There are things the NHRA can control, and there are others the sanctioning body cannot. On a part they could,  they aced it. 

The topic is the NHRA's inaugural stand-alone Pro Stock show. 

While I cannot tolerate preempted broadcasts, it is indeed the nature of the beast when it comes to following live broadcasts. If you want a primetime broadcast slot, chances are you're going to follow a live event. While college basketball isn't my thing, nor has it ever been, millions of fans would point out this sport is important to them.

Sure FS-1 could have cut away from an overtime game to stay on schedule, but I am old enough to remember the most famous time this happened. NBC bore the brunt of those viewers ire for a long time. 

So let's dig into the show. 

I think most diehard drag racing fans can all agree; Pro Stock could use some additional fan base to join the seasoned and passionate group already in place. 

The biggest takeaway was the educational approach the producers took not only to show potential new drag racing fans what Pro Stock entails but also what is involved with drag racing. These are areas they usually couldn't focus on during the fast-paced show. 

In order to properly promote the show, the NHRA didn’t show the finals of Pro Stock on Sunday, nor mention the finish results. NHRA most likely did so to preserve the upcoming show, which was advertised within the current show. 

I've felt for the longest time that the NHRA rarely gets the benefit of the doubt, and to be honest, there's been enough bonehead moves by them in the past to justify the lack of confidence. 

As I see it, because of this, many drag racing fans wrote off the Pro Stock show before it even aired. Who could blame them? For years, many of these fans feel as if they were taken for granted by past leadership which didn't try to understand their wants and needs.

I think one thing the current management has learned is the need to experiment and try different approaches. Some projects work, and some fail miserably, but as long as they are trying, I'm going to try and support them when it makes sense. 

The Pro Stock stand-alone show makes sense, and I for one appreciate what the factory hot rods bring to the overall drag racing picture. 

If it takes making Pro Stock a big fish in a smaller ocean, I say swim, baby. 

Swim!