The death of bracket racing........

[89 cavalier]

Bobby,
If I remember correctly you were all for the 2 day events at first. Remember this idea was the best thing since sliced bread. The whole reason 2 day events were ever started is because drivers were coming from far away to race at Baytown and gas was up near $4.00 a gallon after the hurricane. This way a driver could come and stay at the track (for free) , get two races in, and have only have 1 tow bill. Just because you dont like the new schedule doesnt make it bad or make them bad schedulers. HRP only races, what, 6 weekends a year, if other tracks cant schedule around that then they have a problem. You are not even racing HRP's events this year so why do you keep ripping them. We have one of the best tracks in the country right in our back yards and we dont appreciate it. This is the toughest, tightest racing I have seen at HRP in my 20 years of racing. In years past all you had to do is show up at all the races and make the bracket team, not any more. There are more cars and higher payout than ever before at HRP. Bracket racing is definantly not dieing in Texas. Come on back out you might just like it.

[bobby]

Originally Posted by 89 cavalier

Bobby,
If I remember correctly you were all for the 2 day events at first. Remember this idea was the best thing since sliced bread. The whole reason 2 day events were ever started is because drivers were coming from far away to race at Baytown and gas was up near $4.00 a gallon after the hurricane. This way a driver could come and stay at the track (for free) , get two races in, and have only have 1 tow bill. Just because you dont like the new schedule doesnt make it bad or make them bad schedulers. HRP only races, what, 6 weekends a year, if other tracks cant schedule around that then they have a problem. You are not even racing HRP's events this year so why do you keep ripping them. We have one of the best tracks in the country right in our back yards and we dont appreciate it. This is the toughest, tightest racing I have seen at HRP in my 20 years of racing. In years past all you had to do is show up at all the races and make the bracket team, not any more. There are more cars and higher payout than ever before at HRP. Bracket racing is definantly not dieing in Texas. Come on back out you might just like it.

Yes you are right, I WAS all for it. Not anymore the way they run it. SLOW. If they would pull their head out of their asses, then maybe I would go back. I have been racing all but 2 years out there since 96. I have qualified for all the team finals on the years I signed up for points. They don't listen to what the majority of the racers have to say. The place is really falling apart. They need to upgrade the bathrooms, maybe put in a couple of shower stalls. Well, I really need to end this rant before they invite me not to come back, but then that won;t bother me either. Maybe if they started their program on time on sundays, I would feel different. But it takes a hour to load up 2 cars, another hour to drive home, have to drop the trailer off at the storage, get 2 days worth of Igloos and laundry out of the trailer put it in the truck and then when we do finally get home, unload all that stuff and get cleaned up to go to bed. So after we get our last time ticket, it is a minimum of 4 hours until we are settled down.

[phantom1010]

If you want to increase the car count ,watch Pinks.they turn cars away because they have so many entries.They are doing something right.possibly because all racers want exposure .They want their friends to see them on TV.

[rayfin]

What killed America?

[borninamopar]

We have bracket racing every Saturday at the local track: 1 points race every month during the season to compete for a chance at the Championship Always have plenty of cars, box and no box. Quite a few Nhra and Ihra class racers show up every chance they get. And, let's get to the point of the matter, unless a stock or SS car is running heads up, it's just bracket racing anyway. It's a lot cheaper to bracket race than to class race, and alot of times the payout is way better. I am not against or for either, racing is fun no matter if I am taking my outlaw car out for a race or bracket racing one of my slow cars. I don't get into the politics of it all. I just race. Ever see the sign "Will race for food." There are still plenty of places to race and have fun. I have three tracks to chose from all within a tank of fuel in my truck. $45.oo dollars to race. I guess ya'll are just in the wrong location. I hope it gets better for everyone..But with all the NHRA politics going on, I don't see it. And to all the NHRA guys: It's your orginization. Get together and tack it back.

[John Kelley]

Originally Posted by Webster

They continue to drive the cost of competing through the roof and/or render your combination ineffective at the stroke of a pen....it is happening across the board whether it is some sort of "class" car or a purpose built bracket car.

Just HOW can NHRA make a bracket car "ineffective" ????
I don't follow your way of thinking !

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Johnny Claridge

Top 10 Things Killing Bracket Racing
-- DISCLAIMER: This is just my personal opinion from observations and conversations with racers and track managements. Please take no offense. None was intended.


Top 10 Things Killing Bracket Racing




10. Division Director

Two decisions by the division director.

a. Dropping bracket racing from division races caused bracket racing to lose exposure.

b. Making it easier for racers to make the bracket finals without supporting a track.



9. Motor Homes

For the most part, this is strictly a perception deal, but if you're not outside when newcomers are walking by, wanting to inquire about your operation or racing in general. This loses the best marketing tool we have, which is word of mouth.



8. Junior Dragsters

Although we had some junior dragster racers move up, not near as many that have been participants made the move up to bracket racing. This is a theory my mothers had that anyone serious about their hobby usually only sticks with it for 10 years and in this case, those years are being used up in junior dragster.



7. Loss of Time Trials

In the golden olden days, you could hotlap your car and get your money's worth in time trials. Let me let you guys in on a little secret: some guys actually like driving their cars, and the current trend of two time trials or maybe one, then you have to buy a time trial, or run for the money, or whatever that want to call it, leaves you with little chance to test and tune your car, because you are worried more about consistency, due to the lack of time trials.



6. Organizations

a. NHRA

In the beginning, things they did really helped the local tracks, bringing in super gas and super comp really helped jump up the local car counts. But then they started going after the local racer by bringing in super street, and now they are going after the quick racers, top dragster, and top sportsman by dangling out gold cards for the champions. Thus hurting the tracks by them having to eat the gold cards and the loss of car counts.

b. IHRA

The IHRA went directly after the sportsman, which is their job, as they've seen a market for it, but it is something else for racers to chase, and once they get hung in a points battle, they will hardly run their local tracks.

c. Independent Series

I don't know why tracks let these independent series in their gates, because they're there for one thing, and that's to convert the racers at the track to chase his series, thus more loss of revenue for the local track once the circus goes to the next town.



5. Track Owners and Management

a. Owners

Racers didn't create the need for you to hire full-time staff. You have to hire a full-time staff because of all the nights you are open that are not bracket racing. A lot of tracks are open three and four nights a week. You're not going to hit a home run on every night. And if you're leaving bracket racing out of your special programs, you're not going to get any growth either. There was a time when most track owners wore all the hats. Chief Cook and bottle washer type thing, we felt we were part of the track. But now they all have management and we hardly ever see the owners.

b. Management

This **** of ?I wanted to do this or that,? but the owner wouldn't let me has got to end. Quit trying to play the racers off of ownership. Make only promises you can keep, and never tell the racers something's written in stone, until it is in writing. A lot of racers have spent money, or changed their plans for the next season, based upon your word. Make sure your word counts.
When designing a race, be realistic. If something needs 100 cars to make the payout, and you normally only draw 20 to 30, you might want to reevaluate your thinking. If racers are constantly splitting the payout, remember you need to evaluate your pay scale.




4. Marketing

We're just not getting any exposure. Something needs to be done to get spectators in, because those are our future racers. If we don't get more people watching, it will be the end.

The total abuse of the word ?guaranteed.? It is so unrealistic for the marketing department of a track or promoter to put the word ?guaranteed? on a program that there's no way they can reach the numbers. It leaves a sour taste in the racer's mouth, and they sure as hell won't want to help a track after that.



3. Multiple Entries

The beauty of bracket racing is it's one-on-one, and when all 4 staging lights are on, it doesn't matter how much money you have in your pocket. But when somebody can bring multiple cars, or buy multiple tech cars, this is another perception is reality. And I'd like to give a great example of this in action. Back when Bill had Green Valley, and Super Pro was still a small class, the tracks in this area allowed you to race two cars in the same class, as long as they were different cars. At the end of the season on a Sunday one year, when me and my opponent when to the tower to pick up our checks, Bill pulled us over for a little chat, explaining to us how he wasn't going to let us drive multiple cars the next year. (Between us and a few other racers, that would of cost him almost 10 tech cars.) When we asked why, and how he was going to make up for the loss of entries, he explained how he thought what we were doing wasn't fair to the racers that couldn't afford to being two cars. And he would make up the money with an increased car count he would get by giving the perception everybody had one shot. We laughed at that one as we left the tower, but he got the last laugh as car counts shot through the moon, after Bill made this bold move. Funny how history repeats itself. Buybacks and multi-entries are doing the same thing to bracket racing today that bring bringing multiple cars did back then.




2. Buybacks

a. In it's original concept, buybacks may have been okay. Tracks using them to make up for low car counts to help save the track. That is the most important thing. But that's not what they're being used for now, in most cases. The use of buybacks in most cases is to create a payout artificially to help a track keep up with the Jones', or make exuberant profits.


b. Since the inception of buybacks, how many tracks have actually outgrown? In fact, the opposite has happened. Tracks have started going to multiple buybacks, and multiple tech cards. And I hear some tracks are even going to third round buybacks. It's kinda like a cocaine addict. They start taking more and more, not realizing they are getting worse and worse. Buybacks are truly stunning the growth of bracket racing.


c. Listen to some of the comments the owners have: ?No one's twisting your arm to buyback, or a lot of my racers love it.? Well, the answer to the first: ?If you went to a Vegas tournament, and play slot machines against an opponent, and you were only going to spend $20, and the tournament allowed your opponent to spend $20,000, you probably wouldn't go back to that tournament.? To the second part, buybacks increase entry fee, thus increasing cost, thus running off more racers. And besides, when you look around the country, the most successful tracks don't use them. The rest of this buyback thing I could go on about, but it's obvious some owners are hard-headed and don't want to market their track. The first thought on their mind when laying out a race is how many buybacks and entries I allow. Sorry to be so tough.





1. The number one reason is: YOU

a. That's right, you. And I'm not talking about the whining crybabies. We all know what they're doing, because of all the enclosed trailers, 8ft privacy fences, bracket racing gets zero free advertising. And yes, I'm talking about you. How many times have you been in a restaurant and you see someone looking at your hat or shirt, and say ?Dear God, I hope he doesn't come over here wanting to talk about racing.?

b. The at***ude at the track. How many times have you been standing along the fence, hearing people say how great the ownership is, but the management sucks, not walk 10 feet away, and hear how great the management is, but ownership sucks? Other people hear this too, and the talk along the fence is way worse than anything I've heard on the Internet.
c. As bracket racers, we need to be WILLING to let the tracks incorporate us in part or as a whole with their special programs, I.E. Pro Mods, Back Halves, etc., etc. This is how we get exposure. People come out to watch the pro mods, and they realize pretty quick that they wouldn't be able to afford to do that, it would be nice if there was a class there running that would look more affordable to them.

IN THE END, IT WILL BE UP TO YOU TO SAVE BRACKET RACING! IT'S THE WAY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, AND THE WAY IT WILL ALWAYS BE!



Thank you very much for your time,

Johnny Claridge
www.voy.com/96963/

you forgot one thing.......The DELAY BOX !

[Tod Lane]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

you forgot one thing.......The DELAY BOX !

Short, succinct, and spot on

But I would add any other timers/electronic device that drives the car for you, that controls any function a driver should be doing. I remember thinking when I first saw a delay box at Indy a few decades ago, "There goes the neighborhood".

The guy from Dedenbear said back then, and I quote, "I gives the less talented driver a chance"

But generations have grown up with them, I expect it would be hard for them to relearn to drive a car without all the gadgets. We used to tune the cars, today they tune the laptops...

[Geerhead55]

I've talked to several Super Pro/Box racers who've said they would never go back to Pro/No Box type racing. I might get my *** handed to me from time to time, but I still prefer to live and die by my own hand. I really like Stock and Superstock racing, and would love to have a stocker of my own, but its not in the cards at this time, so to get my "fix", I bracket race my Nova.
Danny Durham

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Geerhead55

I've talked to several Super Pro/Box racers who've said they would never go back to Pro/No Box type racing. I might get my *** handed to me from time to time, but I still prefer to live and die by my own hand. I really like Stock and Superstock racing, and would love to have a stocker of my own, but its not in the cards at this time, so to get my "fix", I bracket race my Nova.
Danny Durham

Thats because those drivers probably could not drive a nail with a hammer without electronic aids...LOL