NHRA Misses the Boat on Memorial Day Weekend
Written by Scott Calhoon · May 24, 2007
Maybe I wasn’t paying close attention when the NHRA announced the 2007 POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule last year. Even if I was highly distracted, I was amazed that the NHRA is taking this weekend off. For years the big three in motorsports, IRL, NASCAR and the NHRA, all offered the racing fans of America a full day of racing from morning to night. Now looking at this weekend, the NHRA is mysteriously left off the racing docket.
NHRA.com: NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 2007 Schedule
Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with a number of things. Remembering those military men and women who sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice, their lives in battle, is the most prominent thought prevailing this weekend. Over the years the Memorial Day Weekend has evolved into traditional backyard Bar-B-Q’s, baseball games and major auto racing events have wedged their way into the American psyche. Starting this racing smorgasbord off with the granddaddy of them all, the Indianapolis 500, racing is a big part of what we identify with on this weekend. Nascar’s Coca-Cola 600 held every year on Memorial Day weekend continues to garner legendary status because of the weekend it shares with the Indy 500. The NHRA for years was the desert for a full plate of auto racing with the NHRA’s O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. completing the day. For whatever reason, that event is scheduled for the first weekend in June. Why?
I took a closer look at the schedule and tried to figure out how this happened. I know the NHRA schedule makers try to give teams a break and attempt to not schedule too many races that are back-to-back-to-back on three consecutive weekends. Even if the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals originally scheduled to run the weekend of May 18-20 went off as scheduled, there still was a week break in between the race held near St. Louis May 4-6. It is not as if waiting an extra week would improve weather conditions in Kansas to improve on car performance, thus giving the fans in the stands or on TV a better show. Possibly it all comes down to television calling the shots. Since Nascar has made its triumphant return to the ESPN family of networks, it looks like the Nascar Busch Series Carquest Auto Parts 300 has replaced the NHRA’s normal time slot. Other than making a small mention that the Topeka, Kan. race would be moved from its traditional Memorial day weekend dates, the NHRA offered no explanation as to why in their official schedule announcement made in August 2006.
For whatever reason, the NHRA missed a huge opportunity to take its rightful place with the other heavy hitters of auto racing this weekend. Am I supposed to believe that the Nascar Busch Series race this weekend is considered to be a bigger event than the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals? I may be looking at the auto racing world through nitro colored glasses but this oversight needs to be corrected next season.
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7 Responses to “NHRA Misses the Boat on Memorial Day Weekend”
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I for one am sick and tired of televised NHRA race events taking a back seat to other sports that IMO don’t measure up to the quality and importance of the NHRA.
You’re right David and I for one, am very disappointed. Last year, I had even pushed a promotion for this year at Topeka and it obviously won’t be what I offered. The draw and backing of drag racing is being minimalized but it exactly is as powerful or more than a minor league Busch race. Shame on everyone.
I don’t understand why NHRA quietly agreed to “sit out” the Memorial Weekend considering how they changed the points race rules to make it more like “Nascar”. Only thing that makes sense is ESPN forced them to defer to the Busch series. A big mistake!
I agree NHRA has always been considered the bad step-child of all other sports look at how many times it is pre-emptied for high school baseball amature archery anything but NHRA! It’s about time to get the respect it should have! How about some one with Mike Dunn in the announcers booth! Why some body like Paul Page?????
3 weeks without my drag racing fix? cup is cool, irl is ok, form 1 frankly boring. a fuel coupe sideways at 330 would wakeup the queen mother! where’s bob frey when we need him? espn; WAKE UP! 236329
My only comment is that I don’t think that it is “television” that is calling the shots here. I was highly dissapointed last week when the Sunday evening NHRA races were replaced by a marathon of 2004 World Series of Poker! Do you think that ESPN2 gained viewers by that? But then maybe it’s just me. I would rather be stomping my right foot to the floor, then “flipping” cards:)
Memorial Weekend at Englishtown would sure beat Fathers Day!!!