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Mike Dunn, God bless you for the knowledge you possess. You have street smarts with the ability to articulate on-track action for the novice or veteran viewer without repeating yourself or spouting useless facts. I would ask that you put down the video pen more often since most of us understand very clearly what you are illustrating. Please share with us some of the oddities of various competitors you raced against, their quirks and shut down area conversations over your years as a driver. I know you'd rather be sitting inside a nitro cockpit instead of standing in front of a monitor wearing a suit and tie, completely detached from the staging lanes and pits. Your days of running 330 mph will hopefully come back soon.
If you've recently attended a drag race at any of the venues of the long NHRA or IHRA season, you know how nitro racing sounds, smells and feels; standing on the starting line is one of the coveted privileges afforded to only a few. I've noticed in the TV coverage FOX Sports provides for NASCAR that it's OK to shut the announcers up for as long as two or three minutes so the fan on the couch can absorb the sound and power of 43 racecars as they pass by the multi-camera and microphone locations. NASCAR has very little of the raw power we enjoy in nitro drag racing, yet during seemingly important drag racing match-ups the ESPN2 director keeps Marty Reid babbling meaningless won-loss stats rather than letting the power and fury that is nitro speak for itself.
A note to NHRA. Since you are paying for the production of the TV show are you proud of the show we watch on ESPN2? It's often a bore. Cut your losses, change the production crew, fire the director, shake it up, stop wasting the precious air time with your endless qualifying show repeatedly covering burnout, staging, run down the quarter mile, then turn off the strip with the chutes trailing. I understand the sponsor commitments at hand to fill two hours, but change the qualifying and elimination shows to one of action, highlights, personalities, innovation, run and gun, guerilla coverage, make us want to see more. Stuffed shirt, tight ass reporting isn't what you'll see in any drag strip pit area. Get down out of the corporate luxury suites to view what today's drag racing fan is following, you are solidly missing it with your coverage. Each rabid fan in attendance creates their own show following the drivers and teams, not just Brandon, Scelzi, Dixon, Force and Coil. Get someone over to interview Connie Kalitta, Ray Alley or The Greek for their perspective on today. Since we have lost access to our video history start chronicling what we still have left of the barnstormers and why they are still in drag racing.
Stop the cutesy-pie Scelzi Sez; it's staged, phony and tells us nothing of Scelzi or the other participants. Drag racing is not about gimmicks. Inform your fans of the up-and-comers, the future stars of the NHRA like Dave Connelly, Brady Kalivoda, Stephen Neese, David Grubnic, Mike Strasburg or Cory Lee. How did veteran Glenn Mikres show up in one of Virgil Hartman's dragsters at Phoenix? What else does Mikres do? Why aren't there enough Top Fuel dragsters to fill a field? Where's our Robin Miller who opines on CART or our equivalent of Andy Rooney, this show is bland and way too far out of touch.
We know the stars of NHRA drag racing, the fans who are watching the TV show know a lot of stuff about their sport, they are intelligent on a lot of issues, yet your TV announcers continuously talk down to the fan base. Is it a news story when a Funny Car team changes their computerized exterior graphics scheme? Is there nothing new in NHRA drag racing or has your product become so emasculated and so politically correct that I don't feel anything when I watch it? Your show doesn't move me anymore.
There's a wealth of very sincere talent waiting in the wings, among them are Bob Frey, Allen Reinhart and Lewis Bloom. These guys truly love drag racing and I see how many in the Media, PR and NHRA Staffers rely on Frey's photographic memory for stats and color on the Pros or Sportsman racer. Reinhart shines when he's given the opportunity in front of the camera. Allen is genuine in his top-end interviews; he cares about the drivers and knows the right questions to ask. Louis Bloom is a gem and a fine tower announcer when he's allowed on the microphone. Bloom's off screen abilities and quick memory usually makes Marty Reid look smart. Whether it's political or these guys know too much compared to the puppet-headed babblers of ESPN2, you (NHRA) need to work these guys into your TV Show.
TV is not a mystery; since the fans are knowledgeable, the show needs to be as intelligent as the fan. Your announcer/commentators on the whole, treat drag racing as a carnival sideshow. Yes it's the toy department of the sports section, but the personalities of NHRA drag racing are vivid, deep and on the most part they are the show. The racing machines are marvels of ingenuity and triumph. NHRA, take the time to analyze and fix your TV show! Call me, we'll do lunch. 
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