|
“I think that the sport is a great product, but there is nothing like connecting with that individual, the fans that come out, they’ll connect with the cars, but the connection is with a driver they like and connect with. The car should be secondary, but we are the spokesmen for our sport. The fan wants a driver they can come out and cheer for, and I think that’s an individual like a Don Prudhomme, Don Garlits, or a Shirley Muldowney.”
Pedregon continued, “I sure don’t believe that you promote a female because she’s a female; you’ve got to win some races. I’ve seen that with Danica Patrick, but I don’t think much of Danica because she hasn’t won anything. There are drivers who deserve more attention because they are the ones who are winning races and are good representatives of the sport, not because of their race or gender. The effort needs to be made in the right areas, promoting the right individuals.”
Kenny Bernstein, driver and team owner Monster-sponsored Fuel Funny Car
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
 James Drew photo |
There were a few other drivers whose opinions I sought, but I think Kenny Bernstein was the clearest. Bernstein felt it was going directly to the “grass roots,” that both the media and the fan on the local level will help us grow. He also felt that a next important step is to upgrade the facilities so they are a destination where fans want to spend the day, but it is clearly the responsibility of NHRA to begin that growth on the local level as NASCAR did with their meteoric rise.
Conclusion
I got some good insight into how the drivers see the situation. So, how do I see the next level? Live broadcasts with taped highlights of our premier events on ABC, CBS and NBC with hand-picked, professional announcers who love drag racing, not cast-offs from other series. With some ABC network telecasts the new fan will see shows that only the hardcore fan would have hunted down on our haphazard ESPN2 broadcast schedule. With network broadcasts we’ve got a much better shot at the casual viewer who’ll find an interesting, compelling bunch of drivers who tame those wild 330 mile-per-hour monsters.
Better integrated advertising is essential as well, such as free tickets with the purchase of a set of Goodyear tires or ticket discounts with POWERade bottle redemption, but incorporating the entire marketing and media package is essential. Get executives who love our sport as much as the competitors to become enthusiastic evangelists for NHRA Drag Racing not merely paid shills. And don’t ever sell off the series title rights to a company like Coca-Cola, who will not cross market or seem to give a crap about drag racing.
Add a $1 million payout to the NHRA nitro champions… and free hot dogs and one-dollar beer night couldn’t hurt either.
Recent Stories