FEEDBACK ARTICLE – THE FANS AND FOUR WIDE, A COLLECTION

4-WIDE IS PERILOUS PAGEANTRY
DRAG RACING: WHERE PROGRESS IS OUR LARGEST PROBLEM
RON CAPPS: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Although as a promoter I thought it was brilliant but as ex-Top Fuel driver a disaster. Watching two fuelers on TV is hard enough, but 4 is impossible. IHRA and NHRA are thinking out of the envelope to keep a float in this disastrous economy, as are all the track owners and operators only time will tell what works and what will not. The next 4 wide should not be points implicated. - Danny Dunn

FEEDBACK ARTICLE – THE FANS AND FOUR WIDE, A COLLECTION

4-WIDE IS PERILOUS PAGEANTRY
DRAG RACING: WHERE PROGRESS IS OUR LARGEST PROBLEM
RON CAPPS: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Although as a promoter I thought it was brilliant but as ex-Top Fuel driver a disaster. Watching two fuelers on TV is hard enough, but 4 is impossible. IHRA and NHRA are thinking out of the envelope to keep a float in this disastrous economy, as are all the track owners and operators only time will tell what works and what will not. The next 4 wide should not be points implicated. - Danny Dunn


Drag racing is two cars against each other and should remain that way, no matter how much money Bruton Smith has or spends.  If he needs a circus, let him buy one, not use the NHRA to provide his entertainment. - Pat 'Ma' Green


IHRA is owned by the circus, and NHRA has become the circus. The NHRA bowed to Bruton Smith pressure and left Richmond, one of the best tracks in the country.

The only decent national series out there right now is the ADRL. The truth is that big money has ruined most all national series in drag racing and stock cars. If you want to see a decent race these days just go to your local dirt track, 1/8 mile strip or 1/3 mile oval. You can take the whole family and buy hot dogs for the price of one ticket to the so called "big boys". - Stuart Smith


Really bad idea. Not for the purists. I'm old school (and old) and have enough trouble watching two cars. The casual fan may enjoy it, but if you really try to watch what's happening, four cars are too many at once. I tried to watch qualifying, turned it off. Didn't even attempt to watch eliminations on Sunday. - Mike Jones


I don't know, can't race at 1320 feet, but we can have PARTS flying across 4-lanes! What would Wally think? - Glen Betterton


I myself did not care for 4 wide racing but perhaps I could make a suggestion.

Since Mr. Smith has invested heavily in the concept of 4 wide racing why not hold qualifying under the 4 wide concept but return to traditional 2 wide for eliminations? This would give spectators the opportunity to further evaluate it without impacting the pro teams during eliminations. - Mark Young


So Asher is where the action is, heck I would be happy to carry his stuff around like a caddy, only at the track.  I HOWEVER, have to ask if the backpedaling is being caused by unwarranted pressure from the money bucks Bruton and the embarrassed NHRA brass?  The Pros as a whole don't have the "big brass ones" to butt heads with the likes of old white head Light and they sure as heck don't want money bucks Bruton to cry and have a tantrum and scream he will take his toys and go home and play elsewhere.  But put simply, "Four Wide Sucks", there guys, I said it, and no one can fire me. - Mark Elms


Someone should have noticed and protested the giant crane in the sand trap at Englishtown? Uh Yeah

The PRO has never even a little bit effective? Uh Yeah

The hard core fans blame NHRA for the steady deterioration of drag racing? Uh yeah, just like Asher has over and over.

The racers are their own worst enemies? Uh yeah, just like it has always been.

Soon the NHRA will go belly up and a new deal will come about.
Uh yeah. - Mark Timesay


I would like to thank Ron for his perspective on the Pro/NHRA meeting. I feel like it is accurate and very informative. I am a sportsman racer and was in attendance at the inaugural event as a Super Gas participant. Personally I enjoyed the event and did not experience the problems with the racing surface that several other racers have voiced. I guess my old 57 Chevy did not get loose as others did. Thanks again for the inside information and I would hope that correspondence of this nature will continue from the PRO Association as well as NHRA. Accurate communication is the key rather than speculation and bashing.

Please try and keep the masses informed which includes the sportsman participants. - Wayne Bogle



I am a long time fan of NHRA racing.  Maybe I missed something on ESPN2 but I thought the television coverage was terrible.  If the cameras were any further back we would have been on the Goodyear Blimp.  And the cars reaction time was so lopsided that I think there were only a few close races.  OK with that said, let's give the 4-wide another chance so ESPN2 can fix the coverage and give NHRA a chance to fix the starting line issues.  The if that works then let's expand the 4-wide to Vegas so we can do the 4-wide at two races a year and then expand on that so we have 4-wide maybe in the Countdown format.  That would give us four races a year in the 4-wide format. - Sarah Becker



Asher nailed it!!  Plain and simple.  Drag racing must reinvent itself and Bruton Smith's vision is to be lauded.  Take a look at the NASCAR palaces and then look at the NHRA venues (other than Smith's tracks).  Big difference.  Four wide racing can do several things for the sport.  More noise, more excitement, more discussion and most importantly a faster show.  IHRA got the memo and has gone to a condensed format and so far it appears to be working.  Think about running the index classes four at a time with only one car advancing to the next round.  Purists will howl but the fans, old or new, will see a much faster show.  

Indy won't have to start a week early to run off all the entrants. - Dave Mathers

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