What more can one say? Timely article

[Mike]

Joe Nicholson absolutely hit the nail on the head over at DRO. Not one thing I can argue with.

::rag Racing Online::: Dead-On - Why I won’t be a paying spectator again anytime soon - 4/10/2012

 

[NitroRichFire]

Great read Michael, thanks for posting!

 

[Chili]

Appearantly the writer has never been to another race before. You can't blame LVMS or NHRA for $70 round trip to the track. He also first tried to get in through the racers gate which of course is not allowed. It doesn't matter what track your at. He complained about being held up by the traffic police. They do that for the safety of the fans and the allow the sportsman racers a chance to get to the staging lanes. I don't know how many times I have seen a super comp dragster having to stop for a wandering adult. Even more dangerous for the kids. He complained about having to walk around the pits to the stands. Vegas is the by far the most conveinant I have ever been at. Compare LVMS to Topeka, Phoenix, Indy, or Denver and it is paradise. I love Denver but your walking twice as much as Vegas. He also whined about having to go under the track to sit on the other side. I can't imagine what he would have done if he was in Indy, Phoenix or Topeka and on the wrong side. Why should they let him sit on the reserved side when he didn't pay for the reserved ticket. They don't let me scoot up to the front row at a NBA game from the upperdeck just because the seat is empty. $7 for a beer is the going rate at any sporting event. Most events are more. Nobody is forcing you to drink beer let alone 3 of them in one pro session. He at least enjoyed the Nitro Harleys but I think he must have been sleeping during them. He mentioned the 6.30's at 220 mph. I think only two bikes achieved those times all weekend and they were Horne and Grimes. The rest of the bikes had difficulty for a variety of reasons and the 8 bike field bump was a 7 flat.

Sure I'm disappointed that they don't let you bring in extra water and food. Of course that is the standard at almost all sporting evens and some NHRA tracks. They don't charge for parking at LVMS so that is one positive. I would love to pay for parking and be allowed to bring in a cooler like you can in Denver, Indy and Phoenix.

I usually don't rant about an article like this but no one forced him to go to the races. If a internet magazine like DRO doesn't spport the races why should other fans come out. Positive reporting will help the sport grow much more than negative stories. Me and my wife went to Vegas for the races. After paying for flights, hotel, rental car, race tickets and food we dished out $1600. Of course that doesn't even include our losses at the casino's. I had a hell of a time and I can't wait to return in October.

 

[.]

Transportation to and from the track is his problem, not anyone else's. If I had gone, I would have given them a ride to and from. No problem.

The entrance to the track is RIGHT NEXT to the ticket booth!! How could anyone not see it?

I have had excellent luck parking at Vegas. EVERYTIME. Never more than 2 rows away from the entrance. A VERY short walk from the FREE parking. Love it!

Agreed that the concessions are too expensive.
I always bring in water bottles or powerade and a subway sandwich. Never been denied entry. Did those items get prohibitted this spring?

Agreed the ticket prices are too high.
Yes, it sucks bigtime that a GA ticket will not buy you shade/shelter from the desert sun. I deal with that every time.
It sucks that they no longer allow GA ticket holders into the trackside beer garden/pit. The officials hassle you every time you go into that area.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I did want one of those fancy tequila ice slushes in the nice decanter with the shot glass top. They were $14 I think. Well, I didn't buy it. So, they won that one.

 

[Chili]

They were searching bags for everything. They were stopping a lot of people from bringing food and water in. Of course if you go to the "right" person you can get the stuff through. They said it has always been their policy but they are now enforcing it. I was told it was to protect the food vendors. I understand that they pay quite a bit of money to have a booth and if fans can bring everything in their sales suffer. I will agree with that to some extent but 80% of the fans will buy food and drink inside the gates. They should never stop fans from bringing water in.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

They were searching bags for everything. /QUOTE]


Can't blame the bag search on the track or nhra. I work at a stadium and last year we got MUCH stricter on what could come in. We were told it wasn't the stadiums call, it came down from "homeland security".

 

[elvis]

Jok's reasons are the same as mine as far as why I don't do national events anymore. I would much rather throw my money away at a divisional event or at a local track maybe helping the purse for a sportsman racer. Or maybe helping the track owner pay his light bill on the place. I'd rather do that then know that my money might be going to help a guy in Glendora make a payment on his Bentley...

 

[Rajunz]

Thanks Chris for your initial post.....took the words out of my mouth. That article is nothing but whining...... Joe Nicholson sounds like someone that should be watching the races from his lazyboy with his grandkids waiting on him.....

 

[twostep]

We were told it wasn't the stadiums call, it came down from "homeland security".

Al Queda's new weapon - Dasani bombs.

 

[StockersRock]

Great post, Chris, I agree! While I will say that it is not his obligation to report positively for the sake of the sport, the whole article came off very amateurish. The complaining about how many rigs JFR and DSR was really where he lost me. I was also bothered by the fact that he's complaining on the going's on of a Saturday at a national event, arguably the worst day to go, unless you are really a big LODRS fan. Either way, he's got one more day at the races in than I do this year, so I don't see all that much to complain about.

 

[Buns]

Appearantly the writer has never been to another race before. You can't blame LVMS or NHRA for $70 round trip to the track. He also first tried to get in through the racers gate which of course is not allowed. It doesn't matter what track your at. He complained about being held up by the traffic police. They do that for the safety of the fans and the allow the sportsman racers a chance to get to the staging lanes. I don't know how many times I have seen a super comp dragster having to stop for a wandering adult. Even more dangerous for the kids. He complained about having to walk around the pits to the stands. Vegas is the by far the most conveinant I have ever been at. Compare LVMS to Topeka, Phoenix, Indy, or Denver and it is paradise. I love Denver but your walking twice as much as Vegas. He also whined about having to go under the track to sit on the other side. I can't imagine what he would have done if he was in Indy, Phoenix or Topeka and on the wrong side. Why should they let him sit on the reserved side when he didn't pay for the reserved ticket. They don't let me scoot up to the front row at a NBA game from the upperdeck just because the seat is empty. $7 for a beer is the going rate at any sporting event. Most events are more. Nobody is forcing you to drink beer let alone 3 of them in one pro session. He at least enjoyed the Nitro Harleys but I think he must have been sleeping during them. He mentioned the 6.30's at 220 mph. I think only two bikes achieved those times all weekend and they were Horne and Grimes. The rest of the bikes had difficulty for a variety of reasons and the 8 bike field bump was a 7 flat.

Sure I'm disappointed that they don't let you bring in extra water and food. Of course that is the standard at almost all sporting evens and some NHRA tracks. They don't charge for parking at LVMS so that is one positive. I would love to pay for parking and be allowed to bring in a cooler like you can in Denver, Indy and Phoenix.

I usually don't rant about an article like this but no one forced him to go to the races. If a internet magazine like DRO doesn't spport the races why should other fans come out. Positive reporting will help the sport grow much more than negative stories. Me and my wife went to Vegas for the races. After paying for flights, hotel, rental car, race tickets and food we dished out $1600. Of course that doesn't even include our losses at the casino's. I had a hell of a time and I can't wait to return in October.

Post of the week! Right on, my man.

 

[rollingthunder]

Good thing he wasn't going to memphis or columbus. Imagine how that article would have went.

 

[Paul]

Sorry, but reading that article just cost me 3 minutes of my life I will never get back. The tracks have to make money, period. Nothing in life is free, get over it. After reading the crying in that article it sounds like the guy needs to focus his time finding a new job that pays better or better yet he needs to do some research before attending a race to figure out how he can save money.

 

[Toejam]

I have been to Vegas about 15 times, and I have NO idea of this Spectator gate he is referring too!

 

[HEMI6point1]

Man, after reading that article I thought, "what a whiny b*tch."

Tracks have to make money. It's same with any other sport. I've never been, but I'm sure that football stadiums are just as expensive.

 

[Buns]

Man, after reading that article I thought, "what a whiny b*tch."

Tracks have to make money. It's same with any other sport. I've never been, but I'm sure that football stadiums are just as expensive.

Oh they are. I'm thinking this guy has never been to a public event before? Overpriced food is an expected part of being at an event. Don't like it? Then eat before you go in.

 

[Dave]

I believe his $70 shuttle ride dropped him off at the box office that is located at the NASCAR track. They sell the tix too. He then walked across the street to the gate located on the main street (SPEEDWAY?). That gate is clearly marked racers only. All he had to do is walk another 100 yards and enter at the gate by handicapped parking, sleezeball could have also bummed a ride from a handicapped shuttle and gotten a ride up to the grandstand, thereby bypassing so many bad experiences. Seems like the guy went out of his way looking for things to complain about. What do you expect, he drinks Coors. Probably had to write his story so he could write the trip off on his taxes.

 

[Jim]

Sounds like a reporter who was pissed that he had to pay at all.

Same guys who get the lousy free food in the locker room (and complain about the small portions).

 

[Nitrohelper]

.....Apparently the writer has never been to another race before.....

It probably isn't apparent to you that he owned a drag strip in Iowa ,and races super stock cars...
Maybe he knows a little more about the drag racing business than most of the great keyboard track experts that have never invested in the sport other than buying a ticket...

 

[Toejam]

Thanks Chris for your initial post.....took the words out of my mouth. That article is nothing but whining...... Joe Nicholson sounds like someone that should be watching the races from his lazyboy with his grandkids waiting on him.....

Really...I would love to see his opinions of a NASCAR race or an NFL Game! Think concessions are expensive at an NHRA race?