting smaller and the fast door car ranks are growing.
DrRocket
Nitro Member
Paul,
What kind of format do you think it would take for the Street Outlaw stars to agree to walk onto an NHRA property and participate?
Do you think they would agree to abide by strict safety rules, such as certified chassis and cages, belts that need to be changed out on a certain date, containment components such as clutch cans, diapers, etc? Also, firesuits (if needed) and certified helmets? You'll note I didn't even touch class divisions/rules.
Do you think these drivers' fans would consider them "sellouts" if they DID start participating in an NHRA sanctioned event?
How do you think the NHRA should react if these same drivers are found to be still participating in illegal street outlaw activity?