Why cant Sportsman Racing be like this on TV these days???

[Jason Oldfield]

IMHO, the average American is smart enough to understand handicapped starts. What's so hard to understand about a head start? Kids even know what a head start is.

What the average American CAN'T understand though is breakouts. If two people are RACING, how is it possible that one person goes too quick and is disqualified? I thought this was a race!

The main eliminations of Super Stock will never be popular to the masses. If ALL of the eliminations were run like class eliminations (or Comp with no CIC, or like the old Modified Eliminator used to be run), then I think you could have a made-for-TV product.

Now don't jump all over me...I'm not condoning changing Stock or S/S to be like the old Modified Eliminator. I'm just saying that it would be more interesting for the casual fan to watch. Comp could be fun to watch, but with the huge disparity in performance (due to the lack of cars) and everybody so concerned about getting a CIC violation, it has made Comp about as interesting to watch as grass growing. Too many competitors red-lighting, and too many competitors letting off after the 1/8th mile clock (and many times both in the same race).

The .90 categories COULD be interesting to put on TV, but not with electronics. All this stumbling crap coming off the starting line makes the .90 classes ALMOST as boring to watch as the alcohol classes (particularly S/C where you have 120 identically prepared rear-engine dragsters running). I can watch this type of racing because I know what's going on, but it's never going to get somebody to stand up out of their seat, or get the average American to set their DVR to tape it.

The IHRA sportsman programs were the last good ones on TV, but they've been off the air now close to 15 years. Those were replaced with showing only the final rounds to what they show today, which in most cases is nothing. IHRA's TV program is horrible now, but it's a reflection of their horrible Pro program, IMHO. NHRA's TV program has been horrible for at least the last 10 years. I've gotten to the point where I don't even care if I catch them or not (that's a pretty sad statement considering that drag racing is #1 in my family!)

If you can catch IDR, their shows are decent when they're not 30 minute long commercials (which they typically do in the off-season around SEMA and PRI), but they typically only have one camera filming so you're not going to get the type of production that you get from an NHRA race. But, at least you get to see something else run other than T/F and AA/FC (when it actually tapes...I've noticed that recently the guide on my DVR has said IDR, but it ends up being Two Guys Garage!)

And Brett - Please do me a favor and tell the blonde haired guy on IDR (his name escapes me at the moment) that when he cuts himself shaving to TAKE THE BAND-AID OFF BEFORE GOING ON CAMERA! It looks terrible, and just draws your attention to that area more (I've caught him doing this on multiple occasions).