S/SS alternatives

Marvin Robinson · 03-24-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Quinn

I think these are words of wisdom. NHRA has been trying to diminish the sportsman fan interest since they decided that guys who run nitro are "PRO's" while everyone is merely a "sportsman". I am old enough to remember the days before NHRA made that distinction. We were all just racers trying to conquer our respective eliminators. It seemed to me like the races were more fun then and everyone was treated better.

I believe Modified eliminator was eliminated because it was too popular with fans, it drew some fans away from PRO worship.

Interesting observation... I remember the days of the fans cheering for the local racers, and identifying with a car like the one they owned. A lot more information was given to them about what was going on, because the PROS and Sportsman racers were being treated with the same enthusiasm by the tracks/sanctioning bodies.

Gary Smith · 03-24-2011, 11:05 PM

Let me reiterate...I mention the average fan...I'm not saying there aren't any fans. I'm talking about the non-car guy who brings his family like it's a visit to Disneyland. The one who pays to see the circus. They see two cars go down the track and assume the first one to the stripe is the winner. As far as announcing goes, Alan Reinhart and Bob Frey do a great job....then there's Hasley Hood down south, perhaps the best sportsman announcer of our time.

There were a good number of fans watching Stock & Super Stock Thursday morning at Pomona, and Reinhart said it best "you fans are the the real deal. You are the true 'car guys', not the casual fan, and understand what these cars are about". He also says "I love these racers. Perhaps the hardest working and most knowledgeable of all racers". However there were far more empty seats during sportsman racing than during the pros.

My point is we need to BE THE SHOW, not part of a bigger one.

03-24-2011, 11:05 PM	#2
Gary Smith Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 820 Likes: 9 Liked 132 Times in 30 Posts	Re: S/SS alternatives Let me reiterate...I mention the average fan...I'm not saying there aren't any fans. I'm talking about the non-car guy who brings his family like it's a visit to Disneyland. The one who pays to see the circus. They see two cars go down the track and assume the first one to the stripe is the winner. As far as announcing goes, Alan Reinhart and Bob Frey do a great job....then there's Hasley Hood down south, perhaps the best sportsman announcer of our time. There were a good number of fans watching Stock & Super Stock Thursday morning at Pomona, and Reinhart said it best "you fans are the the real deal. You are the true 'car guys', not the casual fan, and understand what these cars are about". He also says "I love these racers. Perhaps the hardest working and most knowledgeable of all racers". However there were far more empty seats during sportsman racing than during the pros. My point is we need to BE THE SHOW, not part of a bigger one. __________________ Gary Smith "another broke racer spectating"