http://www.dragracingonline.co....html

I am suprised I have not seen any talk of this pop up on here. Is seems like the rumor mill is still going about the sell of the NHRA to Bruton Smith. The person who made the above report has been right on track with a few different rumors lately and seems to have some good inside sources. There are also pretty strong confirmations floating around other NHRA boards from racers.

Smith has said that if he buys it he is going to dump 100 million into marketing and track improvements. Could Smith buying the NHRA be good or bad for the struggling Sport Compact series? Personally, I think it is good because the series is hurting from lack of promotion and marketing and that is what Smith has promised to bring to the table.

 

I would like to say yes like you. But sometimes I just don't feel like that is the case. I remember when I was working at a smaller magazine (that is no longer in publication) back in 98' there were rumors then that NHRA was going to purchase NIRA. At that time everyone was like yes, no we can actually be taken seriously.

Yet to this day, I have not seen that happen. We are still treated like a red-headed step child (sorry in advance to any red heads). Like this last weekend, here let us throw you a bone: You can run with us in Vegas, but you have to come all the way to Florida stage up and then you can meet us in Vegas. For the lower budget guys that have been plugging away at this for many years, that hurts the pocket book big time. During these times it is not just time away from work that is going to cost us, or the hotels on the way from the west coast. But now the gas money as well, thats enough to make any team think twice about where they will travel to. Especially to just stage up!?

I would like to see some proper marketing of the sport for us. Get back to the way things used to be in a way. I remember going to BOTI (Battle) in Palmdale and there would be 10,000 spectators almost attending every race. I can't remember the last time I saw 1,000 spectators at an NHRA (sport compact) event. Hell they said they won't come back to Sears Point (Infenion) because of the low turnout that they had a couple years back. And Sacramento has been kicked off the NHRA Division 7. So now there are no tracks that NHRA will visit in Nor Cal. That is a lot of racers/fans that are getting left out in the cold.

I would like them (NHRA) or who ever purchases the series to stop and look and think. It is great the contingency sponsorship stuff that they have set up for us. But we need a more "well-rounded" series to be run.

Anyways I am sure I forgot to say something that was on my mind.

Jason

 

I was talking to a friend of mine who is on a fuel funny car team, and he told me, "I saw a couple of those guys going to the staging lanes. They must have had some sport compact exhibition runs or something."

That's how an outsider saw last weekends race.

 

Here's more info regarding his potential purchase in an interview with him.

http://www.dragracingonline.co....html

From what I've read so far, it looks like a good change. Wally Parks has been a great leader for the NHRA from it's conception until now... or maybe 5 years before now. The man is 92 years old, and I don't know that the NHRA is in the best of hands anymore at that age. I think the sport is changing in a huge way-- with us having a lot to do with that. Smith has mentioned $100,000,000 in track improvements. Well, this guy owns The Strip in Vegas and Bristol. I'm not sure if he's talking about these tracks only, but I don't think Vegas needs any improvements.

This guy is a billionare, and his company (SMi inc) owns a number of NASCAR tracks including infinenon. He seems to be a serious business man, and I think this would be great for the NHRA. This guy is one of NASCAR's biggest supporters, and has made it what it is today. NASCAR has blown up in the past few years with record number of spectators coming out to see the events, and this, in large part, has to do with a great marketing plan.

I don't see NHRA becoming as big as NASCAR has become, but I think this will give a huge boost to the sport by means of marketing, business logic, and increased internal funding.

to Bruton Smith.

 

I'm suprised nobody else has imput on this!?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Quik Chris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's more info regarding his potential purchase in an interview with him.

http://www.dragracingonline.co....html

From what I've read so far, it looks like a good change. Wally Parks has been a great leader for the NHRA from it's conception until now... or maybe 5 years before now. The man is 92 years old, and I don't know that the NHRA is in the best of hands anymore at that age. &lt;snip&gt;</TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe you haven't heard Wally talk recently - he's a HUGE supporter of the sport compact series, but he's not the one calling the shots at the NHRA, and hasn't been for a long time. It's a business, and a multi-million-dollar one at that, and the decisions are made by a group, not by an individual.

 

Having been close to sources at NHRA for a long time, I'll also point out that this kind of rumor comes up at least once a year. I wouldn't spend much time pondering, really.

 

This one does seem to have a bit more legs. Maybe that is thanks to Smith and because he actually has the money to do it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PNG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Maybe you haven't heard Wally talk recently - he's a HUGE supporter of the sport compact series, but he's not the one calling the shots at the NHRA, and hasn't been for a long time. It's a business, and a multi-million-dollar one at that, and the decisions are made by a group, not by an individual. </TD></TR></TABLE>

You're right, I haven't at all. Don't get me wrong, I think Wally has done countless great things for the sport in the 53 years that the NHRA has been around, and there's no way we would be doing what we are today with out him. But That's not to say that things couldn't be refined more for the behalf of the sport.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Quik Chris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You're right, I haven't at all. Don't get me wrong, I think Wally has done countless great things for the sport in the 53 years that the NHRA has been around, and there's no way we would be doing what we are today with out him. But That's not to say that things couldn't be refined more for the behalf of the sport. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Sorry if I was a little quick to jump on you there... Wally's probably the best friend we've got when it comes to the NHRA. Granted, he may be tailoring his remarks to suit his audience, but every time I've heard him say anything about sport compact racing, he compares it to the way things were when the NHRA was founded - Providing a place for people to race cars without killing themselves or bystanders. I think the subject is close to his heart, because he's lived the exact same situation we're in now; not enough tracks or event days for the sportsman racers and street/strip guys, not enough respect or support for the pros. Back in his day, it was the sports car and oval track racing establishment that frowned upon drag racers, so he knows what it feels like to have the guys with all the money and control tell you that you're wasting your time, and the sport you live for will never amount to more than a bunch of punk kids messing around with things they don't understand.

I hope I'm half as in-touch with what's going on as he is when I get to be his age. There aren't too many 90+ year old men I'd refer to as a badass, but Wally's definitely one of them.

 

You guys(no one in paticular) are always crying about that there needs to be more marketing and more promotions. well...how the hell you gonna market and promote something when there are on 3 or 4 cars showing up per class with all motor having the most turn out in a class. i feel now that it has nothing to do with the promotion of the sport. i see now that it has to start with us...the racers.everyone bitching about GM this and GM that.well it has nothing to do with GM at least they are making it to all the races.It seems like now that Honda isn't the big dog in the sport compact/import racing world anymore it seems like all everyone can do now is cry and bitch about something in this sport.
I think what this sport needs is DEDICATION.....it seems like alot of people aren't as dedicated as they were 10yrs ago ir even 5 yrs ago. The sad thing is i can name 2 people that have been to every race and didn't even have a car at the time and both of thier names are KINDLE. Now thats a dedicated duo.


anyways to get back on track......it doesn't matter who buys the series and how much money they dump into it. its not gonna be a success if there isn't any racers or racecars to in any series.

i'm sorry if i sound a little ignorant on this post, but im so sick of seeing threads and post about "how can we make sport compact drag racing survive".

I think the bottom line is that there needs to be a little more dedication from the racers and a little bit more of a commitment as well. if we have that. then we will have the marketing and promotions. no one wants to see 3-6 cars per class race at every event. i wouldn't come either if thats all i saw at my 1st import race.

 

in response to boogie, u have valid points. i think no matter what the arguement is the sport evolved too quick. as u stated, nobody wants to go out and watch a few cars line up against the same car they lined up against last week. doesnt matter which series they raced in.
we want good close heads up racing and all motor is the closest to good racing we get. most everything else is damn near a blowout. we lost touch with the heart of import racing and thats true cars. its CF this, tubed that. we all know that the street style races is where the attendance is and this theory is proven constantly in cali.

 

Boogie- Yeah, that's a valid point. We're spoiled here in Denver, we always have great turn outs at our events, and our shop shows no sign of slowing down. I think one of the things I can atribute that to is that we only get one and a half import events per year-- the second one only being a local race which is just for fun and exhibition. Everyone that comes in and out of the shop is always talking about "when's the race!?"

But I don't want to get this thread into one of those "the fall of import drag racing" threads.

I think it's interesting that this guy is possibly buying it, and whether it happens or not, at this point, just strap one on and hope for the best.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BoogieDownBrown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The sad thing is i can name 2 people that have been to every race and didn't even have a car at the time and both of thier names are KINDLE. Now thats a dedicated duo.</TD></TR></TABLE>Very true about the Kindle's,they show up,racing or not,like you said that's dedication.

 

i really appreciate that some of you guys see my point. it just makes me upset that everyone wants to blame everything on marketing and promotion. i hear people say that NOPI isn't doing this or i hear that NHRA isn't doing that.... well the truth of the matter is that they are doing alot.#1 they are giving us a safe place to race.#2 they are making it that us imports/sport compact lovers can race on a professional level amongst our own peers. what more do you need them to do????
they gave us the key,now its time for us to open the door and make it grow.its us racers that can make this thing work.

i think the main question that should be asked is how can we get racers to show up and not how can we can spectator count up.

my opinion i think that the people that are building cars or that are currently campaigning cars should stick with those car for at least 4 yrs. the problem we have is that someone will build a car....then the car performs like crap cause they don't wanna spend the time on trying to get it dialed in..........so what do they do next.....they build a whole new car thinking all theire problems will be solved with a new car. and you guys be honest.....you all know someone or some people like that. then when they try to get the new car built...they are rushing trying to get it together for the first race and testing and tuning at the event. i feel people should try to improve what they have or even try to work the bugs out of what they have. that way we will have more cars running by the first event. Look at Kenny Tran and Gary Gardella. they both campaigned them cars from the very beginning all the way to the very end. all they way back when running 11's was the hot ****. those guys kept improving those cars to get them where they are today. they just didn't say **** it and try to build a new car cause something didn't work right.


anyways...........thats where i feel the problems are.


Modified by BoogieDownBrown at 8:34 AM 4/20/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BoogieDownBrown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You guys(no one in paticular) are always crying about that there needs to be more marketing and more promotions. well...how the hell you gonna market and promote something when there are on 3 or 4 cars showing up per class with all motor having the most turn out in a class. i feel now that it has nothing to do with the promotion of the sport. i see now that it has to start with us...the racers.everyone bitching about GM this and GM that.well it has nothing to do with GM at least they are making it to all the races.It seems like now that Honda isn't the big dog in the sport compact/import racing world anymore it seems like all everyone can do now is cry and bitch about something in this sport.
I think what this sport needs is DEDICATION.....it seems like alot of people aren't as dedicated as they were 10yrs ago ir even 5 yrs ago. The sad thing is i can name 2 people that have been to every race and didn't even have a car at the time and both of thier names are KINDLE. Now thats a dedicated duo.


anyways to get back on track......it doesn't matter who buys the series and how much money they dump into it. its not gonna be a success if there isn't any racers or racecars to in any series.

i'm sorry if i sound a little ignorant on this post, but im so sick of seeing threads and post about "how can we make sport compact drag racing survive".

I think the bottom line is that there needs to be a little more dedication from the racers and a little bit more of a commitment as well. if we have that. then we will have the marketing and promotions. no one wants to see 3-6 cars per class race at every event. i wouldn't come either if thats all i saw at my 1st import race.</TD></TR></TABLE>

look at john brown last year. Made it to every single NOPI event, and didn't win a single round in which both cars made full passes. Never won an event. Where is he this year? hard to say (he's a tough man to get ahold of). But here's a classic HONDA vs GM battle, and guess who came out the victor?

If you have a turbocharged / supercharged / nitrous car, you have to run 8's FWD to be competitive, 7's RWD. All motor you better be in the 10's consistently. I remember 4 or so years ago when a privateer from WA drove all the way down to Palmdale for IDRC and won the pro FWD class (or equiv) with a 10.XX or so. Mike Carl was his name. I was livin in the NW at the time, and I looked up to him like he WAS steph or anyone else. Last year, Dan Truong (who used to own a shop in OR) ran a few hotrod events and ran low 9's. Did anyone notice? nope... cuz that was a second and some change off the pace.

Is there a marketing problem too? i would call it a hurdle, but it's something that definately could be improved.

ps - sounds like this man is buying all of NHRA, i wonder how much of that 100k in track improvements or marketing improvements would actually be directed at the sport compact market

 

on a side note from what i understand mike carl and nick lopez both "retired" from the sport. i believe both cars last i heard ran mid to lower 9s. its sad to see someone put so much time into a vehicle and then just give up. i remember when john brown borrowed mike carls full interior turbo integra back in NIRA 99 or 00 and ran low 10s just to make some points.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BoogieDownBrown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You guys(no one in paticular) are always crying about that there needs to be more marketing and more promotions. well...how the hell you gonna market and promote something when there are on 3 or 4 cars showing up per class with all motor having the most turn out in a class. i feel now that it has nothing to do with the promotion of the sport. i see now that it has to start with us...the racers.everyone bitching about GM this and GM that.well it has nothing to do with GM at least they are making it to all the races.It seems like now that Honda isn't the big dog in the sport compact/import racing world anymore it seems like all everyone can do now is cry and bitch about something in this sport.
I think what this sport needs is DEDICATION.....it seems like alot of people aren't as dedicated as they were 10yrs ago ir even 5 yrs ago. The sad thing is i can name 2 people that have been to every race and didn't even have a car at the time and both of thier names are KINDLE. Now thats a dedicated duo.


anyways to get back on track......it doesn't matter who buys the series and how much money they dump into it. its not gonna be a success if there isn't any racers or racecars to in any series.

i'm sorry if i sound a little ignorant on this post, but im so sick of seeing threads and post about "how can we make sport compact drag racing survive".

I think the bottom line is that there needs to be a little more dedication from the racers and a little bit more of a commitment as well. if we have that. then we will have the marketing and promotions. no one wants to see 3-6 cars per class race at every event. i wouldn't come either if thats all i saw at my 1st import race.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not sure if you were taking a jab at my thread or not. But the reason I started the thread "state of sport compact" was for the racers and people who love this sport to figure out what WE could do at a grassroots level, not to complain about the sanctioning bodies.

On that note I hope that if NHRA does transfer ownership that the people who hold the reins share Wally Parks' love for sport compact.

 

nick great person always down to talk to me about how to go fast. i wouldn't say he gave up either, he got out at the right time. I think he was running low 9's on gas, when other hotrod type cars at the time were performing similar on meth.

 

anytime is a good time to get out of racing. its such a money pit unless your badass at bracket racing or you have a full ride sponsorship.

 

What about John Brown?

Just as Boogie was saying, this sport lacks dedication. John did not lack that, he just lacked funds to run a third year. You may forget, Steven Thompson drove the car in 2003 to a NDRA FWD Championship, and John to a runner up in 2004. It is not his fault no one else raced or showed up to race. He and his team had dedication and determination, they were at every event for 2 years on a shoestring budget.

Just because he is not racing, does not mean the Honda won't be back this year in Pro Stock form. John is a buisness man as well as a racer, so you have to make money to spend it. This year he is trying to help smaller racers with what he can, and to him for that. I hate that we lost a racer, but it had nothing do with him being scared of GM or lack of dedication.

Also, please pay attention to what old guy said, these rumors fly every year. The track here in GA. (Commerce) has been sold every year for the last 10 according to the rumor mill and the papers, but the NHRA still owns it.

 

i say let the France family buy nhra
they nascar'd the grand am series, why not nascar NHRA?

::kidding, kidding... that is a HUGE joke::

coming from someone that works in a world of high-dollar corporate transactions... it is very odd that bruton smith is SO PUBLIC about trying to buy NHRA... most companies that try to buy another large corporation DO NOT want it known that such transaction talk is even taking place, for various reasons
i work for a company that buys a lot of other companies, and I or anyone i work with(including our ceo) would get fired for going public about impending deals like what Smith is doing... take that for what its worth

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allmotorgurl &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">On that note I hope that if NHRA does transfer ownership that the people who hold the reins share Wally Parks' love for sport compact. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I hope so too...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allmotorgurl &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Not sure if you were taking a jab at my thread or not. But the reason I started the thread "state of sport compact" was for the racers and people who love this sport to figure out what WE could do at a grassroots level, not to complain about the sanctioning bodies.

On that note I hope that if NHRA does transfer ownership that the people who hold the reins share Wally Parks' love for sport compact. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Leslie, i didn't mean to jack your thread, but reading all this stuff kinda gets jumbled together sometimes. if you would like , i will copy and past my comments on your thread if you like.

I'm just another passionate person about this sport tired of hearing excuses of what sanctions are doing and not doing, when we(the racers) need to look at ourselves and not saying certain people, but just in general. so my humble apologies miss durst.

 

No need to apologize.
I was just clarifing my reasons for startign that thread.