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As a manufacturer that displays on the NHRA midway I will be the first to admit that the midway has changed over the years, but most of the rigs not at Joliet were on the Hot Rod Power Tour. The actual cost to display has not changed significantly over the years, but the cost to get the rig has gone up considerably as we all know.
Kyle Fickler
Aeromotive, Inc.
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Kyle,
Thanks for the information, but this in of itself speaks volumes about the problem. Why is it that these manufacturers chose to go to on the Hot Rod Power Tour rather than the NHRA National Event at Joliet (and probably Topeka too because these two events overlapped with the Hot Rod Power Tour)? I'll tell you why, because they believed they could make more money from attending the Hot Rod Power Tour rather than the NHRA National Event at Joliet (and Topeka).
So, the question now is, why did they come to this conclusion? Does the Hot Rod Power Tour really draw more spectators than two NHRA National events? Let's not forget that at Joliet there were approximately 500 captive sportsman competitors alone at the track, with another 400 or so at Topeka, and I'm sure more than a few of them were looking to buy parts. I don't know how many participants and spectators were in attendance at the Hot Rod Power Tour, but it would have to be significant to outdraw a single NHRA national event, let alone two.
But, even if it did, the cost to exhibit still plays into the decision to attend. So, if attendance at the NHRA national events was going to be slightly higher, but would also carry a significantly higher cost to exhibit, then the manufacturers would have an easy decision on their hands as to where they should go.
I'd love to see real numbers, but in the end it doesn't really matter because I know the decision was made by these companies to go to on the Hot Rod Power Tour because they felt they could make more money there...
Jason Oldfield
S/G & S/ST 1838