What's Wrong with Drag Racing Part II...Racers, Fans, Media are also to blame!
/In the last article I wrote I discussed what is wrong with motorsports, primarily drag racing, from the ownership and promoter side of things. While there is certainly some eye-opening issues on that side, the other side of things is just as bad, if not even worse.
Everyone wants to point at social media as this huge crux within the industry. We all label social media platforms as bad and a source of terrible conflict within the drag racing community, yet all of us spend a ridiculous amount of time on things like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc. In fact, most of you probably found this article via social media. Fact is, social media is no worse now than forums were twenty years ago. The only difference I see is that we have the access in hand 24 hours a day without having to actually get on a computer to read and write about things.
Social media has made it “easier” if you will for fans, racers, promoters, etc. to get into verbal confrontations with others and not worry about any of the repercussions of those words. The problem with that is the everyone else sees those things and feels the need to take a side in the matter, a matter that 99% of the time doesn’t concern them in the least. Instead of having a grown-up conversation with the other party, it just gets blasted out on social media in a rant form and then here comes the herd mentality. Then, when it gets resolved in personal messages between the actual parties affected, the post suddenly gets deleted and treated as if it never happened, yet the herd has already taken a side.
Racers…well here we go on this. Where to even start with the bullshit that racers contribute to the entire problem at hand. Oh, it’s the track prep, or it’s the parking, or the gate, or this or that. Yes, we all get the fact that it is a customer service based industry. What so many racers fail to realize is that 95% of them are not making a living doing this. That means that track owners and promoters are busting their asses to give you a place to have fun with something that is nothing more than a damn HOBBY! Your hobby is what the track owners are trying to help you keep and enjoy. Instead, you berate staff, tear up facilities, and have an ego that would rival any God or Hollywood celebrity you can imagine.
When was the last time you heard a racer say, “well I really missed that tune or suspension setting”? You don’t hear that, what you hear is “this track is junk, the prep here sucks, why are we racing in the heat?” Instead of owning your own responsibilities as the driver or owner, you want to make everyone else feel like it’s their fault. Here is a fantastic idea…how about setting your ride up for the conditions that you are given, whether that be the track surface, the heat, etc. Not everything is someone else’s fault, no matter what your tuner tells you. Pre-Covid we as an industry were so spoiled with copious amounts of glue and track prep that you thought you needed a home run pass every time. Do you realize how stupid you look when you are heard saying “the prep sucks” and then the next car in that lane busts off a stellar pass? You look like a spoiled brat that is crying about not getting it his/her way!
If more racers, especially locals, would be more supportive in a vocal manner about the work that the track does, the events they put on, and treat the staff in a manner that you would expect them to treat you, we might be building a stronger community. Speaking of locals, holy shit guys & gals, you are a special kind of entitled. Most events I go to have a mix of out of towners and locals. When having conversations with track owners, it’s always the locals that are the hardest to deal with. The mentality of “I’ve been coming here 20 years and can do what I want” has got to stop! Not just racers, but fans and media as well. You’ve been going their 20 years, then you out of everyone should know better! You aren’t entitled to a damn thing just because you are a regular. Set the example for the others that aren’t regulars and show them how you want your house to be treated. Would you go to your parent’s house and act a fool just because you lived there for 20 years? So why do it at your local track?
Fans, Fans, and Fans. I have a great thought for you…if you are over the age of 16 and at the track, start acting like a damn adult. There are tracks that I have been to where it seems like the fan base is one giant kindergarten. If you want to get drunk out of your mind and act a fool…go to the bar or don’t get mad when you get slapped around! The complete lack of respect that I see from fans towards track owners, promoters, and even race cars has reached a disgusting level in our industry! Also, the track is not a damn daycare! Pay attention to your kids and what they are doing. You as a parent are responsible for your little fuck trophies and their behavior at the track!
Get to the track at about 8 am of the second or third day of a three-day event and see what the facility looks like. Stay till the day after a large event and see what the facility looks like. Most of the time it looks like Woodstock ‘99 just happened. Having a hard time finding a trash can? Is the trash can full? Or are you just so damn lazy that you can’t pick up after yourself or your kids? Could you imagine how thrilled a track owner would be if they didn’t have to spend a day or two after an event having to pick up after grown ass adults? Could you imagine how pissed you’d be if we all come to your house and trashed the place for three days, then just up and left but expected you to be fine with it?
INSTRUCTIONS, and this goes for racers, media, and fans. When track officials tell you to get the hell off the starting line, that doesn’t mean look around at all your buddies and smile with the attitude of “they aren’t talking to me”. Yes you, there is plenty of seating to be had! While it’s great to be on the starting line and yes I love the images I get from everyone being up there, when the track say back the fuck up…then back the fuck up! I’m not sure why this has become so hard to grasp. Someone gets tagged during the burnout and you know that they are going to take to social media to blast off about it, when they were already told 10x to get off the starting line.
Fans in drag racing have it better that any other motorsport. You have the chance to walk the pits, talk to drivers, get photos, take selfies, and really build a bond with your favorite people. Yet some of you just want to act a fool all the damn time and have a complete lack of respect for the track owner, promoter, and staff. Explain to me what the hell you are thinking!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a race and having a good time. That is what we all want to do. We want a safe and fun environment for everyone involved, and help support our tracks so that they have a reason to continue investing their time and hobby into giving you a place to enjoy the best sport in the world. That means we need to start acting right. Acting like grown folks and not 5 year old children.
Now let’s talk about the media aspect of our industry and trust me when I say I will not be excluding myself from the bullshit behavior that is media. It is difficult for me to even use the word media anymore within our industry. I grew up during a time when media meant something. They reported news and kept us informed of what was going on all around the world, or more to the point, what was going on in the sports world. Those days are long gone.
Media within the drag racing world has turned into an abomination of bullshit. You have content creators that call themselves media, you have media that’s more concerned with their own popularity and being a race promoter than a media outlet. You have journalist that won’t report on things out of fear of repercussion from a promoter. You have racers, promoters, and fans, stealing the work of content creators and media for their own use and gain. It’s become an absolute cluster!
I am just as guilty as the next in picking favorites and not always reporting on something because of who it involves or what organization it is. So yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. On the other hand, there are media outlets that would never run a press release unless they are getting some money to do so, or they are writing the actual press release. Not that anyone reads many press releases anymore. You have “journalist” that are so far up an organizations ass that they would never call them out publicly for their stupidity either.
Outside of NHRA there are only a handful of media outlets in drag racing that create content and report news. These are companies that must find a way to earn a dollar because it is their livelihood, so they do their best to figure out what news “sells”. The fact of the matter is that many of you have no interest in reading press releases, and most don’t read them at all, trust me, I’ve looked at the numbers before. I’ll also be the first to admit, if you as a driver are an asshole, or you as an organization have screwed me, I’m much less likely to take photos or report on you or your series. That’s the same for any media outlet in our industry though. Doesn’t mean that it’s the right approach, it means that we choose what we publish and don’t.
People say that they want to read the truth and real shit, but then take shots at you when you do exactly that. Take the NHRA for example. Our outlet has pretty much been blackballed from getting media access to events, including access to capture our own images, because the NHRA doesn’t want anything negative ever said about them or their decisions. I call it the Donald Trump affect. When President Trump was in office and wanted to revoke the credentials of mainstream outlets because he didn’t like the way that they covered him or his decisions. That is why so many media outlets in our industry want you to see everything through rose-colored glasses at all times. They are too scared to have an actual opinion regarding anything because it might upset or offend someone, and they will pull a Trump.
All of this isn’t to say that the entire system is broken and can’t be fixed. I still believe that we are currently in the best of times within the industry. I think that a lot of companies are thriving, there are tracks that are doing great, there are plenty of races, organizations, promoters, etc. making this such a great time to be a drag racer, a drag racing fan, or a content creator & media within drag racing. Tracks are being built, tracks are being renovated, updated, etc. The sport is not dying and hasn’t been dying. We all, me included, need to do a better job at promoting our sport in the right ways. It’s not always perfect and it’s not always bad. Fans need to act right, media needs to act right, and racers need to act right. If you all work together, we can continue to enjoy our hobby for decades to come. If we don’t start acting better, you will see more things like Memphis, Joliet, Atlanta, Houston, Emerald Coast, Atco, E-Town, etc just drift into the sunset and become giant parking lots for insurance companies or warehouses for corporations.
I need to do better and so do all of you. If you love this sport and want to see it thrive, we can all work together to do exactly that!