NEVER ON MONDAY?
It looks like the NHRA ban on "Monday" testing is going to backfire.
It appears the high dollar multi-car teams are just going to go out and rent time at unsanctioned or other than NHRA tracks to do their testing as usual.
All this is going to result in is added cost and even wider split between the haves and the have-nots.
When you are talking about race teams with giant pocket books and bigger egos, you are going to have guys that are going to find ways around just about every edict that NHRA can come up with. The ink wasn’t even dry on the announcement and some one was already declaring that they needed to go somewhere besides an NHRA track and test.
Tom Silver
Glenwood, Minnesota
ASK, DON’T TELL
Secondly, you question NHRA's ability to manage their situation on several levels. It's obvious the current NHRA leadership isn't capable of anything other than putting money in their own pockets. What a sad day for drag racing. Now they decree that no one can test on Mondays. That's why we never raced NHRA. They never ask - They decree! What makes them think they can continually ignore their customer base (racers) and still survive? That ain't the way it works anymore, Tom!
John Martin
Nixa, Missouri
WELL, IT’S ONE IDEA…
Once again ESPN has bumped the NHRA telecast. This time it is the Topeka qualifying show. I would like all drivers to refuse interviews at the top end. Nothing against Gary Gerould. I would think this would get ESPN's attention. ESPN does not promote their coverage of the NHRA and continually treats the sport, its fans, and its sponsors like airtime fillers. I hope this idea will catch on. We deserve better coverage!
Bob Roush
Kingsland, Georgia
Sad to say, ESPN is most likely bumping something because whatever they bump has lower viewership than whatever they show in its place or a live event ran longer than expected. How would refusing to give interviews hurt ESPN then? How would it hurt anyone but the viewers who do watch it?
NHRA VS NASCAR
Burk mentioned about the NHRA seeing poor attendance like NA$CAR is going thru. I doubt they will. The NHRA still offers a lot of bang for the buck and cheap ticket prices compared to NA$CAR. NA$CAR's poor attendance is because of the COT and the boring follow the leader races. Costs a lot of money to go and be bored to death at one of their races.
Mike Westfall
Kentucky
RESPECT YOUR ELDERS
The ignorance of Karamesines' anti-ageism campaign just proves the lack of respect for our culture and history by the bean counters in both sanctioning body office suites and major corporate sponsor HQs. WHY do we continue to not get an inch off the nose of such attitudes? It's collective disrespect of our elders. Shame on us.
Only 15 fuelers... the clock is ticking...
Philip Bradford
Tacoma, Washington
REBUILDING OUR VIEW OF DRAG RACING
Do we have only ourselves to blame for drag racing as it is today? Did this situation start many years ago? Has our own need to feed our addiction of our adrenalin rush blinded us of this reality at hand?
Last question first, over the years parts have been more and more advanced in quality and quantity, resulting in a much higher quality in racing with better ET's and faster MPH. This also put the sportsman racer in a better position to attend sanctioned events. In our attempt to put ourselves at a higher professional level in the sportsman categories of NHRA and IHRA and also have our families enjoy the professional show of the pros we slowly let the sanctioning bodies put us in a position that we have found hard to get out of. You have to realize that if we all started at the level we are at now the demand for our presence would be much higher, so why are we now letting people push us around? There were two track owners in the late seventies early eighties that were close together and shared many of the same racers, and had a great car count. Now for the most part they had shared separate weekends and there was no problem, until they each wanted one of the same weekends and came at an impasse, and the result was one of the owners said he would just be open every weekend and the racers were split in two, resulting in going to the closest track.
This is the answer to the second question. Yes we started this problem many years ago without even seeing the results that would come many years later. This was really good for the sanctioning bodies for it put them in the position of having the only quality show. Now I say this on a level of every track, for most tracks were unwilling to even put on any type of promotion at their level or at any other! Now this resulted in more deterioration of local infrastructure of local tracks. Announcers and refreshment stands soon became more of a problem then a need. Another example: a local track used to have the local Jaycees run the concession stand so they were part of program and could make a profit to help their local needs. Now this track owner got greedy and took over the concessions and now probably gets little or no help with things like curfews, running at night, or local neighbor’s complaints, which go back to curfews and noise at night and traffic problems and so on. Now announcers are on hand promoters so why would anybody not want this to be a priority?
Lack of getting people in stands is also one of the problems. When you don't have any people in the stands, why not let them in the races for free, you would not be losing any money if you’re not making any in the first place.
Now this takes us to the first question, we have to go back to what got us started. We are the ones who built the ranks of drag racing and continued to hold the ranks together for whatever means. We can put on local shows but it takes all of the above to do so. Why do we keep letting the sanctioning bodies tell us we do not have anything to do with the show they keep putting on, and then tell us of the record profits they make every year? Let NHRA and IHRA put on a full pro show without our money and see what happens with their record profits. PROMOTERS everyone should take a good look back at such people like Broadway Bob and do things to get your local spectators to come out for a cheap weekend and some good hot dogs. Ron Leek is another example of announcers that can keep people interested while they are having a little fun.
Now our own greed including myself, fame and fortune.(In fact, a track owner uses this addictive phrase as a catch phrase) As a much younger man and racer I would go to a national event and watch the sportsman cars with all their stickers and decals and think, man that guy has a lot of sponsors. Now in my own ignorance I admit how stupid. On the other hand why would anyone take up space for a willing sponsor, just in case they win first or second place and on top of it promote the sanctioning bodies money coming to them because of there rules structured to keep them in the money. What if you worked really hard (which every sportsman does ) and a sponsor thought you would be a good example for them? But the sanctioning bodies figured out how to get all the money and give you very little. Now you have your car all stickered up and you have to go to certain races that pay for them stickers if you win or runner up. This means travel, promote a show that is not in your area, and eliminate any local program and sponsor that may be in your area. This also means you are advertising for free, for parts manufacturers that are selling many parts and not giving you enough for even a fraction of what you deserve for your effort.
Think of things this way, two days after a professional event do you even remember much of who won or do you even care while you are at your own job trying to figure out a way to get to another race because of your own addiction? This is what is like for the fan, it is only for the moment at hand and we have all but eliminated this for the local fan.
There is a local driver in Racine MN who is better than any pro in drag racing, I could not win against this guy in my early years if God struck him with lightning right before the run, finally one day the dream of a lifetime came true and I scored a round win against this person, if I ever get this twice in my lifetime it would truly be an accomplishment. This is what local fans come to see, but it still takes an announcer and a good hot dog.
There are many good racers from the bottom to the top that fans will come to see, it is just important to really see what are the important priorities. I am tired of the carrot being held out on a stick in front of me.
Mike Larsen
St. Paul, Minnesota
USA