Thanks ESPN your rotten to the core

[skills]

Charlie I understand how you feel but I disagree. I am a spectator never raced would love to someday because I would like to feel what you guys do. When I go to englishtown or maple grove I get there an hour or so before it starts so I can walk through the sportsman pits and see the cars and say hello to the racers and wish them luck. I stay till the last car down the track also started a 3 day at e-town to see more sportsman. The problem with nhra is they aren't using tv to get people to the live events. You have street nights at race tracks weekly the fan base is there you just have to feed them. The pros are the same week in and week out but stock changes every event there are different cars all the time. How happy do you think the people at fiat are to see a dp win indy tonight? The reason why people leave is because they do the meet the pros during the sportsmen time. I started as a kid watching at atco and we looked for the cars like my dads super bee. I became a darrel alderman fan because he drove the daytona and even cheered for ken ritter in comp for that reason. Its like Wwe if you give them the story and grab theirattention they will follow for life. P.S. I will be at the dutch for the.fifth year in a row too.

[Mike Meier]

I have been having this debate with my hockey bretheren going back to when they took the NHL off of ESPN. As hockey fans we didn't need them. And as a sportsman drag racer / fan I don't think we need them either.

Putting together an online TV network for sportsman drag racing is not something that is impossible. Almost every minor-professional, NCAA, and Canadian-junior (both major and lower-tier) hockey league has some sort of online network where you can watch every game of the season live; either on a per-game basis or as a season subscriber.

Yes we are talking apples to oranges, but if the right people put their noggins together I can see something working out.

[bobbyd6]

It would be nice to see the SPEED Channel step up & cover Sportsman, just like they do Cup & Nwide Qualifying!! Look what PINKS-All Out did for them, people loved that show except for Mr Christensen's ego. they need to have more "racing" shows instead of some of the other junk they show on there!!

[Dan Bernay]

I haven't watched the show for years.
Don't plan on changing.
.Stopped watching the Lucas Oil portion also , all they do is show the finals in the "lower" sportsmen classes anyway .

[chris3racing]

I am glad some posts were made about the coverage on ESPN2. I watched ESPN2 on TV and ESPN3 on the computer. The coverage on ESPN3 was a complete round a head of the TV show. ESPN2 had way too much BS. ESPN3 had sportsman coverage and a very good "caclefest" show.

My wife and I, yes my wife watches with me, commented that the stands for the full event were only about 65% to 75% filled. We commented on how it was in the early 70's when the seats were nearly completely jammed. The comment about how Speed Channel promoted Pinks All Out, and I know there are people here who don't want to hear about Pinks All Out, but they were the biggest drag racing event going for about two years. Why do you think NHRA is trying to copy the show. Contact Speed Channel in Charlotte and let them know that there is an interest in sportsman coverage.

The comment about spectators going to the pits during the sportsman racing is unfortunately correct. That is their opportunity to go see the drivers and the crews re-building the cars. It has been this way for many years. I have been on both sides of the fence in this sport. We did race a top fuel front engine car for a year and the "hot car" pits have always been crowded during the "turn around" time. Remember we are the only motorsports event that allows the spectators into the pit area. This is what yours and other racers sponsors want. For many years almost all of the drag racers, including sportsmancars, all had crews "dressed to impress".

[Casey Miles]

You all are missing the point, all the people sitting home watching ESPN2 have Top Fuel cars in their garage and that they can totally relate to the technology that goes with them. No transmission, big thing that sits on top of the motor and uses gas that you can't buy at your local gas station. Makes total logic to me!
If it wasn't that my friend's son races Pro Stock, I wouldn't heve even bothered to put the channel on, I only put the channel on when he was up to race, after he lost 2nd round, ESPN2 could evaporate as far as I'm concerned!

Casey Miles
248H Stock?

[Omcar]

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.

That is the truth..he is an asshole for celebrating in Jason Line's face. I thought I was the only one who felt this way.

[BKSG1198]

If you want sportsman coverage then turn on ESPN3 and the live audiocast and go at it. I sat there and watched all the sportsman action on Monday afternoon from my computer and loved it. Unfortunate that the Stocker lost the motor in the final round which bumped the pro's up to the front but, when you watch ESPN3 and NHRA Audiocast together it's like watching it on TV. The Audiocast is about 5 seconds faster then the ESPN3 live feed but, it's the best thing going on out there for the sportsman racers. If you guys think that NHRA & ESPN are going to put sportsman racing into a 6 hours long program then you need to wake up, it's not going to happen. Was I a little mad that they didn't leave the ESPN3 feed running till the end...yes but, that's what DRC is for. I think we've become too pampered by all this technology that we forgot where we were 10-15 years ago when we had to call 1-800-NHRANOW or what ever it was to get just the final round results then wait a week to actually watch the race on TNN. Now if DRC doesn't have the results up in 15 minutes everyone is bashing the site and telling them they suck. So thanks to all the internet news sites out there that give us the up-to-date drag racing coverage that we need!

[Wade Mahaffey]

It's a very tough spot we are in as sportsman drag racers. I think of the old saying "when you point your finger, theres three more pointing back at you". NHRA and ESPN don't promote us the way we would llike. WE don't promote us either ie. we hide our passion inside a white box, not active in public displays, not pushing/selling/involving the next generation etc.(unless they're your kids) to grow the grandstands and the pits. I have nothing but respect for all of you, but we could all do more to help ourselves. Look at it like JFK would: "ask not, what drag racing can do for you....ask what you can do for drag racing (sportsman that is). The other thing is the cost involved in Class Racing. Can you imagine being seventeen years old, and this is your first INDY. Your walking the pits looking at the sportsman entries thinkin this is what I want. You walk over to Jeff Teuton, Gary Richard, The Skillmans, any of the SS/AH teams, or for that matter any team on the property, and ask "how much dose all this cost"? Walking away with your head down you think "my parents don't have that much in our home" Then last but not least, you can never explain to the casual fan (that used to be in the stands) how you "lost a race" by going to fast. These are the reasons there's nobody in the stands during sportsman competition. These are the reasons you don't get your due from NHRA and ESPN.

We don't race because we are racers, we race because we are competitors. And the biggest competition we face is just keeping the sport alive. In the words of Chris Rock "you better recognize"

Wade Mahaffey

[Frank Castros]

Greg Anderson acted like a classless jerk.