[Michael Kilduff]

This will be an interesting thread.

I can't comment on what is happening in LA as I haven't been there for racing, but I can tell you what is going on here in the Carolinas.

Drag racing at local tracks seems to be fairly healthy. But I think there is a 600 pound gorilla in the room. When I was a kid and first started going to local dragstrips supposedly bracket racing 'saved' many of these venues. I can say that over the last 25 years the bracket programs are drawing less spectators as each year passes. As the spectator count and car counts have decreased over the years the 'tuner' crowd has increased and now the 'test and tune' nights are way more profitable for tracks here than is a regular bracket program. I spoke with one track operator who told me point blank it would be fine with him if he never hosted another bracket race as the tuners and 'run for fun' deal was the real money maker.

The 600 pound gorilla is the very real possibility that the 'tuner' generation is a passing fad.

If this fad does pass, then what will the tracks do to stay in the black?

I have never been a track owner or promoter. But if I did have a track I would in addition to having races also have concerts and car shows and whatever else would generate interest and get people to the facility.

For what it is worth I think there are many reasons why bracket programs aren't as profitable for tracks anymore. The public doesn't really understand it, dragsters and enclosed trailers have played a part as well. And, in previous generations people almost had to work on their personal cars, thus the creation of 'car guys'.......the current generation is more involved in computer games than anything else.