Re: Nhra
 

So ken any ideas

Re: Nhra
 

This has to be the most ridiculous post I have ever seen. Joe makes a great point. Why would you go out and destroy a combo? Why would you comment how much he has in his car? Once again...It's his money! His stuff is fast and he can easily infraction. It's very easy for some people to say "run it out the back door" etc, etc, etc. You still have to pay for it when the horsepower committee meets. Maybe Joe doesn't want to spend more money to be in the same place he is now. That's just racing "smart" in my opinion.

Re: Nhra
 

This idea would be for Stock and Super Stock. I would like to see NHRA treat s/ss as an asset and not a liability. In today's business climate, NHRA should take advantage of every market available, no matter how small.

Promoting us as the greatest muscle car show on earth. Not only do the cars look great but the run as good as they look. They do not need to promote us as they would the pros, but just a part of the whole experience of a National Event. Stock and Super Stock are the grassroots of drag racing, letting the fans know there is something for everyone when the came to the track is good for everyone.

I am not a promoter, but I'm sure the amount of resources it would take to do so, would be well within NHRA's budget.

Re: Nhra
 

There is interest and opportunity. There are good people at NHRA that love and support us, but it does not appear that the people making decisions are among them. If they are, we sure are not hearing from them.

That being said, we all have a responsibility to forward the support in any way we can. I would have known nothing about NHRA class racing were it not for Bob Gipson. He taught my brother and I to race and we took it from there.

We talk about the young kids not being interested? If we generalize about the Millineum Generation, they are all a bunch of texting, gaming stay at home import racer wannabees. That is not true for many of the kids. They want to know and then they take it from there.

NHRA Drag Racing is very popular, but it has always been a bit of a niche market. How were you introduced? I bet you were not in the majority in High School. There were more guys into Stock car Racing or not even into cars when I was in High School.

I know I didn't see it on TV, ever to get started. It was a racer and a science teacher showing the value of applied science. To stay in school. so that I could afford to race. Math and physics actually matter.To understand that book smart doesn't always equate to good results. Working together to solve a problem under challenging conditions. To have fun helping others at the track. To be the best you can be with what you have at that moment, on the line.

The point is, we can all make a difference. Even if it is one future racer at a time. That is how it is done. That is how it always been done.

I for one and going to have a good time. I plan on doing this for a long time. I think there is interest in Stock Superstock racing. I do what I can to help promote racing. We need to support the local tracks. If the tracks survive we can race. If NHRA goes to figure skating, we can still race. If there are no tracks, we are screwed. We need to find the voice of the track owners and fit into their business plan to survive.



I took a neighbor kid to Joliet Nats. He is 8 years old. He had a blast! I am quite sure he had never seen a Drag Pak or a 69 Camaro ever! He loved both. He met Tony Schumacher and Big Daddy. I think the hook is set. We can't expect NHRA or anyone else to spoonfeed the next generation of racers. Put your arm around some of these kids and show them what it is all about. That is where our next Gen of racers can come from if we try.

Re: Nhra
 

Kenny,I'm sorry my opinions don't meet with your approval.It's just the way I see it through my old tired eyes.If I had the funds to have raced all year I would have been out there paying the fat fees NHRA charges.I'm sorry I can't be a blind cheerleader for the idiots out in Glendora.Like a blind squirrel every now and then they find a nut,
but most of the time they're scrambling around trying to find ways to pick our pockets.
If you take time to notice I aim my comments directly to the supposed leadership
of the association.I haven't other racers,though I disagreed with some and tried to give my point of view.
As usual you have the option of deleting my post.

Re: Nhra
 

I couldn't resist commenting here....when I go to a National Event (Seattle, mostly) I'm always swimming upstream.......

The fuel cars are running, I'm headed to the porta pottie. Stock and Super Stock are running, I'm headed to my seat! I'd love to be out there racing, but you have all mentioned it, the price of admission for class racing is pretty high given today's economy.

Some day, though! Long live Stock and Super Stock!!!!

Re: Nhra
 

If it's heads-up that seem to catch the eye of the "new generation", I would suggest running class eliminations in conjunction with the pros while the fans are still in their seats.
What better way to introduce S/SS to the croud. While running class they have the oportunity to explain the S/SS classes and let them know how elminations will be done later in the day...Most of the time when pros are done running the anouncers usually tell the fans to go on down to the pro pits and get you an autograph , pics, or t-shirt , instead of capturing their interest in other classes.....Just needs a little pr work....I for one have been around drag racing all my life and know it has to change as well as a lot of other things,but it is hard to accept,I am just tooooo old school i guess...Money is the biggest obstical i have to run at all these events.. I can assure you if i won the lottery you would get tired of seeing me at these races,,,lol...:) , ;)

Re: Nhra
 

Good idea. If they wanted to highlight the DP, CJ and if Chevy? FX type cars heads up 8 car fields or something that would show heads up sportsman racing that would be very easy to sell from a marketing standpoint. Of course, someone would first have to explain this to the marketing department in small words, maybe in their language ( I mean powerpoint) :) I doubt if they know the difference between Comp and SuperComp let along Stock and Superstock.

Re: Nhra
 

Ed, I don’t know were it says in my post that your opinion does not meet with my approval. You have every right to feel as you do, I'm just pointing out my opinion on the hand full of members on Class Racer that have been predicting the demise of class racing.

Your posts are mostly negative, but that's your choice. I for one like to look at the positive. Yes its expensive to race, and I like anyone else could be parked tomorrow if the funds were not there.

You constantly rip NHRA and upper management, stop worrying about things you can not control.

Ed, why would I remove your post? you have an opinion, and that's fine. If you post irrelevant pictures or start babbling about politics on the s/ss section, well that's a different story.

Re: Nhra
 

I agree. Maybe a class of the faster S/SS cars and then a class of the slower cars as well.
Get Frey to explain it.

Re: Nhra
 

you have been warned for your comments, one more warning may result in a 3 day ban!

Re: Nhra
 

Ken, now youre talking. Promotion. I remember when I first started going to Div 1 Points meets, the stands were definately more packed than they are today. Also, Raceway Park use to promote the Points meets. Not any more, the stands look like a ghost town. They should give a low rate discounted price for admission and make money at the concession stands. What car show is better than a Points meet?? Fast cars painted like candy wrappers. Even though I believe the new cars of today have a favorable factors, they are essential for the growth of stock and superstock. Years ago, when I discovered class racing, I liked the fact that stockers and superstockers look like real everyday vehicles that the fans drove everyday. Thats cool, and look how fast they can go!! Thats what got me interested in Drag Racing. Fuel cars are cool, noisy and fast, but I dont see them in my local dealer. Even Pro stock looked like normal cars back then.....

Re: Nhra
 

clutch man.... Ryan speaks the truth.....he knows because he spends his time and money also like i do class racing..and we know first hand what it's all about.... I didn't park my car.....I've been running it all year....at divisionals and association races with a new combo.....so I'm not afraid to spend the money.....I'm just not gonna be foolish about it. I'm not the only one with my combo..there are guys with more funds than I have running the same combo and play it smart also.....I've played the game with the HP system for over 10 years now..... spent tons of money and enjoyed doing it.....we race to have fun..winning is a bonus......my point was...for what it costs to do this....I would rather be at races we're I'm the one burning rubber.....and not sitting around as filler for the pros. So I chose not to run Nationals this year.....thats it !! I have no hidden agendas hoping for the demise of the NHRA...far from it.......I would just like to see more Sportsnats !!!

Re: Nhra
 

Ed my sportsmen friend I enjoy your opinions because I know your just being honest. I do have a question how do you think they can fix what's ailing nhra? Everyone says about the entry fees, maybe you should get a discount if you enter more than one class or if you enter 3 or more national events get a discount. I never knew how expensive it was to run s/ss but the larger the fields the better. Look at the dutch the last couple years the crowd has been getting larger.

Re: Nhra
 

Good point...today we have NASCAR Pro Stock..Bodies..or Funny Cars with a NA engine.
IF it were not a car name printed on the body ..nobody would know the difference.
They are Hot Dog Blobs with paint !

FWIW the new breed of cars represent more of yesterdays Pro Stock ...
Again starting in Stock and SS !!

D

Re: Nhra
 

Thanks for your support.What would I like to see?
1) Increase in the payout structure for the entry amount we pay.
2) Real tech at races.If you go fast you get torn down,no questions asked.
3) Use ALL runs at Nats/div/opens to impliment the AHFS.Some cars (not only the new ones) are so fast they can get hit even running the next class up.I've seen it
more than once.And I don't want to hear "They work on their cars".Bullpoop.If you go
1.25-1.30 under the new indexes,you're in the wrong class.
4) Clean house in Glendora.They've over extended their welcome.Nothing constructive comes from there anymore.
5) Lastly,for now,ban Jack from a 500 mile radius of any race in progress.End of
aquatic problems.

Mickey thanks for the heads up.

Re: Nhra
 

10-4 on #4. I agree with everything else to but #4 is the most important.

Re: Nhra
 

Normally, I don't post on these kind of topics - but ideas are always a good thing.

Skills - I think you bring up some good ideas about discount programs for fans, racers, etc... that would and could possibly work. Getting those into effect may be another story, but never hurts to try. I am in my mid-20's and yes I have been around racing my entire life so being a racer for me came from the family, however, I know that when someone is driving a muscle car around town, on the freeway, etc... it turns heads - mostly everyone around takes a second glance or stares because you don't see them that often and lets face it they look awesome.

My idea would be something to try and generate more fans for the sportsman racers. It would start at the divisional level and working with the individual tracks themselves.
Work with local businesses to help promote the event (get a couple of sportsman racers to bring their cars out for half a day/night the weekend before right out front of Bass Pro Shops, Hooters, or anywhere local and pass out FREE tickets to the divisional event) I think the key is giving out FREE tickets and getting people to come to the races. Think about it - if you give out 3000 tickets for a local divisional and lets say only 5% of the people take advantage of the free offering, that is 150 more people at the event than they had before. People would be more apt to buying food, apparel, etc... since they got in free. Tracks could sell more vendor spots because more people would be coming out. Then, hopefully out of those 150 extra people that came - maybe a percentage of them would become actual fans or even racers. The other benefit is that the sportsman racers would then have a little more appeal to sponsors since they would be getting a little more exposure.

It sounds small, but I think it could have a huge impact if done right.

Re: Nhra
 

Tony, one year we were at the Virginia points meet. The track owners gave free admission, and I believe $5.00 parking. The place was packed, the concessions were packed and everyone was cheering in the stands. This is what is needed. If fans can see organized Drag Racing, maybe you wont see the misconception of two idiots speeding on the Expressway called "drag racing".

Re: Nhra
 

I believe Gary Richard gave away many free tickets in Division 1 this past year as he is a major sponsor ( P.C. Richard ) . I never heard any comment on the turnout at the track due to his generosity. Did anybody notice ?

Re: Nhra
 

Tony and Finespline.That was tried at Englishtown a few times.I don't think 50 people took advantage of it.I'll bet some of them were coming anyway.Jack did his best to distribute passes and it was a bust.It's not for not trying that the tracks can't pull in fans for divisionals.Years ago they did,I think for two reasons.One we were more of a car culture and two,they used to run fuel cars and P/S at those events.
Maybe if they booked in a show with fuelers,you know the local leakers,and do some advertising,they might fill some seats.I'm not just about negativity,see Ken?

Re: Nhra
 

Just on the topic of younger guys. Just got back from a CanAm race. There are 3 of us younger guys ( believe I'm the oldest at 23) who just built cars. A '68 baracuda, '68 Camaro, and mine is a SS/JA '69 Camaro. Some of us still know where it's at.

John

Re: Nhra
 

I can only speak for my part of the country. Gary Richard is great and if he is at the dutch I plan on thinking him for his support of D1 sportsmen. I don't see too much advertising for maple grove and I am only an hour away. That's why I believe we need to bring back match racing. Maybe a big weekend s/ss combo with the sunoco series. Maybe a pro mod shootout, something to really give people the over the top with the bloodline of drag racing.

Re: Nhra
 

That could be a start,if they recognize the fact.

Re: Nhra
 

X 2 You da man Ken ...

Re: Nhra
 

I don't think Gary did the Free Tickets at E-Town this year but, did it in the past 2 years and it was a weak turn-out to say the least but, big Kudos to Gary for trying to get the fans into the seats to showcase the sportsman racers. Maybe if they did a Free Fireworks show at E-Town you would see a better turnout cause it might draw in some of the neighborhoods (the people not trying to shut down e-town..haha). I'm pretty sure a few tracks did a discount program this year. Atco did a buy 1 get 1 half off deal and I'll be honest the stands didn't look that full if I can remember, Epping did a big spread for the event and had 10,000 + people there, Maple Grove does the $25 carload every year and $5.00 to cross over to the pits deal with Fireworks, etc. The only downfall I see with the discounted tickets is they announce it too late. I know Atco & Cecil announced on the Monday prior to the event they were doing a ticket discount. Unfortunate but, most of the people have plans already going on for the weekend and it's too late to get them to change their plans and use the discounted tickets. I think out of the free tickets I've printed out at work and gave to people I've had 1 person use them and that's because they didn't already had plans and it was announced to late.

The question that I have is how is the promotion deal working for these events. I think if we could get Gary to come to local PC Richards Stores near the track and display the cars you could draw some more spectators. Put Gary's Camaro, New Mustang, Pat D. Corvette, Eddie Alessi's "Rat in a Cat" and maybe an Alky Car out in front of the stores and be like "Come see these cars and more at Atco Raceway on July 18th" get your free or discounted tickets here. Maybe give everyone a voucher when they come into the gate at the weekly bracket race at the track "Use this ticket on Saturday, get 5 bucks off your admission to the Lucas Oil Event". Racers might not use it but, I bet they might give it to someone who might. Trust me I go to Atco on a weekly basis and the amount of paperwork they give you when you enter the gate with promotions is insane so a $5.00 voucher might just work and get people to come see drag racing.