2. Why not a short piece about the fact that NHRA has had weather issues at exactly half or their races so far this year? There is no doubt that is having an effect on the NHRA bottom line.
3. When are we going to see an interview with an NHRA official concerning the fact we still have no official ET record for the 1,000-foot track distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car, and how the fact there will be no points available for breaking those records could affect the Championships.
4. John Force said that a change in his steering had something to do with his extremely scary near crash during eliminations. Where was the explanation and tech piece about that? Force looked like he had seen Elvis when he got out of the car after that lap. Perhaps a follow-up was called for? 

I’m sure you readers can come up with other issues too, but surely there has to be more to covering an NHRA event for three and a half mind-numbing hours than pieces about Mike Dunn’s career and a sappy game show or one more interview with John Force speaking incoherently.

Back when Tom Compton and his staff decided the format for the often five hours of coverage of the NHRA events -- when they had upwards of 100 pro teams when all four classes race -- that it seemed smart just to cover pro teams. It is reasonable to think that with that many cars and bikes you could fill three or more hours.

Sadly, times have changed. They had fewer than 60 pro teams at Bristol (17 each in Top Fuel and F/C and 22 Pro Stocks) and that simply isn’t enough teams to provide enough material for a two-hour show, much less a three-and-a-half-hour show.

Drag racing as a sport is going through some serious changes and isn’t likely to ever return to the way it was. The NHRA and ESPN had better clue in on this and adapt their TV production. Like it or not their TV package needs more real racing (or needs to be drastically shortened).

Show viewers Pro Mods racing. Why not the last couple of rounds of Comp, Stock and Super Stock. Every drag racing fan I have ever met in more than 30 years as a professional reporter of the sport loves doorslammers that do big wheelstands or record speeds over 240 mph.

And I might bring to the NHRA staff’s attention that some of those cars have major-league sponsors that would appreciate the attention.
If the ESPN producers can’t find more interesting stories, if the pit reporters can’t, if Lewis Bloom and Mike Dunn (who are dialed into the sport big-time) can’t feed the producer better material or if they are and are being ignored then there needs to be some changes made, as in new staff. Hell hire me I’ll get you stories or interviews that will entertain your audience and make them want to tune in next week!

I don’t know the real (as in Nielsen) ratings for NHRA drag racing viewers. I doubt anyone does, but I refuse to believe that they are very good at all.

The NHRA needs to forget about designing a new engine for their racers and start paying more attention to a new and better TV show, one that can at least keep up with “PINKS ALL OUT”!

When the best piece of entertainment of a three-plus hour same-day broadcast of a NHRA race is the Full throttle 60-second spot, the sport and their broadcast team have a real problem that is going to take more than a clone game show and even more John Force can cure. Now is the time for change, or I’m betting more of the viewers of NHRA television shows will be making a change of their own.