http://www.reviewjournal.com/l....html

Interesting article about NHRAs growth, comments?

 

The article DOES make a lot of sense. Look at how much NASCAR is on TV. It is on LITERALLY 7 days a week. Nobody wants to see a bunch of cars that look exactly alike going around in circles for 3 hours. It's boring. Truth being told, I tune in to see who's crashing. That's the only real interesting part of Nextel Cup. We hardly get to see any drag racing on TV because it's crowded up with NASCAR coverage. The NHRA needs to market their product better. For years they have depended on people just gravitating to drag racing, people just naturally watching it. It's a new time, and people just want a little more out of their investment. If the NHRA expects to survive, they'd better market their product a little better.

 

"while NHRA is in about the same place it was 20 or 30 years ago. "

That is a completely ignorant statement. There was zero tv coverage 20 years ago. Now every race is on tv plus many smaller venues as Import, ProMod, alcohol dragster/fc, etc. You can even get live PA feeds on the internet.
If he knew how much it costs for each pass on a funny car to go down the strip as compared to 1984, he would know that prize money and corporate involvement would have to be much higher than 1984.
What bothers me, however, is the age of spectators at NHRA events...I feel young there. Also the lack of fan turnout for import racing events on the west coast. Either they are not advertised well or not enough care to watch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by earl &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also the lack of fan turnout for import racing events on the west coast. Either they are not advertised well or not enough care to watch.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Last years turnout at the at Sears Point event was horrid, but then again you have to take into account that the same weekend a 3 hour drive away(1-2 drive for the Bay Area) you have a HUGE car show hosted by Mazda at Laguna Seca, that also has the American Le Mans cars, Speed World Challenge, and the Speed GT racing. So...for the car show guys you have a closer venue, a larger venue, better prize money, you don't have to pay a bridge toll one of the ways...hmm, which one would you attend. I like the road racing much better, better action, more racing...but I'm also a drag racer, so I was at Sears Point.

Austin