NHRA Division 1 - Purse & Entry Changes for 2020

[BKSG1198]

I mentioned a few years back (Pre Dave being the head honcho) about letting me help out with marketing D1 races. I mean the paper on my wall does say "Marketing Degree...lol". One of the biggest assets that we have isn't even used and that's the great sponsors at PC Richards. You have stores miles away from the track and don't utilize them to the public in the area. You should gather a few local racers, Maybe a Alky Car, COPO and park them in front of the store and make an event out of it, maybe offer those racers a 1/2 off discount into the race and a decent parking spot since they won't make it there till Thursday. I was told before well we put free tickets out on the counter for people to take if they want.....Ummm Hello, if I just bought a brand new 72 inch TV with all the gadgets and fixings, I'm worried about getting that sucker home to install instead of looking for free tickets to a race but, I was told a car show would never work.

Billy K. at Maple Grove does great work with the local High Schools to get them to attend more events and Chris at NED (i see he's bringing it back this year) did stuff with the local camp he helped out at for the D1 race. You have to make it cost effective for people to come watch and explain it to them. People don't go to Eagles or Flyers games as a family anymore because it's a $500 night. I went last Saturday and 2 beers cost $24....thank god we got free tix off of a fellow racer. Maple Grove deal is cool to watch Alky cars,Top Sportsman & TD but, you throw a qualifier and 2 rounds of Comp into it and nothing against Comp, it takes someone to really understand Comp to get it and why they shut off at 1/2 track when someone goes red or only runs it out to 1,000 foot on a bye. We almost have to make Saturday Nights of D1 races into a mini-thrill show, all us sportsman are more or less done by 3pm on Saturdays so the fans don't have to see the boring throttle stop cars, etc.

[Billy Nees]

I think that the key to "Marketing" this whole deal is the "Car Show" side of the whole thing. Ya know, in this day-and-age what is the difference between Hershey or Carlisle and the MG points meet? You've got hundreds of people who love their cars and love to show them off and will gladly talk about them with anyone who asks. The only difference is that a "Drag Race" breaks out!
People, at least in my area, still love cars. There are young people standing in line to buy every 3RD gen. Camaro and FOX Mustang they can find. There are older people who are always looking for a reasonably priced older car (2dr, 4dr, unpopular body styles, just decent cars) to go for rides on the weekends and take their grand kids for ice cream in.
I've got a group of kids who hang out in my neighbors garage playing with their Mustangs and Rams and S-10s and Neons and they think that "NHRA Drag Racing" is TF and FC! They don't think that there is any place for them there. So much for NHRAs marketing plan.

[James Perrone]

Billy great idea. I normally don’t do or like crar shows
It makes sense to advertise ACarShow.
After time runs that’s what it is. A car show with great quality cars

[Bob Don]

Stock racer Greg Barsamian put together a deal for some ASRA racers. We appeared at a large bi-monthly car show at the Foxboro, MA Bass Pro Shop (put on by Mass. Cruisers) in exchange for reduced admission for the next ASRA race at New England Dragway. Greg gave a promotional speech and we all fired up our cars for the crowd. It went over very well.

http://clubs.hemmings.com/masscruisers/