Make Divisionals Great Again

[Bobby Fazio]

How do we do it? Why don't tracks want them? Why is there little to no crowd at 90% of them? I would like to have a few track owners/managers on my Tuesday show to educate us. Maybe someone from NHRA could do the same. There are many questions.

[Pistol Pete]

Originally Posted by Bobby Fazio

How do we do it? Why don't tracks want them? Why is there little to no crowd at 90% of them? I would like to have a few track owners/managers on my Tuesday show to educate us. Maybe someone from NHRA could do the same. There are many questions.

Why tracks don’t want them: I would say it’s because they have to pay NHRA a hefty
price for having a Divisional race at their track with not a lot of spectators to off-set
that money that nhra gets.

Why No Crowd: Can’t really answer that one, but I can guess a lot of spectators want
to see Nitro Cars (no offense to the alcohol classes).
The average spectator probably can’t understand handicap racing & probably wonder
why the .90 cars (no offense to them either) take off, slow down and take off again.
If a spectator never been to a race & you try to explain these classes and Comp Elim
is another thing to explain about going faster than .50 under you get a index hit, the
average spectator is probably pulling there hair out. Or saying, I thought first one to
the finish line wins.
Just my take.

[HR9121]

Originally Posted by Pistol Pete

Why tracks don’t want them: I would say it’s because they have to pay NHRA a hefty
price for having a Divisional race at their track with not a lot of spectators to off-set
that money that nhra gets.

Why No Crowd: Can’t really answer that one, but I can guess a lot of spectators want
to see Nitro Cars (no offense to the alcohol classes).
The average spectator probably can’t understand handicap racing & probably wonder
why the .90 cars (no offense to them either) take off, slow down and take off again.
If a spectator never been to a race & you try to explain these classes and Comp Elim
is another thing to explain about going faster than .50 under you get a index hit, the
average spectator is probably pulling there hair out. Or saying, I thought first one to
the finish line wins.
Just my take.

I can't say I disagree with Pete but I think one part of the problem is tracks just don't promote these races. Understandably this costs money and they're already paying NHRA to have the race anyway but I think some promotion could help atleast it works at Norwalk.
In reality though if anyone has been to their local bracket races lately they don't have any interest either, we don't have a car obsessed culture anymore. Like it or not the only sportsman racing that draws attention are the heads up radial stuff that is easy to comprehend and there might be a big crash at anytime.

[1320racer]

as has been said, tracks don't want to host divisionals because it's a money losing proposition and there are no spectators because we no longer have a car culture in this country, American boys/men no longer have a love affair with their car and haven't for decades. Oh and what we do makes no sense and is boring to watch to all except racers and in the 21st century, promotion only happens on fb. No one reads the newspaper, no one buys air time on the local radio station and no one is stapling flyers to telephone poles and trees.

[J.R. Haddad]

Guys we go through this every year, yet nothing ever gets changed. I think the stakeholders( Track Owners & Nhra must sit down and the track owners
say look fellas, this isn't working for us. Do I think NHRA overcharges? I
would have no way of knowing. There was a time the track owners lined up
to get a points meet. Not the case in 2023. In everything I am about to say,
Mr. Bader is the exception. He could give most of us a step by step manual
to LODRS success, and I don't know what percentage would get it, but it would be low. Are some LODRS races entertaining? Very much so, but only
to us. At Bader's LODRS events, he got jet cars, Funny Cars, Fireworks, Fabolous Concessions, Spotless washrooms, Paratroopers, people being shot out of cannons, etc. I feel that both the Track and The NHRA have to re evaluate the relationship. There are a lot more doubles, because there are a lot less willing tracks. J,R.

[RKelliher]

People will not come if they don't know it's there.Like any business you have to market your product. And don't rape them coming in the gate.Alot better to make less money at the gate with 5k people than nothing at the higher price. Marketing,Marketing, Marketing

[Pistol Pete]

Originally Posted by HR9121

I can't say I disagree with Pete but I think one part of the problem is tracks just don't promote these races. Understandably this costs money and they're already paying NHRA to have the race anyway but I think some promotion could help atleast it works at Norwalk.
In reality though if anyone has been to their local bracket races lately they don't have any interest either, we don't have a car obsessed culture anymore. Like it or not the only sportsman racing that draws attention are the heads up radial stuff that is easy to comprehend and there might be a big crash at anytime.

All Great Points James. The crowd can understand Heads Up Racing Easier than Handicap Racing.

[BPotts]

Originally Posted by Pistol Pete

Why No Crowd: Can’t really answer that one, but I can guess a lot of spectators want
to see Nitro Cars (no offense to the alcohol classes).
The average spectator probably can’t understand handicap racing & probably wonder
why the .90 cars (no offense to them either) take off, slow down and take off again.
If a spectator never been to a race & you try to explain these classes and Comp Elim
is another thing to explain about going faster than .50 under you get a index hit, the
average spectator is probably pulling there hair out. Or saying, I thought first one to
the finish line wins.
Just my take.

I agree with Pete. People go to a race to be entertained, not for a math class.

[mike natoli]

Originally Posted by Bobby Fazio

How do we do it? Why don't tracks want them? Why is there little to no crowd at 90% of them? I would like to have a few track owners/managers on my Tuesday show to educate us. Maybe someone from NHRA could do the same. There are many questions.

Hi Bobby,
I get more spectators at South Mountain for a regular Sunday bracket race than I see at a Divisional race. I would like to hear other opinions on your radio show. My perspective is from what I have seen and read here but willing to see what other tracks have done and or would be willing to try. E town did the night of thrills and used us as fill but was not a Divisional. I remember Gary Richards giving tickets away for free for the DIV 1 and still no-one in the stands. Call me 347-522-6466. Being an NHRA 1/8 mile track not many of us in the country but plenty of independents, IHRA and now WDRA not sure what's working for them. Somebody has to make it a HAPPENING and want to be THERE!!! I have done car shows on the HILL and folks get to watch and hear some great racecars tear down the track. Maybe a thought for those Div tracks???

[Doug Hoven]

Every time I see the posts on facebook with the stands packed at a national event, with some big name NHRA supporter saying something along the lines of "Drag racing is not dying, so on and so forth" While I'm not going around saying the "sky is falling," it is obvious that drag racing on a sportsman level is dying a slow death. National events will always bring spectators. However, even in the few years I've been running stock eliminator, the attendance has been dropping every year. Part of the issue I think is scheduling. There are some races that just make no logistical sense for racers to attend, such as the Epping divisional race right before Indy. But, I can say that there was a sizeable crowd at NED this past summer due to their Night of Thrills type show being held Saturday night. It sucks to say, but it seems like to get people to a division race, there almost has to be another attraction that weekend other than just the regular racing. While quite a few of my peers from high school are interested in cars/racing, the appeal of stock eliminator, or almost any sportsman category, is not there. While I don't know precisely why, I can say that the rise in used/classic car prices definitely hasn't helped. Billy and I, well mainly Billy, has proven time and time again that you can go racing for peanuts, but to face facts, it takes a special person to want to race a rusty, brown cavalier. I know it's easier said than done, but maybe there needs to be more "old timers" letting "punk kids" race their cars from time to time.