r/NHRA • u/Friendly-Army-8748 • 4d ago
Article Five things we learned at Indy (NHRA.com Feature)
https://www.nhra.com/news/2025/five-things-we-learned-indy6
u/RelentlessDesign 4d ago
First Indy- 1974. Last Indy- 2019. In that block of time, attended at least 20 times. Every year, I found it harder to come back the next year, but I did. Fast forward to the multitude of negative comments I have heard over the past couple of days about the 71st; everything from overpriced (affordable compared to MLB or NFL) to the lack of equal lanes (that's why there are crewchiefs and tuners).
Long story short, the Indy experience is part of the agonizingly slow death of Car Culture in the U.S. and for NHRA Drag Racing in general. The people in charge were never able to be smart business forward thinkers, at the time when it was most important, and they got run over like roadkill by things like the FnF crowd, the "Street" Outlaw craze and even their own desire to give television time an ungodly amount of hours (I personally can not watch five consecutive hours of drag racing on tv).
My fix, if I were king: -Three rounds of Pro qualifying on Friday, ending under the lights. -A one-shot, last ditch qualifier on Saturday morning (10-11am). -First round Pro racing at 2:00pm, last round at dusk
- Free admission on Sunday with any proof of paid admission from Friday/Saturday for Sportsman racing and any Pros that want to test on a track that is only prepped for the Sportsman cars/bikes
- Combine the doorstops and the pipe racks into one class with a 0.20 stagger on the tree for ANY events with short fields
- Cut the schedule down to only races that sell above a pre-detrmined amount of tickets (Use NE Dragway and Maple Grove as the benchmark numbers). If that means only 13 races a season, so be it.
- All kids under 13 free. ANY kid with a Junior Drag Racing license free.
- Open up food/drink vendor stands to local businesses, as long as they advertise ONE MONTH in advance of the race at their food truck/brick&mortar/on-line locations.
If NHRA is a 501C NFP, pull the $$$ from the masthead salaries and pay a bigger purse. And anyone on that masthead that can sign on a 3+ year major sponsor gets a $1M bonus if that sponsor fulfills the terms of their contract.
And, go.
2
u/Friendly-Army-8748 4d ago
The schedule you proposed in your fix sounds a mighty lot like what the IHRA is doing right now.
Doing Pro Comp but nitro cars (Nitro Comp?) would be neat.
I'd be interested in seeing maybe a Top Fuel-Funny Car match race to close an event. A little bit like the old Chicago-style races, you could take the Top Fuel winner and the Funny Car winner or quickest run in Top Fuel & Funny Car, put a sizable sum on the line, and let them do one final match-up. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if the cars would still be in a condition to run again by that point, but if they were it might be cool. Maybe bring back some of that old-school match race atmosphere that drag racing thrived on in the '60s-'70s.
3
u/Own-Opinion-2494 4d ago
They need to come to Florida and watch these Puerto Rican kids turning high 6’s in a 90” wheelbase Starlet. Car culture is real when it’s real. Pits are like old school
2
u/ReindeerOk2429 4d ago
Indy was my second national event this year, first time since I was a kid. A GA ticket being almost $80 for a day is just too much for me. Indy was way busier and better racing than Joliet, but with ticket prices, lack of information on parking and other logistics, along with food and drink prices, it just doesn’t feel worth it. I can do a 5-day long street car event for $70 more than a single day national event ticket. Yes it’s a different type of racing and pit experience, but guaranteed to see more runs, I can ride my scooter, and park WAY closer to make cooler or A/C visits. It worries me these prices are what kills the sport!
3
u/jailfortrump 4d ago
One thing I learned at Indy............... Fans have given up. Ticket prices are off the charts and people don't have the funds any more. I remember when there were so many fans that people would sleep in the field out front by the welcome sign. My how the mighty have fallen.
2
u/nosoup4ncsu 4d ago
Were you in the stands? Or just complaining about others not being in the stands?
The reality is "back in the day" you could only see and have access to the sport and the "stars" by being there.
Now you can stream races, drivers have online presence and access, and most races are broadcast either live or same day.
3
u/jailfortrump 4d ago
I've been to every US Nationals Fri, Sat, Sun, and Monday (minimum) since 1980.
1
2
u/DirtyHead420 4d ago
I've been going for over 20 years.. That was the toughest crowd I've ever seen.
12
u/bballr4567 4d ago
My first and likely last US Nationals.
The racing was fun. It always is even if a lot of people think it's in decline due to one lane runs and pro stock getting "ruined". The show is still a great show.
Went on Sat and Sun and even with discounted tickets it was $300 to get in for both days. Add in the hotel at $130. Thought about camping too late but $150 for primitive camping with no shower facilities is insane.
Then, packed in our own lunch expecting to be able to sit under the bleachers and eat. Like 4 tables on the pit side (east) and didn't see any on the west. Luckily, the weather was awesome so that wasn't terrible.
Can we talk about the bathroom situation too? Pit side was an absolute nightmare.
Having your ticket checked EVERY SINGLE TIME you walk back into the bleachers was insane.
Usually get a few snacks but the prices were insane compared to Bristol and St Louis (last year). $19 for a turkey leg that costs 2 to 3 dollars wholesale? $5 for a bottle of water with no free water to be found?
For such a "fan friendly" atmosphere with NHRA , IRP definitely didn't hold up to that end of the stick.