Sometimes we just need to let it go....

There seem to be a lot of things in our everyday life, especially when it comes to entertainment, that we just need to let go of and find something fresh and new. The drag racing community is no different in that aspect.

Have you ever been sitting around watching television or scrolling through social media and run across an advertisement for a movie, a show, an event, that is nothing more than a “redo” of something from the past? The only thing that you may find is that it has the same name with different characters involved with it? I can’t be the only one that gets annoyed with “remakes” of entertainment from the past in an effort to just make a buck.

Drag racing has fallen victim to this trend over the years as well, and what we forget is trying something different with a name attached to it isn’t always the right way to do things. There are in fact times when it’s just best to let it “die” and move on to the next adventure. Coming up with something fresh for the fans, instead of relying on the same regurgitated shit that happens and that no one is finding interest in any longer.

We all are aware of how difficult it is to “let go” or to try something new in life. Whether that’s your personal life, professional life, or even in this case, motorsports. There are historic events in drag racing that are intertwined with a specific promoter or facility. Take for example events like YellowBullet Nationals, Lights Out, No Mercy, World Cup, U.S. Street Nationals, Snowbirds, World Street Nationals, Shakedown, and a few others.

The fact is that there is no YB Nats without Monty, there is No Lights Out without Donald Long, there is no World Cup without the Miller Family, there is no World Street Nationals without Orlando Speed World, there is no USSN or Snowbirds without Bradenton Motorsports Park, and there is no Shakedown without David Hance.

No one wants races to go away, no one wants tracks to close, but there are times when change is needed and fresh ideas are a well sight. Just sitting around and hoping for the best for events is no way to move forward and grow. The motorsports industry has had to fight its entire lifespan against people who judged it for being reckless, dangerous, loud, smelly, annoying, unnecessary, and more. Every year we see tracks fighting to stay open and a community fighting to bring positive awareness to racing.

Inflation concerns, fuel concerns, family obligations, work obligations, and all those other daily life things have taken its toll on the racing community over the decades. We in the industry have fought the good fight each day to try and make people see the value in being involved with racing. Whether that be the ability to teach kids skills that they will care with them for a lifetime or giving all people of all backgrounds a place to be entertained and to entertain.

In 2024 I have seen plenty of things that have honestly tossed me for a loop. This is the first time I can remember that I will go to the YellowBullet Nationals and X275 won’t be part of the show. The lack of racer support and funding for the class put it on the chopping block. One of the most exciting classes in all of drag racing have gotten pummeled by pocketbooks and rules. The rule set and those pocketbooks turned a healthy 4.40’s 4.30’s class with consistently full fields, into a 4.0’s and 4teens class that no longer resembles anything of the past. I also say last week that VMP (Virginia Motorsports Park) announced the cancellation of their Shakedown event due to a lack of interest from the racers. My first thought on that is that I hated to see it for the track, but my second thought was, maybe it’s time to lay that event name to rest unless and until Dave Hance wants to revive it himself.

Listen, drag racing is going through a transitional period right now. Younger people aren’t as interested in cars as they used to be. When they are interested, right now, it seems to me that they are more interested in street style events along with drag and drive events. I saw more people at Sick Week 2024 in the stands than I do at most Pro Mod events. If you can’t relate to your audience from an entertainment and pricing level, you are bound to fail at this. Would you rather see 1000 fans in the stands at $20 a head or 500 fans in the stands at $40 a head?

Letting go of the past to move forward into the future is something that we need to do within the motorsports community. Look at dirt track racing and the strides that they have made. Look at the stands during a midweek event at dirt track racing and you’ll see stand filled like most drag racing track owners would envy and drool over. Look at what WNT and MatchRoom have done for the billiards industry. They have take billiards out of the smokey and run down bars and put it back on the world stage where it belongs.

I’m not saying that everything needs to change, I’m saying that letting go of the past and finding new ways to attract fans and their disposable income is the only way that we still have an industry to even talk about 20 years from now. This isn’t like the oil crisis of the 70’s or really like anything we’ve ever seen before. There is a real threat to our industry from the EV movement to the complexity of social media and even the ability for content creators in the industry to make a living.

So let is not forget…sometimes we do just need to let go of the past, not forget it, but let go of it, so that we can continue to build a future for our industry, our fans, our racers, our content creators, and our community.