New NHRA President!

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Julie Jordan

When Compton took over NHRA had just lost the Winston sponsorship. In just a short time he had procured a series sponsor. According to the financial reports of the organization the financial position has greatly improved during his tenure. There is no way anyone will please all the racers or fans, drag racing has so many facets to it. But, as far as steering the organization through serious financial challenges he has done a good job.

I can appreciate what you are saying, to some degree.

However, if you take a "non profit" organization and turn most every decision purely toward making a profit, at what ever cost you deem necessary to due paying members of that organization, and further remove those dues paying members from the decision making process, you can improve the financial position of that "non profit" organization.

It would be far more impressive if he had improved the financial position of the organization without doing it on the backs of and at a cost to the individual dues paying members that are the back bone of the sport.

Not to mention the fact that due to the financial decisions of NHRA, the sport is very unhealthy now. Car counts are down all over, almost without exception, and it is not at all uncommon to see one or more of the pro categories unable to fill a 16 car field at a national event. It is also not at all uncommon to see very successful championship winning racers completely unable to secure necessary sponsorship to compete.

There are a lot of organizations that look good financially, on paper, but are not really doing well at all.

[Hagen Gary]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

I can appreciate what you are saying, to some degree.

However, if you take a "non profit" organization and turn most every decision purely toward making a profit, at what ever cost you deem necessary to due paying members of that organization, and further remove those dues paying members from the decision making process, you can improve the financial position of that "non profit" organization.

It would be far more impressive if he had improved the financial position of the organization without doing it on the backs of and at a cost to the individual dues paying members that are the back bone of the sport.

Not to mention the fact that due to the financial decisions of NHRA, the sport is very unhealthy now. Car counts are down all over, almost without exception, and it is not at all uncommon to see one or more of the pro categories unable to fill a 16 car field at a national event. It is also not at all uncommon to see very successful championship winning racers completely unable to secure necessary sponsorship to compete.

There are a lot of organizations that look good financially, on paper, but are not really doing well at all.

Nailed it

[63corvette]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

I can appreciate what you are saying, to some degree.

There are a lot of organizations that look good financially, on paper, but are not really doing well at all.

Alan is exactly correct.

Enron looked very good on paper until the very end when the fraud was exposed.

Just My 2 Cents
Rick Cates

[5798camaro]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

I can appreciate what you are saying, to some degree.

However, if you take a "non profit" organization and turn most every decision purely toward making a profit, at what ever cost you deem necessary to due paying members of that organization, and further remove those dues paying members from the decision making process, you can improve the financial position of that "non profit" organization.

It would be far more impressive if he had improved the financial position of the organization without doing it on the backs of and at a cost to the individual dues paying members that are the back bone of the sport.

Not to mention the fact that due to the financial decisions of NHRA, the sport is very unhealthy now. Car counts are down all over, almost without exception, and it is not at all uncommon to see one or more of the pro categories unable to fill a 16 car field at a national event. It is also not at all uncommon to see very successful championship winning racers completely unable to secure necessary sponsorship to compete.

There are a lot of organizations that look good financially, on paper, but are not really doing well at all.

So here's my question and I'm sure it's been asked many times. What if anything can we do about it? Here's my story. I grew up at the race track and worshiped all the stock/SS stock racers and their family's. I dreamed that someday I could be in the staging lanes with them racing and I was for a short time till I ran out of money. I was and am addicted to drag racing and not just the racing part. I'm talking about all the great people you meet there and the comradery. One of my favorite things is to hear the stories the (for lack of a better term) old times tell. Not that I'm young any more (40). I've been on the sidelines for 3 years now and it sucks but I just can't afford to do it.
I've always felt if you want to get new and younger people interested in this sport make JR. Dragsters more affordable IE sealed crate engines. I just thing it's so wrong that only rich kids can race. Sorry I needed to vent. I keep reading pissed of people posting on hear but I haven't seen any real suggestions of what we the sportsman racers can do about it. Yes I understand nobody comes to the track to watch stock or super stock race but for me it's the most fun to watch. Is the reason non racers don't like is because they don't get it or know many of the characters that are doing it?
Have a great 4th everyone!

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by 5798camaro

So here's my question and I'm sure it's been asked many times. What if anything can we do about it?

Do what Rob Keister and others have done. Start your own series and book time at dragstrips to run it.

[doglover44]

So What does the new president got planned ?

[Chevy55]

DAVE DENSMORE SPEAKS (COMMENTARY): ABOUT AS TRANSPARENT AS A BLOCK OF GRANITE
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-...ock-of-granite

And don't miss the first comment. It says a lot.

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Chevy55

[B]
And don't miss the first comment. It says a lot.

Depending on why Compton was MIA, the reason may not be anyone's business.

As for the rest of Dave's comments, I've always thought that instead of having a bunch of PR and marketing people in Glendora, it would be better to have one marketing and PR person in each division who would b responsible for promoting drag racing of all kinds in that region. They would work with the track operators, build relationships with local media, set up public appearances and displays, etc.

When a national event came to town, that person could start weeks in advance promoting the event, instead of starting the week before.

A few years ago, I was talking to an NHRA PR person during the Keystones at Maple Grove. He was complaining that the motorsports writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer never mentioned the race in his Wednesday motorsports column. I asked when they sent information about the Keystones to the writer and was told they sent it on Monday, two days before his column. I then asked if he was aware that the writer's deadline for the Wednesday column was Saturday at noon, so that any pre-race information sent to him on Monday would arrive too late to make the column. The NHRA person said he was not aware of the deadline but that they were too busy with each race to work that far in advance.

Jim

[jmcarter]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

Depending on why Compton was MIA, the reason may not be anyone's business.

As for the rest of Dave's comments, I've always thought that instead of having a bunch of PR and marketing people in Glendora, it would be better to have one marketing and PR person in each division who would b responsible for promoting drag racing of all kinds in that region. They would work with the track operators, build relationships with local media, set up public appearances and displays, etc.

When a national event came to town, that person could start weeks in advance promoting the .....

Jim

Jim, pretty sure that when NHRA posts Division Director positions they use the tasks you've outlined...

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by jmcarter

Jim, pretty sure that when NHRA posts Division Director positions they use the tasks you've outlined...

Yep ... except that Division Directors are not marketing or PR people.

Jim