Promoting Drag Racing

[chris3racing]

I'm going to put this on this portion of the site because I think there are a lot of people here who will find this interesting. I was invited to put my race car in the classic car portion of the International Auto Expo this past week-end, in Raleigh, snow and no place to race. During two days I found out some very interesting things.

The age group of people interested in drag racing and drag race cars has no limits, from small children 2 or 3 years old who wanted to look inside a car and touch it, teen agers who have an interest in the cars and the various aspects of engines and racing, to 60, 70 and 80 year olds who want to talk about how it use to be and the enjoyment they got from going to the track.

There were people who were interested to know that our whole family participated in drag racing and how many generations (3) that are represented by the car we had on display and race on week-ends.

The thing that really set me back was how many people do not know that they can still go to a drag strip locally, within 60 miles in any direction, and see a drag race every week-end in North Carolina, other the Z-Max Dragway in Charlotte. I spoke to people who do not know that some of the oldest drag strips in North Carolina and this part of the country still operate every week-end. Most of the people thought the tracks were torn up and gone. There were so many people there that can remember names of drag racers from 1960's and 1970's at all of the local tracks but don't know a single name of a racer currently racing. I had people ask me if I knew a certain driver at Kinston, Broad Slab, Fayetteville, 258 Dragway, Easy Street, Person County, Sanford, Piedmont, Red Springs, and the names went on and on. Old racers, when you look at the names of these tracks mentioned by these people over the week-end, do you see a pattern here.

Everyone, including me, talks about how few spectators come to a race on the week-end. If folks do not know that there is a drag race going on, they are not going to show up. I have been thinking more and more about this. If a track, which to most folks I talked to, is part of their memory of days gone by, would assemble a group of race cars, make the spectator admission reasonable for people to go (2,000 spectators at $8.00 or $10.00 and not 200 spectators at $20.00) and advertise the race. Stock/Superstock, Gassers, Gear Jammers, just put together a promotion ad and see what happens. Don't depend on the Internet to get the word out, because most people don't know we have tracks to race at and are not looking for an event. I had people who remembered the old drag race ads on the old "WKIX"radio station here in Raleigh. How many of you remember ads for best 2 out of 3 races on Sunday at Sanford dragstrip?

Just something to think about.

[Michael Beard]

Positively dead-on! I've had that conversation with some track operators. "Why do we assume that everyone knows the track is there?" Just because we used to advertise, doesn't mean much today. Many tracks are in an area within driving distance of a number of Colleges, tech schools, high schools, etc. Consider that there is a NEW crop of students entering the area every year.

With the over-saturation of entertainment available to the general public today, its hard to capture people's interest on any one thing, and the equally wide range of available media makes it more difficult to reach target audiences.

I'm surprised there are not more billboards in use. I've seen them for Concord, Atlanta, and one of my local tracks, but some of them are designed to where you can hardly read them. Postcards and billboards require a totally different design approach.

[Gary Smith]

I've noticed the staple magazines (Hot Rod, Car Craft, PHR) have pretty much disappeared from supermarket news stands due to lack of interest. Yet whenever a race car is on display at a consumer center (shopping malls, restaurants, etc) it still draws attention to the sport. Communities must step up to the plate as well. Sadly it lacks for various stupid reasons such as negative or nonexistent local news coverage, greed, lawsuits, and uneducated municipal leadership.

The tracks must "close the deal" too. When's the last time anyone heard "PROGRAMS...GET YOUR PROGRAMS" at a local drag racing event? The short tracks still produce these and do an excellent job providing the most casual of fans who otherwise wouldn't know what they're watching. I can't get over the number of older drag race fans who still remember Stock, Pure Stock, and Super Stock not realizing they still exist. Perhaps S/SS associations look into producing simple yet effective programs for the tracks to hand out as part of their program.

Just my $.02

[Hemiparts]

I have to agree with pops ( Chris3) people go crazy just to hear the sounds of these cars crank and idle ( there were 30 people standing around our trailer waiting for me to back the car off the trailer.) . I think part of the reason that people don't pay attention to our sport is the the lack of " Creative Advertising ". People stop and listen closly when you hear a booming voice hollering " Sunday Sunday Sunday" vs a blip on a website or some social message board. I can tell you first hand from someone who is trying his hand @ promoting a group on Nostalgia Pro Stock cars to run on the east coast it's all in how you package the product. But i agree the tracks are the one's who have the burden to get the butts in the seats once the people are there then the cars can do the rest. I am the second generation of that 3 generations that Chris3 speaks of, and i can assure folks my age no little or nothing about the sport of drag racing, and if we don't do someting by time it get to the 3rd gen od Chris3 it may be all gone.... IMO

[Stephen & Horace Johnson]

i was thinking of this the other day while I was sitting through the delay for daytona... why is it that daytona can be talked about every day, basically all day up until the race, and even after the race they talk about it every day until the next race. I've seen commercials every day about this race, and even in the local newspaper, but when it comes to drag racing, you dont hear or see anything about it until the day of the race. My local track doesnt promote the outlaw races that come up. You go to a local race here, and then a couple of days later you bump into a friend, and ask them were they at the races,and they look at you like they saw a ghost, well I didnt know there was race.. Why cant Nhra-ihra have telecast each day of the week or even 3 days a wk talking to the racers and finding out what they are goin thru to prepare for the event coming up. I honestly think drag racing will always take a backseat to Nascar!!!

[magnumv8]

I also remember SUNDAY,SUNDAY,SUNDAY......that phrase would always get my attention....I think the gradual decline in local spectator interest and the rising cost of radio advertising through the 70's and 80's all contributed to the current state of things....a rumbling V8 still turns heads and the cookie cutter automotive market sort of dulled everyone senses to the point of numbness.....with the explosion of big screen TV and the "video" society of the new millenium I would love to hear AND see a SUNDAY,SUNDAY,SUNDAY....commercial come screaming across the screen..... cable advertising is about the least expensive form there is and compared to the other media is darn cheap and a great bang for the buck...local tracks could really benefit from this.....if NHRA would put together a video package all of their member tracks could use it with their local event voice over and details.....

D L Rambo.....

[chris3racing]

I've been on and off of the board today coming back to read the comments. Thought I would add to this mornings comments.

Today there are 6 or 7 drag strips within an hour ride from Raleigh. Most of these tracks, over the years, have seen some of the biggest names in drag race history. All of these racers started in the dirt pit area of some of these tracks.

If a Track Owner would put together a program with Stock/SuperStock, Gear Jammers, Straight axle Gassers that people want to see race, and promote it, spectators will come. A couple of short radio spots, send a small note to the local newspaper. On any Saturday night, in most major cities in North Carolina, there is a classic car cruise-in at a hamburger or pizza spot near you. On some nights as many as 500 classic car and 3,000+ people who came to see the cars and eat. Print a flyer promoting your race hand it out, place it on the front seat of the cars. They will come to the race and bring there family and friends. When they are at the track they are going to spend money on food and souviners.

Racers we will have to support the efforts of the Track Owner. Have your car clean and neat. Dress and act professional, remember you are not only representing you but also the companies which help you get to the races. Treat the spectators, who come to look at your car in the pits, like friends you are glad to have at your pit spot. Don't by pass the little ones, remember an adult brought them there to see you and possibly will come back again. Most of us have photo printers. Make a couple of sheets of photos of your car it doesn't matter what size. Put them out at your pit area and you"ll be surprise how fast they're gone. And maybe someone might just ask you to sign the photo.

When it's time to race put on the show the people came to see. What ever class or race you are in give the spectators who did come the best you have got. At a local track which had a car show and nostalgia drag race, I was in the tower talking with the Track Owner. He said I came up hear to watch the races and I noticed something. Some of those people in the stands really don't know who won the race. They look at the starting line with a pair of cars Mustang vs Camaro, Camaro vs 'Cuda, the tree comes down, the engines roar, the wheels are up. The wheels touch the ground and they are looking back to see the next pair of cars.

[Ellis V. Buth]

Our local track here in IL had a big "exhibition" style race a few years ago that is now an annual deal, but they advertised it on the radio and I heard multiple people say that they did not even know that Central Illinois had a drag strip. Growing up in the area and in the sport I always just assumed that since I am 21 and know that the track is there, then everyone else in the area that has any interest in the sport must know that too. It really opened my eyes to just how poorly promoted several tracks have been for the past 15-20 years.

[treessavoy]

When I lived in AL the local track would get with the local Mall and sponsor a car show for the local racers. We would all bring our cars in thur. night after the Mall closed then they would be on display thru Sun when we would take them home.

Most of us would hang around and answer questions or just shoot the ***** with people that were interested.

It was a great way to connect with the people, look at whatever was new, and expose the kids to the sport.

JimR

[W J]

All this sounds great, but billboard, radio and TV advertising, even a local newspaper ad is becoming very expensive these days....How much do you think Nascar is paying to promote their roundy-round events w/their people and their shows on speed channel and the espn networks? Believe me, it's plenty. Sadly enough, the Sportsman drag racers are paying for pretty much the whole weekly show at your local tracks, because the fans just aren't showing up on a weekly basis, and most blue collar families can't afford $20 per person admission charges to a local track, especially if they're bringing a couple of youngsters along....$8--10 admission fees might help, but the overall economy is ruining the sport as well....couple of yrs. back, EVERY big Nascar event was a sellout BEFORE raceday.....now you can get a good seat to every Sprint Cup race, and purchase it on raceday....Same thing w/National event 1320 races...the stands (and pits) aren't being filled because the people who have the interest, fans AND many Sportsman regular racers, don't necessarily have the extra cash to travel and attend these events....How long can this attendance drop-off go on before some of the track owners start putting the chains across the entrance gates? Just my .02 cents. WJ