Let's say that you split the shows as you outlined, Top Fuel only one weekend, Funny Car on another weekend and PS/PM on another. With something to fill in. Would you rotate those as well?
No, I wouldn’t rotate the Sportsman classes differently than the nitro/Pro Stock/Pro Mod shows they are paired with. The whole program would need consistency to avoid confusion for everybody.
An important factor to consider is how many classes are contested at the various NHRA national event tracks now. I did some surprising research and found there are only 2 races (Indy & Norwalk) that have 17 classes competing. Dallas has 16, Denver 15, Bruton Smith’s Vegas-2 & both of his Z Max races have 14, Atlanta, Topeka, Reading and Pomona-2 each have/had 13, Sonoma & Brainerd had 12, St. Louis has 11 while Bristol, Epping and Houston all only had or will have 9 classes competing this year. I also went back to 2019 and found that the Winternationals (cancelled this year) only had 13 classes compete that year. I assume the fairgrounds won’t hold more cars or classes and that means that race cannot ever increase its car entry money stream without just increasing the fee. Going to three races would allow the Pomona races to increase that revenue stream. (Assuming Pomona’s Fairgrounds would even allow 3 to 6 events.)
There are other tracks that would most likely love to have one or more of the three races should a current track only want one or two. Thinking of Tulsa, S. Georgia, Bradenton and Orlando for four quick ones.
With its longer race week and the drag racing history of Indy, I would leave the Labor Day Week at Indy alone and maybe add an additional Top Fuel and Funny Car Race of the new type events to their schedule since the Pro teams are mostly housed there and NHRA owns the facility.
The decision on what classes would be contested at each of the three races would require some serious vetting and since I obviously don’t have access to NHRA’s data, a best guess is all I can give. NHRA staff would need to know things like the number of active sportsman racecars per class, their history of attendance, entry fees and payouts for each class along with many other track related details such as pit parking and the track prep required to make a quality decision. So just for kicks, I’ll just wing it. But…no matter who would do the dividing of the classes over 3 different programs, there will always be detractors no matter how the classes are split up. (It wouldn’t be drag racing if somebody didn’t complain about the program even if Wally Parks were to come back to lay it out.)
With that disclaimer, my first guess in dividing the classes up for 3 great shows might work something like this:
Top Fuel plus TAD, Top Dragster, Top Fuel Harley, Pro Stock Bike plus the return of AA/FA and addition of Jr. Dragsters. (7 Classes)
Funny Car plus TAFC, Top Sportsman, Comp, Super Comp, Super Gas and… Super Street. (7 Classes)
Pro Mod, Pro Stock plus Factory Stock Showdown, Super Stock, Stock and… MM/PS plus introduce the fastest of the now popular small tire classes. (7 Classes)
That just added AA/FA, Jr. Dragsters, Super Street, a small tire class and MM/PS as additional classes and income streams and did it without making the day as long as any current race. Remember, this breakdown has each of the 3 separate races contesting 7 classes where the NHRA National Event tracks with the smallest number of classes contested, currently have 9 classes contested. Those 3 tracks would have slightly shorter shows while the other tracks would have either significantly more time available for those that want to cruise the pits and see as much action on the track as possible or see the full show and head home before becoming exhausted. At the same time NHRA and the various track owners would have 3 weekends to present them per racing season rather than just their 1 big weekend gamble.
Currently Norwalk contests 17 classes at their Summit Racing Equipment Nationals and by moving it to 3 weekends that contest just 7 classes each, they would be producing a program much like their highly successful Night of Fire which concludes in one day to huge crowds while also picking up entry fees for four more classes. Spreading their gamble out would dilute the damage that a rainout would have as it typically doesn’t happen to any track 3 times in one racing season. (Yes, for the 2 or 3 people still alive to remember, I had that happen to 3 in a row of my expensive media promoted races in 1979 …and I’m still pi$$ed about it.)
It takes an hour minimum to turn a TF car. Do you really think that fans would rather fill that time with Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Mod or something slower?
Yes, I do think the fans would enjoy the other classes in this format while it would also allow more places for sponsors to buy ad space at a slightly cheaper rate… for a while. As demand grows so can the sales price. (Positive income streams with happy customers are a great thing.)
Here are the details of my suggestions for having three race programs:
At the proposed Camping World Top Fuel Series presented by Amazon, spectators would see Top Fuel, TAD, Top Dragster, Top Fuel Harley, Pro Stock Bike and the return of AA/FA and the addition of Jr. Dragsters or 7 Classes total. The only class here that the hardcore fan might want to check out the pits during is the Jr. Dragsters. For the new spectators, all the classes would be fun to watch… or they could check out the pits between the T/F cars passes to collect autographs and see the new and unique Manufacturers Midway plus buy concessions and using the restrooms in time to grab their seat for the next round. This sounds like a fun weekend to me. Since there would (or could) be 3 separate events at each track, it would allow for a slight reduction in vendor costs which should bring in more vendor booths as currently many tracks don’t have room to add anyone new.
At the proposed Camping World Funny Car Nationals presented by Levi Jeans, spectators would see Funny Car, TAFC, Top Sportsman, Comp, Super Comp, Super Gas and… Super Street. (7 Classes) Folks that don’t “get” or don’t like index type racing would have the greatest pit party to attend as there would be floppers everywhere with their “rock star” drivers to talk to, get autographs from and photos with. Possibly the AA/FA guys should move over here too. ??
The Camping World Pro Stock/Pro Mod Nationals by Nike might be the weakest of the three events in my breakdown for the brand new fan. Even still, it would showcase the hardcore fan’s favorite Pro Stocks plus the wild and unpredictable 260 mph Pro Mods while also presenting a class that regular, street driven Mustang, Challenger and Camaro drivers can identify with… The Factory Stock Showdown cars. There’s also Supe Stock, Stock, plus MM/PS and a class of the growing and popular small tire racrs. (7 Classes.) Alan, I would think you would have plenty of things to talk about over the PA at this race too.
You mentioned the need for more NHRA staff and that would be true. However, one thing that hasn’t been broached is the ability of the NHRA crews to specialize further in their area of expertise. Announcers would be able to focus on EVERYTHING about the drivers and crews of just 7 classes rather than 17+ classes. Tech people wouldn’t need to know the details of the two programs that they don’t work. But they could tightly focus on the details of the classes they are responsible for.
I’m sure there are some very logical reasons that it would make sense to move some of my suggested classes around to better fit racer and/or track prep needs. But hopefully any class movement would still be subject to making sure the best fan experience prevails. Spectators must go home happy that they attended and seriously want to come back for more.
What would be your total number of events? If you run three at each track three times, that's a lot of weekends.
I would think smart folks like those at DSR, JFR and CKR would be able to develop and get sponsors for 2 hospitality areas. One for Funny Car and one for T/F.
Yes, there also would be more weekends to see NHRA drag racing on TV. That’s a good thing and should improve the shows by making everyone involved in producing the show’s job easier to do as people could specialize instead of have to handle so many varied tasks that they might drop the ball on one or more of their many tasks.
The motorsports sponsoring executives you mentioned would either need to pick and choose the races they want to attend or they would get to attend more races per year and spend quality time with each customer. (I would guess that some of them don’t attend every race on the tour now.)
Guys like John Force should be happy to have more products to sell. A 2nd hospitality tent and teams going in various directions means he can make more money because he’s got more events to sell companies. Most likely a company like Flavor-ite or Monster Energy would like being the sole main sponsor of Brit’s T/F hospitality program while Peak and AAA still get signage there on those additional race weekends.
What about Television? Are you going to have three full crews to cover all the races?
Admittedly, my experience promoting drag races was way before TV was anything but Indy on Wide World of Sports. This is the one area that I’m guessing and all of my opinions are very questionable. But there seems to be vastly improving and expanding numbers of TV channels and online outlets available for any event. I would think that NHRA could try to cherry pick the specific programing best suited for each series and especially for their nitro races.
Three different race programs probably would require two or three different delivery methods. The current programing thru Fox has been the best that I can ever remember and yes, I did like Steve Evans on Diamond P. I would think NHRA Online would love to expand to provide specific coverage for more races. There are also outlets like Speed-video and Motor-mania that are improving. Also TV networks like MAV TV and even ESPN (if NHRA were to get really desperate). Still, I would think the NHRA Board of Directors would be open to new revenue streams while increasing NHRA Drag Racing’s visibility.
To go further out on the promoter’s limb, my rookie suggestion would be to put the T/F and Funny Car races on a two hour show with the first and second rounds being openly admitted as being pre-recorded. Why can’t the shows start with semi final action and use the time between 3rd and final round to show what happened in 1st and 2nd round that got the round winners there? It would be interesting to always see interviews of the 1st and 2nd round losers too. That way their sponsors would still get some air time and the viewers wouldn’t always get that canned answer of “I’ve got the best crew here and my “hot rod” is ready. I’m ready for the final, so on the way home, don’t forget to stop and eat a meat stick in your new Camaro insured by AAA.” (Don’t get bent… I am a Force fan.) A 1st or 2nd round loser can’t say that at that time and the fans should get a better idea of what the racers go through both on good days and bad days. Then the semi-finals and finals could be seriously honest broadcasting without everyone who is interviewed on the entire 2 hour show essentially saying the same thing. (You know…”I’ve got the best crew and the baddest hot rod…”) To many times announcers that try very hard to hide from nothing but cookie cutter interviews are reduced to informing us that a certain racer’s family has a house cat.
If all three series were on 2 hour shows, it would double the 3 hour window of exposure both racers and advertisers have the opportunity to get now. The NHRA Ad Executives would have the ability to sign up buyers for their increased product lines. But that shouldn’t be thought of as an additional expense or burden for NHRA. Think of it being like a small car dealership where there’s only been 10 cars to sell a month and now all at once there’s 20. NHRA can increase profits which increases the commissions for their Ad Execs.
And yes, I did say that I might leave a game early if it appears to me that the outcome has been decided before the clock runs out. ---I know this, if I leave a game before the end, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the experience.
I’m not saying all fans are unhappy with NHRA’s show, I just believe there is always a way to make any show or event better. The Bader family’s Norwalk track shouldn’t be the only drag racing enterprise that’s constantly attempting to improve their product. However, I do believe there are many if not most, first time fans to an NHRA National Event, that while they may have enjoyed it, they don’t plan to buy ticket to another one.
In looking at alternative presentations for the NHRA stage, I feel what I’ve stated would be an improvement for many if not most fans while allowing NHRA and their national event track owners to have a larger income stream while hedging potential rainout type loses. I’m just throwing ideas at the wall. Maybe like Bret Kepner with his Pro Mod and Factory Stock Showdown ideas, someday one of these might stick.
No, I wouldn’t rotate the Sportsman classes differently than the nitro/Pro Stock/Pro Mod shows they are paired with. The whole program would need consistency to avoid confusion for everybody.
An important factor to consider is how many classes are contested at the various NHRA national event tracks now. I did some surprising research and found there are only 2 races (Indy & Norwalk) that have 17 classes competing. Dallas has 16, Denver 15, Bruton Smith’s Vegas-2 & both of his Z Max races have 14, Atlanta, Topeka, Reading and Pomona-2 each have/had 13, Sonoma & Brainerd had 12, St. Louis has 11 while Bristol, Epping and Houston all only had or will have 9 classes competing this year. I also went back to 2019 and found that the Winternationals (cancelled this year) only had 13 classes compete that year. I assume the fairgrounds won’t hold more cars or classes and that means that race cannot ever increase its car entry money stream without just increasing the fee. Going to three races would allow the Pomona races to increase that revenue stream. (Assuming Pomona’s Fairgrounds would even allow 3 to 6 events.)
There are other tracks that would most likely love to have one or more of the three races should a current track only want one or two. Thinking of Tulsa, S. Georgia, Bradenton and Orlando for four quick ones.
With its longer race week and the drag racing history of Indy, I would leave the Labor Day Week at Indy alone and maybe add an additional Top Fuel and Funny Car Race of the new type events to their schedule since the Pro teams are mostly housed there and NHRA owns the facility.
The decision on what classes would be contested at each of the three races would require some serious vetting and since I obviously don’t have access to NHRA’s data, a best guess is all I can give. NHRA staff would need to know things like the number of active sportsman racecars per class, their history of attendance, entry fees and payouts for each class along with many other track related details such as pit parking and the track prep required to make a quality decision. So just for kicks, I’ll just wing it. But…no matter who would do the dividing of the classes over 3 different programs, there will always be detractors no matter how the classes are split up. (It wouldn’t be drag racing if somebody didn’t complain about the program even if Wally Parks were to come back to lay it out.)
With that disclaimer, my first guess in dividing the classes up for 3 great shows might work something like this:
Top Fuel plus TAD, Top Dragster, Top Fuel Harley, Pro Stock Bike plus the return of AA/FA and addition of Jr. Dragsters. (7 Classes)
Funny Car plus TAFC, Top Sportsman, Comp, Super Comp, Super Gas and… Super Street. (7 Classes)
Pro Mod, Pro Stock plus Factory Stock Showdown, Super Stock, Stock and… MM/PS plus introduce the fastest of the now popular small tire classes. (7 Classes)
That just added AA/FA, Jr. Dragsters, Super Street, a small tire class and MM/PS as additional classes and income streams and did it without making the day as long as any current race. Remember, this breakdown has each of the 3 separate races contesting 7 classes where the NHRA National Event tracks with the smallest number of classes contested, currently have 9 classes contested. Those 3 tracks would have slightly shorter shows while the other tracks would have either significantly more time available for those that want to cruise the pits and see as much action on the track as possible or see the full show and head home before becoming exhausted. At the same time NHRA and the various track owners would have 3 weekends to present them per racing season rather than just their 1 big weekend gamble.
Currently Norwalk contests 17 classes at their Summit Racing Equipment Nationals and by moving it to 3 weekends that contest just 7 classes each, they would be producing a program much like their highly successful Night of Fire which concludes in one day to huge crowds while also picking up entry fees for four more classes. Spreading their gamble out would dilute the damage that a rainout would have as it typically doesn’t happen to any track 3 times in one racing season. (Yes, for the 2 or 3 people still alive to remember, I had that happen to 3 in a row of my expensive media promoted races in 1979 …and I’m still pi$$ed about it.)
It takes an hour minimum to turn a TF car. Do you really think that fans would rather fill that time with Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Mod or something slower?
Yes, I do think the fans would enjoy the other classes in this format while it would also allow more places for sponsors to buy ad space at a slightly cheaper rate… for a while. As demand grows so can the sales price. (Positive income streams with happy customers are a great thing.)
Here are the details of my suggestions for having three race programs:
At the proposed Camping World Top Fuel Series presented by Amazon, spectators would see Top Fuel, TAD, Top Dragster, Top Fuel Harley, Pro Stock Bike and the return of AA/FA and the addition of Jr. Dragsters or 7 Classes total. The only class here that the hardcore fan might want to check out the pits during is the Jr. Dragsters. For the new spectators, all the classes would be fun to watch… or they could check out the pits between the T/F cars passes to collect autographs and see the new and unique Manufacturers Midway plus buy concessions and using the restrooms in time to grab their seat for the next round. This sounds like a fun weekend to me. Since there would (or could) be 3 separate events at each track, it would allow for a slight reduction in vendor costs which should bring in more vendor booths as currently many tracks don’t have room to add anyone new.
At the proposed Camping World Funny Car Nationals presented by Levi Jeans, spectators would see Funny Car, TAFC, Top Sportsman, Comp, Super Comp, Super Gas and… Super Street. (7 Classes) Folks that don’t “get” or don’t like index type racing would have the greatest pit party to attend as there would be floppers everywhere with their “rock star” drivers to talk to, get autographs from and photos with. Possibly the AA/FA guys should move over here too. ??
The Camping World Pro Stock/Pro Mod Nationals by Nike might be the weakest of the three events in my breakdown for the brand new fan. Even still, it would showcase the hardcore fan’s favorite Pro Stocks plus the wild and unpredictable 260 mph Pro Mods while also presenting a class that regular, street driven Mustang, Challenger and Camaro drivers can identify with… The Factory Stock Showdown cars. There’s also Supe Stock, Stock, plus MM/PS and a class of the growing and popular small tire racrs. (7 Classes.) Alan, I would think you would have plenty of things to talk about over the PA at this race too.
You mentioned the need for more NHRA staff and that would be true. However, one thing that hasn’t been broached is the ability of the NHRA crews to specialize further in their area of expertise. Announcers would be able to focus on EVERYTHING about the drivers and crews of just 7 classes rather than 17+ classes. Tech people wouldn’t need to know the details of the two programs that they don’t work. But they could tightly focus on the details of the classes they are responsible for.
I’m sure there are some very logical reasons that it would make sense to move some of my suggested classes around to better fit racer and/or track prep needs. But hopefully any class movement would still be subject to making sure the best fan experience prevails. Spectators must go home happy that they attended and seriously want to come back for more.
What would be your total number of events? If you run three at each track three times, that's a lot of weekends.
I would think smart folks like those at DSR, JFR and CKR would be able to develop and get sponsors for 2 hospitality areas. One for Funny Car and one for T/F.
Yes, there also would be more weekends to see NHRA drag racing on TV. That’s a good thing and should improve the shows by making everyone involved in producing the show’s job easier to do as people could specialize instead of have to handle so many varied tasks that they might drop the ball on one or more of their many tasks.
The motorsports sponsoring executives you mentioned would either need to pick and choose the races they want to attend or they would get to attend more races per year and spend quality time with each customer. (I would guess that some of them don’t attend every race on the tour now.)
Guys like John Force should be happy to have more products to sell. A 2nd hospitality tent and teams going in various directions means he can make more money because he’s got more events to sell companies. Most likely a company like Flavor-ite or Monster Energy would like being the sole main sponsor of Brit’s T/F hospitality program while Peak and AAA still get signage there on those additional race weekends.
What about Television? Are you going to have three full crews to cover all the races?
Admittedly, my experience promoting drag races was way before TV was anything but Indy on Wide World of Sports. This is the one area that I’m guessing and all of my opinions are very questionable. But there seems to be vastly improving and expanding numbers of TV channels and online outlets available for any event. I would think that NHRA could try to cherry pick the specific programing best suited for each series and especially for their nitro races.
Three different race programs probably would require two or three different delivery methods. The current programing thru Fox has been the best that I can ever remember and yes, I did like Steve Evans on Diamond P. I would think NHRA Online would love to expand to provide specific coverage for more races. There are also outlets like Speed-video and Motor-mania that are improving. Also TV networks like MAV TV and even ESPN (if NHRA were to get really desperate). Still, I would think the NHRA Board of Directors would be open to new revenue streams while increasing NHRA Drag Racing’s visibility.
To go further out on the promoter’s limb, my rookie suggestion would be to put the T/F and Funny Car races on a two hour show with the first and second rounds being openly admitted as being pre-recorded. Why can’t the shows start with semi final action and use the time between 3rd and final round to show what happened in 1st and 2nd round that got the round winners there? It would be interesting to always see interviews of the 1st and 2nd round losers too. That way their sponsors would still get some air time and the viewers wouldn’t always get that canned answer of “I’ve got the best crew here and my “hot rod” is ready. I’m ready for the final, so on the way home, don’t forget to stop and eat a meat stick in your new Camaro insured by AAA.” (Don’t get bent… I am a Force fan.) A 1st or 2nd round loser can’t say that at that time and the fans should get a better idea of what the racers go through both on good days and bad days. Then the semi-finals and finals could be seriously honest broadcasting without everyone who is interviewed on the entire 2 hour show essentially saying the same thing. (You know…”I’ve got the best crew and the baddest hot rod…”) To many times announcers that try very hard to hide from nothing but cookie cutter interviews are reduced to informing us that a certain racer’s family has a house cat.
If all three series were on 2 hour shows, it would double the 3 hour window of exposure both racers and advertisers have the opportunity to get now. The NHRA Ad Executives would have the ability to sign up buyers for their increased product lines. But that shouldn’t be thought of as an additional expense or burden for NHRA. Think of it being like a small car dealership where there’s only been 10 cars to sell a month and now all at once there’s 20. NHRA can increase profits which increases the commissions for their Ad Execs.
And yes, I did say that I might leave a game early if it appears to me that the outcome has been decided before the clock runs out. ---I know this, if I leave a game before the end, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the experience.
I’m not saying all fans are unhappy with NHRA’s show, I just believe there is always a way to make any show or event better. The Bader family’s Norwalk track shouldn’t be the only drag racing enterprise that’s constantly attempting to improve their product. However, I do believe there are many if not most, first time fans to an NHRA National Event, that while they may have enjoyed it, they don’t plan to buy ticket to another one.
In looking at alternative presentations for the NHRA stage, I feel what I’ve stated would be an improvement for many if not most fans while allowing NHRA and their national event track owners to have a larger income stream while hedging potential rainout type loses. I’m just throwing ideas at the wall. Maybe like Bret Kepner with his Pro Mod and Factory Stock Showdown ideas, someday one of these might stick.
