You folks have to get to grips with reality (1 Viewer)

[Speedy_Sticks]

Where will the sport be without the Don? Is he the saver or breaker of the sport?

Yes he has lots of teams, this could be viewed as sometimes he took over teams that were struggling and helping give more people jobs, or some may view it as inching out the independent teams by having multiple teams in the same category, not allowing the independent teams have as much winning cash as they would have if the better fianced teams haven't dominated the higher spots.

JFR are as bad, but only in the FC category. I believe that the team orders are to protect the sponsors, that is what makes him so popular with keeping the sponsors. When did John Force last fire a crew chief?

I believe strongly that we will have to reformalate the engines to slow them up and make them more flexible to different length of race track. I believe that simular situation might have to happen in Pro Stock. I wonder what Warren Johnson's views are into making him and other teams more competitive?

This is the lnly way to cut costs and make the pro ranks more affordable.

I am sure Ford will allow their FC bodies to be used I 2015, just won't help pay for them!

When you complain about crowd sizes, make sure that you compare them against other forms of motor sport first.

Which fother motor sport has left it's engines to get more powerful and less inefficient? Yes I know NHRA have made measures to harness the power, but I believe that a more comprehensive rejig of the engine is requred so the costs don't sore out of control more.

Then if your complaining that you won't watch anymore if they go any slower, then why do some pro teams enjoy nastalgia racing so much?

We also have to make the cars more sexy, better paint jobs and seaker body work, but the NHRA have to figure out how to do this without upsetting the areos to much, perhaps reformulating the engine and the look of the cars is necessary.

But the NHRA has to reformalate the pro ranks or die in respect of pricing itself out of existence. The teams are just as bad, everybody is looking to go faster, but they need to cut cost some how? Perhaps cutting Nitro down greater?

 

[twostep]

"Reformulating the engines" has been literally discussed to death by fans, keyboard racers and the pro race teams themselves. Different combinations have been tested - smaller CID (413), smaller fuel pumps, etc. and so far, no one seems eager to carry it any further. Neither do I believe it would be a dime cheaper to run a nitro 413 that it would be a nitro 500.

You might force the teams to reduce power by leaving all the 'glue' off the racing surface...but then the Pro Stock people would squeal like a pig under a gate and justifiably so. As for cutting back nitro, when NHRA cut it to 85%, Tony Schumacher ran 337MPH. So much for that idea. You can cut it back completely - but we've already got that covered in the form of TAFC and TAD, which for most fans means hot dog/pee break time.

There's no easy solutions to this one.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

All great points, all of which have been beat to death.

My opinion is that this is not a drag racing problem, but purely a cultural issue. And ss with anything needing cultural overhaul, it's a long process, multi-year in most cases, riddled with hurt feelings and people ultimately leaving. However, with the RIGHT leader, the RIGHT vision and FULL commitment, any casualties lost during the transition will be replaced (and then some) by folks who actually get it and the end result will be a better product. That's just the natural process of culture change, and I don't care if we're talking about NHRA Drag Racing or making powdered donuts.

None of this is rocket science or new news. Personally, I think everyone involved already knows just how big the mountain to climb is, and it's just good ol' fashioned fear keeping them from making the initial steps. Fear of just how long it will take to get the ship headed the right direction. But there is no reason to fear it, because it's normal. The decision makers are looking under the table in the conference room for the magic wand and it just don't exist. These problems should've been nipped in the bud years ago, but they weren't. Now the hill is huge, and with every passing day, the hill gets bigger. Instead of continuing to search for the magic wand, their efforts would be much better utilized rolling up their sleeves and getting to work, because that's what it's going to take.

There are already successful platforms in place, Bader probably being the best example I could come up with on the spur of the moment. It's already been proven that you can sign financial backing, put on a 1st class show that packs the stands and end up in the black at the end of the night. Not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, but it would be a hulluva' start.

Sean D

 

[swervin]

I have said it before and I still believe its true, Don or any owner that has such a large part of NHRA pro racing is good for Don or whomever, not NHRA. Its business.

Just say that Don or John Force gets a bug up there ass, a personal issue or business issues that makes them park the cars. What do you have then, half a field or less by just two owners pulling the plug?

Too bad there wasnt a "pool" of sponsors to fund the race cars to have more teams and less influence by those that have the most. Winning by attrition is a lousy way to win. (Having the most cars doesnt mean you win, but has too severe circumstance when they decide they want to play in another sandbox.

Paint jobs is determined by the sponsors wanting their colors to seen they way they want. Cant change that much.

Agreed they NHRA needs to do something, I wish I had the answer.

Bob

 

[Mooseman]

I might be way off base here but one thing I notice now is with drivers on the side lines, you see them mentioning alot "We are working on something for next year", Ok thats cool thats great I think thats awesome that they might be back.

My big thought thing though is you see alot of drivers finding a sponsor and then taking it to an existing team. Ok fine thats cool aswell but my thought is if you can find some sponsor money enough to field a car then why not start your own team?

Nobody wants to start their own teams these days. Single car teams are becoming less and less.

There are lots of drivers out there wanting a seat, I know the sponsor deal is hard but if they can find some money then why not run their own car and control their future. You can't be kicked out of a seat when it is your car.

On the other hand though I remember when guys like K.C. Spurlock used to post on here and people would always ask "When are you going to drive again?" "When are you coming back?".

I bet they would be back in a second if they could find some money.

 

[DAN]

My big thought thing though is you see alot of drivers finding a sponsor and then taking it to an existing team. Ok fine thats cool aswell but my thought is if you can find some sponsor money enough to field a car then why not start your own team?

Set-up costs are the reason. Dixon has been 'working on a deal' for a couple years and even when partnered with Santo's team earlier this year, he only managed to bring the Escopeda Oil deal for 2 races and that's it...for a 3x NHRA champ. The money is getting harder to find as corporate America aren't seeing the ROI they expect for the money asked. It would be easier to find $1m or less and hire a ride for a season with another team than get 2x trailers built, full parts/spares inventory as well as rent shop space, when you can slide in under another team banner where the infrastructure is already there.
Hot Rod Fuller mentioned a couple years back that the level of exposure for a TF team over a season is applicable to a $1.8-$2.2m sponsorship. The economy is still rough and corporate America looks harder at where they spend their $.