Thread: How much longer can the NHRA last?

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I always DVR the NHRA major events and watch them later. I watched the Nationals at Indy this week. It is always the biggest and most important race, especially for the pro classes. Everyone wants a win at Indy above all else. The weather looked decent. But even during the Nitro classes, when the stands used to be packed, it looked like they were only about 1/2 full. And when they showed the pits, which are usually shoulder to shoulder with people walking around, there just were not that many people. This was INDY man!!

Personally I think maybe the drag racing has become too sophisticated. In the top classes the cars all look alike, except for the paint or wraps. Even the Pro Stockers all look alike. It seems like the classes with more variety like ProMod get people more excited. I went to the March Meet at Bakersfield this year. It is all Nostalgia cars. Lots of Nitro. AA/FA, Funny cars that actually look Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds, lots of gassers, no electronic delay boxes in the index classes. The stands were full, even though it had some rain and cold. Great bucket list event if you have not gone.

What do you think?

I think you've said it all. The pro's whether Nascar or Nhra, it's all the same.. Same car, same horsepower, same tires.. so who can you cheer for? Go see some small time racing and it's all good clean fun. Cars look like the ones we used to drive / race. Plus I think many are still stuck in covid mode. 2 Years of staying away from crowds and shutdowns.. "WE" still haven't caught up I think.

i only watch the S.E,G,A events anymore .. South Eastern Gassers Association i believe .. they have a small block class .. a big block class and even are starting a mini engine class called H gas ..there are fords . chevys and dodges that compete at every event and the winners are spread around amoungst all brands '' .. yeah the Quadra family all run mustangs in pro stock but they are still chevy powered .... rules should be amended after every race to keep the same people ( Erica Enders ) from dominating .. the previous event winner should have to add penalty pounds at the next event ..

With the price of parts and the expense of travel, easy to see why the big events are down! This was going to be a return to Indy, prices are just too crazy, guess we'll keep going to Iowa to race. Lots of good events that have a respectable payout, don't need to hit the big events with the ridiculous prices anymore! All the pro sports are soon going to have to face the fact that fewer people are willing to pay their absurd prices when similar events can be found within a couple hundred miles of home!

My comment was mostly at the lack of fans in the seats. The claimed there we over 900 racers there. I can remember when they would have way over 1000. With the price of fuel, especially diesel, I am sure that impacts the racers decisions to travel.

Originally Posted by Stu Cool

My comment was mostly at the lack of fans in the seats. With the price of fuel, especially diesel, I am sure that impacts the racers decisions to travel.

Fuel / Food /Hotels - it is brutal out there! I still watch some of the Nascar races.. and they have maybe 40 to 50 % of the crowds they used to. The Bristol race was almost an embarrassment I'd think. The stands used to be packed completely around the track, this last race they couldn't fill the main grandstand. Even the big teams are in trouble. Check out Kyle Busch, his sponsor of 15 years ( M&M Mars) is walking away. And they are in a long line of those backing away.

Originally Posted by Stu Cool

My comment was mostly at the lack of fans in the seats. The claimed there we over 900 racers there. I can remember when they would have way over 1000. With the price of fuel, especially diesel, I am sure that impacts the racers decisions to travel.

On the opposite side of the fans issue, our oldest dirt oval was bought a couple years back by the guy who owns the track in Jackson, Mn. Our local track, Huset's Speedway, has had great crowds all summer, the World of Outlaw sprint car shows were both sold out! His plans for next year are a $250,000 to win Outlaws 3 day show! That will get the cars and when the cars show up the fans do too. He has done a ton of "fan friendly" improvements at both tracks he owns and promotes the heck out of his big events and weekly shows. Prior to the new owner, the track had been closed for two years, hell of a comeback!

I live within an hour of two drag strips that both race every week. They both seem to be drawing a very good group of participants. Maybe even more importantly, there are a LOT of young people involved at both tracks, a lot more than at oval track races. Meanwhile the big league events are struggling due to costs, advancing technology, and low spectator attendance.

About a month ago, August 14 to be exact, my grandson, granddaughter and her father were at Topeka for my birthday. We sat in the Blaine Johnson grandstand which are excellent seats for the starting line, lousy to actually view the races. It was ungodly hot, something like 98º, and the stands were sparsely occupied as well as the pits.
None of the four Pro classes were full and other than the fact that my granddaughter had a good time, it was a waste of time and money.
Topeka, IMHO, is one of the better tracks I've been to and it's a shame the crowd was so sparse. It's an easy track to get to and well maintained, unlike the past, and the parking and camping is spacious though I wasn't fond of the handicap parking as there is none by the tower and there should be. They do run tram service and that is an improvement, but the handy parking, IMHO, should be inside somewhere near the competitor parking but not close enough to be a nuisance.

After thought: Until NHRA does something about Pro Stock camaro and level the playing field for Pro Stock motorcycle, I'm not fond of high winding ricers that sound like a herd of pissed off bumblebees, they will slowly sink into oblivion.

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

After thought: Until NHRA does something about Pro Stock camaro and level the playing field for Pro Stock motorcycle, I'm not fond of high winding ricers that sound like a herd of pissed off bumblebees, they will slowly sink into oblivion.

I guess I'm not the only one tired of the "which Camaro will win this week" debacle in NHRA! We must be old if we remember when Pro Stock was a battle of the brands! The only good news out of Pro Stock this year was Greg Anderson adding his name to the list of drivers with 100 Wally's, Greg goes all the way back to the Warren Johnson days when the class was still interesting to watch. Also good to see someone put a whoopin' on those dang kids who are driving now!

As far as how long will the NHRA last? As long as 2 guys with wheels and a motor are driving.. there will be racing!

I agree that there will be racing as long as guys have cars, but NHRA was formed to get racing off of the streets, and to provide a level of organization to the mess. Today NHRA has abandoned the little guys, and has very little to no interest in the "street stock" or "modified" classes so the kids are blocking off roads for burnout exhibitions and in some cases for racing, ala "fast & furious". I'd say that NHRA is circling the drain with their interest only in the big buck pro classes.

I know most can't stand street outlaws or their shows. But just look at the races they put on and the fan following they have. Drag Illustrated said they feel the No prep kings are more like what funny car and nitro racing was in the 70s but modern day. If you watch any of the drag racing podcasts or shows, many top teams have quit traveling coast to coast due to fuel prices, and mainly low car turn out. My favorite local track is 1/8 mile and used to be NHRA but now is IHRA. I just found out the IHRA doesn't have high school classes. That's another way to kill the sport. Sad deal.