HEMI6point1
Nitro Member
What the H*ll was I bashing?
Nitromater
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Why are NHRA sponsorships becoming a tough sell?
- Thread starter HEMI6point1
- Start date
What the H*ll was I bashing?
NASCAR ratings are not down because of the points system. They are down because no sport can compete with the National Football League. Not NASCAR, and not even baseball during the playoffs or the World Series.
I was NITRO BREATH
Nitro Member
On a few occasions I have watched drag racing on TV with friends and family who never saw it. They all had the same reaction-- "all they do is go down the track for a few seconds and thats it- its boring" . Drag racing does not translate on TV and I think thats the main problem. Take the same person to a race and they are impressed. 90% of the thrill of top fuel cars are lost on TV.
You're right about that Barry. I'm as diehard as any Mater here, and I get bored watching it on TV. Nobody's fault, just the nature of the beast. However, I also think watching cars go 200 laps on an oval is boring. Yet the numbers that NASCAR pulls are really amazing. ESPN has done a good job of adding some neat stuff to the drag race coverage. I'm not sure what the answer is as far as how to improve the ratings (which would no doubt go a long way toward attracting sponsors), but getting back to live eliminations might help. When things are live, they seem to take on greater importance, which may attract a bigger audience. As it's been said, NHRA does not need to be NASCAR to succeed, or even survive, but it does need to be able to attract and keep more non-automotive sponsors in order to maintain any kind of depth in the pro categories.
d'kid
Nitro Member
Barry,
You mean the smell, the sounds, the fact that even your fillings vibrate, the air around you has a harmonic that you feel in your hair follicles... your whole body resonates, you can feel the air moving out of the way of the car in waves...
And that's the Alky cars... LOL
Nitro is all that ten fold
Not translate to TV? Hell, the human mind can't grasp everything that is taking place just a few feet away.
Drag Racing must be seen on TV, to get the nuances... but it can only be felt in person...
Damn, I love this sport... always have, always will
DragFan2
Nitro Member
Nunzio, your comments were good, but this one makes me ponder. When were live eliminations ever on TV?
OK, I do recall a few years ago when the 1st Rd. was shown live a few times as NHRA2Day's timeslot was used for that purpose, but that was a rarity. Delayed telecast has been the rule for as long as I can remember, and back in the TNN/Diamond P days, the race was televised a week or two later. LIVE telecasts have been real rare for NHRA shows and even then it was at best one round and not all the Pro classes in most cases.
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
I now return you to your everything is NHRA's fault bashing thread. 
Totally tongue in cheek dude. I thought the sarcasm was blatantly obvious. A dead give away is that winking smiley at the end of the sentence. Anyway, I was speaking in general terms, as this topic pops up every now and then on the 'Mater and it usually degenerates into an NHRA management bashfest, and this one probably will too.
What the H*ll was I bashing?
Totally tongue in cheek dude. I thought the sarcasm was blatantly obvious. A dead give away is that winking smiley at the end of the sentence. Anyway, I was speaking in general terms, as this topic pops up every now and then on the 'Mater and it usually degenerates into an NHRA management bashfest, and this one probably will too.
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I guess the live TV stint was short-lived in hindsight. I remember something like a midday show, could have been NHRA Today, showing the 1st round, and then returning for a live telecast of the finals later. It's been quite awhile, so I'm not sure. Either way, with the 75 minute rule and the fact that the show has been tremendously tightened up, does anyone think we are ready for live coverage? I do. Even the roundy-rounders aren't perfect, they have the same chance of a crash mucking up the schedule, as we do with an oildown or whatever. IMO NHRA should try to make live coverage happen.
I think another issue with nascar tv vs nhra tv is that you can walk away from the tv, or fall asleep during a nascar race and 10,20, even 60 minutes later come back and really not miss much. In drag racing you blink and its done.
Of course thats why I love drag racing but it doesn't parlay as well to tv. Thats why I think they need to push to get people to their local tracks, even for a regular weekend (non national event). I took my father in law this year for his first time. It didn't take nitro to impress him. Watching a super stocker leave wheels up blew him away, now he's hooked.
Of course thats why I love drag racing but it doesn't parlay as well to tv. Thats why I think they need to push to get people to their local tracks, even for a regular weekend (non national event). I took my father in law this year for his first time. It didn't take nitro to impress him. Watching a super stocker leave wheels up blew him away, now he's hooked.
SST2096
Nitro Member
Live TV coverage
I for one remember the live TV experiment on satellite TV.. basically a non-stop feed starting on Sunday morning and continuing all day till final eliminations. That experiment lasted all of about half a season, what with numerous oildowns and rain delays..the bane of live TV (what to do to keep the fans interested while waiting). I've been watching drag racing on TV from the Diamond P days on "The Nashville Network" (remember that?) all the way up to today's format, albeit not as much as the rabid fan (as a racer, I find it difficult to "just watch", but after not driving for awhile, I'm watching TV more).
Today's coverage is a lot better, but time continues to be the number one factor in getting at least the final rounds covered live. Part of the problem is the availability of the info on the Net, and the TV contract (or lack thereof) with a major network (Not ESPN or a cable channel, but one of the "Big 4" networks), to bring in the casual fan, or open up the sport to new fans. Drag racing, like ice hockey, is best experienced live, and how to effectively translate that experience to television is a question that is still unanswered.
Simply mimicing NASCAR is not going to fix things...
I for one remember the live TV experiment on satellite TV.. basically a non-stop feed starting on Sunday morning and continuing all day till final eliminations. That experiment lasted all of about half a season, what with numerous oildowns and rain delays..the bane of live TV (what to do to keep the fans interested while waiting). I've been watching drag racing on TV from the Diamond P days on "The Nashville Network" (remember that?) all the way up to today's format, albeit not as much as the rabid fan (as a racer, I find it difficult to "just watch", but after not driving for awhile, I'm watching TV more).
Today's coverage is a lot better, but time continues to be the number one factor in getting at least the final rounds covered live. Part of the problem is the availability of the info on the Net, and the TV contract (or lack thereof) with a major network (Not ESPN or a cable channel, but one of the "Big 4" networks), to bring in the casual fan, or open up the sport to new fans. Drag racing, like ice hockey, is best experienced live, and how to effectively translate that experience to television is a question that is still unanswered.
Simply mimicing NASCAR is not going to fix things...
Gordon
Nitro Member
As has been mentioned, this topic comes up every so often and normally with the same result... nothing.
Many have said it on here before, and many more will say it in the future - drag racers are gear heads. Tom McEwen, Don Prudhomme, John Force, Kenny Bernstein, and Joe Amato all figured out that if they wanted to pursue their dreams on the 1320, they'd have to learn how to become effective salesmen. Too many teams out there still haven't figured that out. It's not necessarily NHRA's responsibility to attract sponsors for these folks - it's theirs. NHRA could (and should) help, but it's not solely on them.
To cover an event from start to finish would require a lot of 'filler', especially in the later rounds. Even if NHRA reduced the time between rounds to 60 minutes - that's an hour folks! In the early rounds, it wouldn't be too difficult, but even when you're at the event live the time between the semi's & the finals is boooring. How many T-shirts do we have to see shot into the stands? How many bottles of Powerade do we have to see chugged? My recommended solution - show the sportsmen cars in the later rounds... especially the alcohol classes!
Drag Racing is what it is - most of us love it and would never leave, regardless of exposure, sponsorship money, etc. If teams want to compete, they must learn to market & sell - it's that simple. The rest should take care of itself.
Many have said it on here before, and many more will say it in the future - drag racers are gear heads. Tom McEwen, Don Prudhomme, John Force, Kenny Bernstein, and Joe Amato all figured out that if they wanted to pursue their dreams on the 1320, they'd have to learn how to become effective salesmen. Too many teams out there still haven't figured that out. It's not necessarily NHRA's responsibility to attract sponsors for these folks - it's theirs. NHRA could (and should) help, but it's not solely on them.
To cover an event from start to finish would require a lot of 'filler', especially in the later rounds. Even if NHRA reduced the time between rounds to 60 minutes - that's an hour folks! In the early rounds, it wouldn't be too difficult, but even when you're at the event live the time between the semi's & the finals is boooring. How many T-shirts do we have to see shot into the stands? How many bottles of Powerade do we have to see chugged? My recommended solution - show the sportsmen cars in the later rounds... especially the alcohol classes!
Drag Racing is what it is - most of us love it and would never leave, regardless of exposure, sponsorship money, etc. If teams want to compete, they must learn to market & sell - it's that simple. The rest should take care of itself.
