Good article on the problems of of today's NHRA ,

[BigDad]

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/26057-up-front-racing-is-killing-drag-racing1

[phitter67]

Sure looks like a good start. But as he said, who will do it?

[SpiderGearsMan]

Jon Asher is always good

[Jimbo17]

The following is a comment from the story,

Before we go any further, please note that I’m not going to wax nostalgic about the so-called good old days, because as much fun as those days may have been, you can’t go home again.

I would disagree with this statement because right now at many drag strips there are associations and groups running Nostalgic Events where you must race a car from the 60's with almost no electronics and they have great turnouts of cars and spectators coming to watch.

This style of drag racing is really making a very big come back and I believe it is because they put on a better show for the fans.

I remember going to drag strips just to watch the match races and I wanted to see drivers with real personalities like Jungle Jim and many others.

I do agree with many parts the story and believe that racing today as gotten boring for many of the fans.

When I attend an NHRA event one of the things that is very noticeable is how many fans are either in the stands or lining the fences to watch a certain class run.

When the bikes run there are not anywhere near the amount of fans as for other classes watching!!!!! Is the NHRA seeing the same thing?

There was an excellent article written in the June 2013 Performance Racing Industry magazine on industry insights on what track owners and promoters must do in order to put on a better show and get more people coming to watch the races.

Jimbo

[Barry Donovan]

I agree jimbo, about nostalgic.

but to take this statement out of context

Without beating the point to death, we all know the goal of everyone directly involved with a race car is to make it the quickest and fastest machine in the class

I'd rather an optical distributor mixed with a progressive port.

there is more than nostalgia, and more than racing.. and that is fun.

They'll have to go an element of circus to keep a crowd. same as anything.

[Loren]

Asher's good and of-course he's been around forever. Some times what he says leaves me kinda going "huh?" but the part about not going home again is true and what drag racing has to deal with. That "home" (meaning, where it came from) seems more interesting than where it is now to me, but it that just me (and him) pining to be a kid again?

...what track owners and promoters must do in order to put on a better show and get more people coming to watch the races.

They could watch a little cable TV, check the ratings to see what type of thing actually scores people's interest (Duck Dynasty 1-3 million viewers but as high as 10...there, I said it...) and learn at about what level it is that people like their polish and scripting at. A little is good, too much just kills it.

I enjoyed the last Winternats I went to (five years ago) but after emptying my pockets to be there and getting lost among the million-buck semi-trailer rigs and cookie-cutter fuel cars in the pits, I left feeling a little like NHRA drag racing kind-of spit on me and left me behind. Why go back for more of that?

[Jimbo17]

To be very honest I believe all consumers do the same thing and that is after you have spent your hard earned money on whatever it is you like to do such as an NHRA event or a NASCAR event or even some local Saturday night short track and that is was it worth the amount of money I spend?

When the answer to that question is no then you don't bother going back again.

Really it's the exact same thing has places you stop to eat. If you were not happy with the food, service, portions sizes, price or whatever you don't go back.

You have to find a way to make the consumer feel like they are getting their moneys worth or they won't be back it really is that simple. Give them more then they are expecting and they will come back again.

NASCAR has gone out of it's way to cater to multi-car teams and most single car teams are hanging on by their finger nails.

The NHRA has in many ways priced themselves out of their own market. Most of watch will watch a race on TV but realize what it cost to run a car is completely out of our budget.

Jimbo

[SpiderGearsMan]

they are all pretty uncomfortable events to attend
they are lucky anybody shows up