Thanks ESPN your rotten to the core

[Mickey Whaley]

Originally Posted by danny waters sr

100 pros and 672 sportsmans . They even noted that on the espn show and that was it for the sportsmans.......No respect and forgot where they come from.....

only 64 pro's big danny, all of the finalist were given a roll of toilet paper because they were **** on as far as their coverage went at the biggest race of the year, but congrats to all final round winners and runner ups, good job!

[skills]

I am just irrated at espn and nhra you couldn't in 6 hours of.tv shown some sportsman? How is ford and chrysler getting their monies worth if they aren't on tv? 600+ sportsman cars and just the hemi final please what a waste.

[Joe Schweigert]

Originally Posted by stefan callender

The entire show was so drawn out, they could have at least shown more than the final round of the Hemi Challenge. Its all about the Fuel classes. Even Pro Stock coverage sucked.

BTW I think Greg Anderson is a classless deuchebag. I felt he was celebrating in his teammates face. I understand he won the biggest race of the year, but he celebrated in a classless manner.

You nailed that thought

[Ed Fernandez]

Gee,does any of the above complaints really surprise you?Realistically ESPN does
run a business that runs by schedules and is driven by the amount of money that their programing brings in.Seems like drag racing isn't a very profitable product.If it was
not only would the shows be shown from the beginning,they would be telecast to the end.
Simple business sense.So no matter what we think,or say,the coverage only has one way to go,and that is down hill.Powerade coverage will never have sportsman racing covered and Lucas Oil coverage will probably give you a teaser shot at anything more than the alcohol cars.Now focus your attention on getting the HP factoring system correctd and maybe an improvement in payouts to sportsman racers.
Oh and by the way,one of the "new" cars won the race.Weren't there those who said that they don't go rounds anyway?Not any more.

[skills]

Ed my buddy drag racing isn't profitable because they are messing up the tv coverage. Look at nascar it is about the show. Its about the racing putting cameras everywhere and getting fans into every angle. Nhra has screwed it up the show live at the track is the joy, at inch you should show that all of it. There was so many stories Melanie Troxel in funny car and pro mod. Its about the racers and the different classes and cars. You had legends running sportsmen Garlits and Roy Hill don't you think mopar and ford would of loved the two in the booth explaining how these cars work. You have people all over the country with mustangs why not jump on to that? Yes they aren't the street cars but people don't care, look what the fast and the furious did for the import scene its about the cars. Just think of the fun with fletcher or someone on tv explaining how to dump somebody? So much there for tv.

[GarysZ24]

I gave up hope for more coverage of us years ago...after I wrote a letter to the editor talking of such back in the mid-early '00's, and the coverage got worse instead of better...we need a sportsman network, and I wish I was rich enough to launch one. Thank God for Toby Lang, because his coverage of us in Indy (and other tracks he's been at), was better than anything I've seen since "Inside Drag Racing"!

[joe176]

Originally Posted by GarysZ24

I gave up hope for more coverage of us years ago...after I wrote a letter to the editor talking of such back in the mid-early '00's, and the coverage got worse instead of better...we need a sportsman network, and I wish I was rich enough to launch one. Thank God for Toby Lang, because his coverage of us in Indy (and other tracks he's been at), was better than anything I've seen since "Inside Drag Racing"!

Toby Lang has brought the online social media aspect of sportsman racing to a new level....the muckety muck network types at the Speed channel or ESPN should pay attention...he has outdone himself covering Indy...Thanks Toby !!!!

[Lew Silverman]

First of all I am NOT coming to ESPN's defense! But I was very surprised by something I saw during the ESPN3 raw feed on the internet. It looked like they were doing a finish-line interview with Jeff Teuton, right after the Stock final. I had the audio muted because I was monitoring the live PA from the NHRA site, so I don't know what was said. But I can guess that when Sam Pourciau's motor unfortunately went away, it backed up the entire "live" program, and with a 6 PM deadline they changed the run schedule for broadcast. ESPN made a big deal of the "live coverage" of the finals for some reason I have yet to understand. But at least the show wasn't preempted by friggin' high school football!!

We'll have to wait until next week to see if I'm correct about the Sportsman coverage!

Lew

[442OLDS]

I was at work when the show was on,but I was just able to watch the replay on ESPN 3.
That was an incredible oil down in the Stock final.Good thing it happened near the starting line and not the finish line.

[charlie westcott]

I dont really get why this is a news flash. We all know, or at least we should know, that the only people that are interested in class racing are the people that participate in it, and the throttle stop classes, and bracket racing have ruined sportsman racing to the spectators. Look up in the stands at a points meet some time, noone is there for a reason. The only time that there are people in the stands is when the fuel cars run, not for PS, or bikes, they are all filler for the fuel classes. I dont race cause I want to see myself on tv, when I am its cool, but its not my drive. I am there cause I want to win. If you want to get mad cause they didnt show the finals, when they have a 1 hr show scheduled on 9/11 @ 5pm to show the sportsman, than go for it. The only reason that they show the hemi final is because Mopar pays for that. It is true that NHRA is second to anything else that is on, it gets bumped for volleyball, little kids baseball, bowling, etc. I know where we rate in the realm of spectator sports, its not going to change. Go to the races to race, have fun, and go home.
later
cw