4. Invite every remaining
local high school vocational shop class with a 50 percent
off ticket for any qualifying day.
5. Every active duty military
service person is entitled to a free ticket to any Friday
qualifying show with a significant discount available for
any other day.
6. Everyone with a current
NHRA membership card gets in free on Thursday or 50 percent
off Friday to any national event.
7. Bring in selected,
articulate, grey-haired "drag racing geezers"
in each city to explain what¹s happening on the quarter
mile and in the pits with personal interaction. There are
some great, long-time fans out there who'd give a lot for
the team if they were included. Form a special crew of drag
racing docents to answer any questions for newbies and show
them around.
8. Get rid of the Sports
Magic guys and replace them with appropriately attired gals
from the same age demographic, I'm not talking strippers
here. Today's Sports Magic act is way lame and it is time
to retire the guys as was done with country music at NHRA
events.
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9. During downtime for
oil downs or any slow period whatsoever, shoot as many T-shirts
into the grandstands as possible. Make last season's unsold
NHRA event shirts a gift to the loyal fans. Currently Sports
Magic may give away 10 shirts per day, but be very liberal
and shoot 200 to 300 shirts every day. By the way, on a
Saturday evening SoCal's Irwindale Speedway the
track mascot shoots dozens more T-shirts into the stands
in one Saturday evening than the Sports Magic dudes do in
an entire weekend.
10. Be nice to your customers.
Whether they are large or small sponsors, casual fans, new
fans, rabid fans, media, professional or sportsman competitor...
they are all your customers. Make NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
the most fan friendly entertainment value in all of motorsports.
Arrogance drives people away from the turnstile, always
has and always will.
I write these simple ideas because I care about the way the
joint is being run. Even if one of these ideas comes to pass
it would do a lot toward bringing out the welcome mat instead
of the current restrictive, stuffed-shirt atmosphere at NHRA.
While you're at it, drop 3 or 4 events from the 2007 schedule
as the IRL recently did and cut the TV show down to a killer
one-hour show.
As Ed Hinton observed, breathe some life into our sport, it
isn't working now. 
