Easily the biggest topic in the alcohol racing world is the possibility of going to a regional series instead of divisions. Basically instead of the 7 divisions, there will be two or three regions; West, Midwest (in the 3-region format) and East. The hope is that with the consolidation of the divisions, there will be higher car counts at regional events. Another goal of the new format is to take alcohol racing away from tracks that either do not want to host the alcohol cars or do not have safe facilities to do so.
These changes are being made because no one is truly happy with the current situation. There are several contributing problems that ultimately have a domino effect. One that I like to focus on is the promotion side of it. Specifically, the promotion that one track does for their divisional race.
Aside from my hometrack, Norwalk, none of the tracks that host divisional races promote said races. They go out of their way to make their divisional race, known as the Cavalcade of Stars, one of the biggest and most successful events in a) the track's history, b) the division's history, and c) the NHRA Divisional history. The 2010 Cavalcade of Stars marked the first time that they actually had to refuse spectators from entering the gates. I don't remember the stat, but it was one of the most attended divisional races in NHRA history, if not THE most attended. The stands were absolutely packed, which is something that you never see it a divisional race.
Racer attendance is also high for the Cavalcade. There have always been full fields at the race, with at least a couple cars not making the field. D3 does have a large amount of alcohol racers compared to other divisions, but the features of the event must be a contributing factor of the event's alcohol car counts. After all, the track treats the alcohol teams like pros, compared to how other divisional tracks treat alky teams. I mean, how many times will you see an autograph session where the alcohol racers are the stars? Only at Cavalcade...
Track co-owner Bill Bader Jr. and his staff do bring in "talent" acts like wheelstanders and jets, along with fireworks, but that's part of putting on an event that will bring fans back year after year. They also provide a facility that racers, fans and their families feel comfortable going to. I've been to several tracks in the eastern U.S. and none of them even come close to Norwalk's grounds. The same has not been said about the actual track surface at times, but that has nothing to do with fan attendance.
I live within 30 minutes of the track, so I see their promotional efforts in the local community firsthand. Whether its radio and TV ads or stories in the local papers, the race is promoted in a way that such an event should be. Fans come from as far as Michigan and Pennsylvania to go to the Cavalcade, but many of them are local fans. That could partially be because there is simply nothing to do in northern Ohio (I'm allowed to say that, I live here), but the efforts of the Bader team are the #1 reason that fans come out in droves.
Ticket distribution is the last contributing factor that I'm going to go over. Tickets to the Cavalcade of Stars are passed out to attendees of prior races at SMP and to those that order tickets to the track's national event or Night Under Fire. Local radio stations, auto parts stores, gas stations, and other business receive free tickets to give away to listeners and customers. They end up making that money back in concessions and souvenir sales.
If you think about all the touches that they put in to the Cavalcade of Stars, its no surprise that the race is attended by so many fans and racers. NHRA, it's divisions, and it's tracks can't expect piles of fans if they don't promote the events. Until drag racing has the prominence that NASCAR and other major sports have, we have to do more to bring fans out to the races. Let's kick the title of "Best kept secret in sports".
Showing posts with label summit motorsports park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summit motorsports park. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Norwalk National Event Week!
It's finally time for the race I look forward to the most, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. This is easily my favorite race weekend of the year because Norwalk is my hometrack and I have a lot of local friends that will be in attendance. This is also one of the few national events that I'll be attending this year, so I try to have as much fun at this race as possible. Along with the typical race activities, there are a few special parts of the event.
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
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