NHRA Sport Compact: Racing Not The Only Appeal
Written by David Lamm · August 26, 2005
Hardcore drag racing fans reject the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Series. Sad but true. Those that were raised on carburetors and American muscle cars from Detroit would never be caught dead at a drag race full of Japanese imports. Because this is the case, the NHRA needs to understand that marketing this series the same way you market your NHRA POWERade series is a big mistake.
NHRA Sport Compact: Sony progressive activation program to debut
In 2001 the NHRA saw the need to expand its horizons to include a whole class of cars it was neglecting, import and sport compact cars. Other sanctioning bodies like NIRA, IDRC and NOPI serviced this niche but it was the NHRA that gave the sport a little more legitimacy when it decided it would branch out and create a separate series. Anytime an organization with the size and reputation of the NHRA ventures into another form of racing, the impact was immediate. The immediate impact was felt on the race track but not according to the paying public that came to the races. Before the NHRA came in many of the established import racers were hoping around from the different sanctioning bodies but eventually found a home with the NHRA Import Series. The reason being the NHRA was a little more stable and had more of a household name when it came to racing on the track. Unfortunately, that is the only place where the NHRA has an advantage.
The NHRA knows how to put on drag races. Import drag racing is not like the drag racing you see on ESPN with Top Fuel and Funny Cars burning down the drag strip at over 300 mph. Not only are the cars slower than those on the POWERade side, but the audience is vastly different. Although the demographic is changing slowly, your typical NHRA POWERade fan is a white male, normally Mid-30’s or older. The NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Series fans are typically age 18 to 24, Asian or Latino or Black or White young people living in suburbia and they not only embrace technology, they devour it. MP3 players, DVD players, Xbox, PlayStation 2, cell phones, Blue Tooth enabled PDAs, laptops and anything else that can be plugged in transported easily is what makes these kids tick. When these kids get to the track they are not just going to sit there and watch cars go down the track for eight hours. They want to see the cars on display and normally these cars will be tricked out so much the owner wouldn’t dream of endangering it to put them on a race track. These kids want to see DJ competitions, car audio demonstrations and bikini contests. Yes, you read that right, bikini competitions. The problem is the NHRA, IDRC, NIRA and NOPI understand this import racing culture demands that type of entertainment yet the NHRA still holds the belief the racing on the track should be the main focus. Wake up and smell the bikini tan line lotion. Sure the NHRA will have the top notch racers in the sport compact world, but offering nothing more than racing, will these fans still come? Sadly, no. So why is the NHRA so far behind when it comes to offering more lifestyle options back in the pits?
Maybe the NHRA wants to just give enough lifestyle events to appease the masses so that they will not completely ignore the series when it hits town. The NHRA constantly tries to be a “family sport”. The NHRA wants the drags to be a place where a parent can take a child and not be concerned that they will have to shield their eyes or cover their ears from objectionable material. That is true with the POWERade series but not with the Sport Compact Series. The simple fact is the target demographic normally does not have children or will not bring them to the track if they do have kids. Marketing sport compact racing as a family sport to people who do not have families will fail miserably.
I say give the kids what they want. If they want more skin in the bikini contest, let them have it. If there are ten people in the grandstands watching the races but 70,000 people in the pits for the car show and the DJ competition and the bikini contest so be it. Just because you think the racing should be the focus does not mean everyone else shares your opinion. A grocery store owner may love broccoli in every meal but he is not foolish to only carry that in his produce section. The fact remains that if 70,000 people all bought tickets to your event and all are having a great time does it matter why they are there? Just because the NHRA was founded on promoting the sport of drag racing does not mean you need to close your eyes to the reality of what this sport has become. Forcing a square peg into a round hole is not the way to do it. Focusing on the lifestyle portion of the event and improving it is not turning your back on the history of drag racing at all. This is not 1951 when Wally Parks and a few others formed the NHRA to keep kids from racing on the streets.
The NHRA is leaving a lot of money on the table and squandering a huge opportunity by not recognizing that the lifestyle events are the main draw for these kids. The NHRA is on the right track but a little more flexibility on the lifestyle portion of this series and the NHRA could easily become the leader amongst an age group that has expendable income and is not afraid to part with it.
Comments
One Response to “NHRA Sport Compact: Racing Not The Only Appeal”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I agree with Dr Lamm, the future is not far, we may see elec & fuel cell classes when we run out of fossil fuel. ps I started in the 60s with my 1st FX car that i later,like many FXers,carved the 1st funnies.”DixieStripper” I like all kinds of racing & all kinds of Bikinies!