Who are the customers?
 

https://dragillustrated.com/richard-...r-customer-is/


"They don’t understand who their customer is,” Freeman begins. “They don’t get it. We the racers – from all the sportsman class racers and all of us in the pros – are their customer. We should be top priority. Without racers there is no show, there is no sport, there’s no sponsorships to sell, there’s no events to sell tickets to, there’s no fans to buy them. There’s no media interest. The racers are at the center of it all. Nothing they do – not a single thing – reflects that, especially what they’ve done with the race purse and championship payout". -Freeman

Re: Who are the customers?
 

Read the article and what was stated is well taken.


Customer = Individual who pays for a service.


Have not been around drag racing as long as many of you (mid 90s) but learned very quickly that if you pay to enter an NHRA race you are NHRA customer.

Pros do not pay entry fees they are the NHRA Show, the product purchased by fans in the stands.

Sportsman racers pay to race as you all will agree are not seen as part of The Show but filler by NHRA. Sportsman entry fees do fund the Pro Show.
The case Mr. Freeman is discussing realistically is a racing budget cut which without openly stating will not fund the level of racing they have enjoyed.

Similar to the income cuts pro sportsman racers have swallowed for 10 or more years with purse cuts and sponsors no longer paying contingency.

Needless to say the true sportsman racer whose budget can be cut or deleted with loss of a job, sickness, or unexpected expense.

Re: Who are the customers?
 

This goes even further than THIS > The sportsman racers basically provide NHRA with approximately 4 to 5 million income a year >let me explain, membership Dues, the manufacturers who sell to racers pay a lot of advertising dollars to NHRA . The sportsman buy products from the manufacturers who in turn pay for their sponsorship of NHRA even though this has dwindling no ROI for them with NHRA .The money spend is intertwined as an example Mellow yellow we buy coke products and Camping world we buy from them. We all depend on each other so we all must understand, I am sure there are other examples of the Money spend on racing and how it helps NHRA I will think about this a little more. Don't get me wrong I want NHRA to be successful and Pay the pros the money they deserve vs the money they spend as well as the sportsman

Re: Who are the customers?
 

Has NHRA been cheap and screwed the racers YES and I understand why people here have spoken up.

Now about this article. Maybe Richard is just saying this to let NHRA know that next year he wants prize money back the same or higher. But if this is about the last race or the next race. Just where does Richard think the money is coming from? NHRA's major sponsor stopped sending NHRA money, the number of races has been reduce, the number of days for a race has been reduced, the number of spectators who can attend has been reduce. So just where does Richard think the money is coming from?

Stan

Re: Who are the customers?
 

I think PS could be on the edge of a cliff. Careful, they could easily be 'eliminated'.

Re: Who are the customers?
 

Well Stan, I'll tell you where. On more than one occasion in my life I've had to make some tough decisions concerning business, very personal decisions. In every instance where some economic development has bonked me on the head I made the decision to STOP BEING PAYED... during the latest China Flu economic disaster both my wife and I were not payed for 8 weeks, 16 household paychecks so my vendors and employees could get paid and the business could still continue to support our customers with what little they needed. NHRA should support the racer for once!

Re: Who are the customers?
 

I have no idea. But since you seem to know. What did the NHRA brass do in the way of taking or not taking a pay cut?


Stan

Re: Who are the customers?
 

I don't know what they did concerning their pay (one can only assume) but I know some of their customers (racers) sure took a hit on an already pathetic payout.

Re: Who are the customers?
 

Covered that in my first post. Still looking for an answer on how to fix it.


Stan

Re: Who are the customers?
 

After reading all of the above, I'm reminded of several times in the past when NHRA made reductions in how we the racers were rewarded for our efforts and the words of a past fellow Champion, Charlie Taylor.
After quietly listening to all the grousing, Charlie would reply, "you know, tell me who the person is holding a gun to your head when you send your entry form and check to NHRA."
Just like the fans sitting in the stands, we all are free to make choices about how and were we spend our entertainment dollars.
Chuck Gallagher

Re: Who are the customers?
 

This is a topic that comes up on a somewhat regular basis, and 2020 has only made things more problematic. I'm reminded what Alan Reinhart says at the conclusion of every National Event (paraphrasing here - that we could have spent our entertainment dollars anywhere) and he's right! We all made that decision to attend the race.


I can understand how frustrated Mr. Freeman must feel, with things changing so dramatically for his operation. Using 2020 as an example is going to be impossible, but we've had downturns in the economy before, haven't we? I think it's fair to assume that, as mentioned above, some of us have made the determination that no matter how much we enjoy the sport, life does "get in the way" sometimes, and there are other priorities in life that are going to come first.No single solution is going to work for everyone.


The one thing I question though is his idea that we are all "customers", and that the "show" is put on for our benefit. Maybe when Wally Parks and "Pappy" Hart first started holding races at old abandoned airfields, but that dynamic changed when people realized how much money could be made. I've always thought that we were, at the very least "partners" in the operation, sharing a "symbiotic relationship" with the sanctioning body - we both need each other to exist! Doesn't the NHRA refer to all of us as "members"? Aren't the fruits of OUR LABOR what make the Association succeed? If anyone, the "customers" are those casual fans who pour through the turnstiles during a normal season or the businesses who provide the sponsorships and advertise their products on trackside signage or on network TV. They're getting a "service".


Maybe if the NHRA had been a little more "upfront" with all of us, Professional AND Sportsman, and just told us the worst kept secret of 2020 - "that business is horrible, we're hemorrhaging money and the near-term outlook is bleak! But we're all in this together and when things get back to "normal" (whatever that looks like) we'll revisit your compensation and points fund structure. We remain committed to the continued success of everyone associated with the NHRA." Wouldn't that have been better?


Anyway, just a thought. Have a great day!.

Re: Who are the customers?
 

The question that begs to be asked is . Did the top brass of the NHRA take a pay cut and if so how much ? It seams like a fair enough question if you are a paying member . Alot of track owners and racers got cuts in income in 2020 . CEO's of business that don't grow the bottom line don't bonuses , well most of the time .

Re: Who are the customers?
 

While that is true, these days NHRA is more disconnected from the racers, and the racers have fewer options Not to mention a lot of racers have a massive investment in the sport they love.


While what Charlie said has a little merit, the flip side is that NHRA owes the participants fair treatment and transparency.


Yep, everyone could decide to do something else. But why should they even be forced by the sanctioning body to consider it?