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The Popularity of the NHRA

It is the Christmas holiday weekend, thesmoking tires, the rubber dust in the air, or
family is sitting around the livingroomthe way your eyes burn from the half-burnt
discussing how much of a very fine meal we'vealcohol sprayed from the firey pipes. The
eaten, when the conversation shifts: "You onsound...absolutely  deafening.
for the drag races this summer?" I asked my
brother. "Oh yeah," he answers back. As weIf we could somehow get these sights and
reminisce about the past years NHRA Nationalssounds through our TV's, the NHRA would
and discuss plans and dates for this yearsexplode with popularity. "Maybe they should
race, we wonder why the NHRA does not have asend out bag of rubber dust and a candle that
bigger following. If you like fast cars, andsmells like burnt rubber before each
you have not been to a NHRA Nationals event,broadcast,"  we  quipped.
you have no idea what your missing. That, we
decided, is exactly the problem. You have gotIn reality, the biggest thing I see that can
to see it live to understand why it has thebe done is for television to help us get to
following it does. Television is at fault,know the drivers and their crews. Even the
after-all this sport has many times theWorld Poker Tour understands they can't just
horsepower of NASCAR, the pitts are open toshow you people playing cards. We have to
anyone with a ticket, and the drivers comefeel as if these drivers are our friends.
out of the haulers just to sign autographs onIntroduce us to their world! We must be able
a regular basis. They even give you a free,to connect with them on a personal level.
glossy team photo to get the autograph signedShow us what it takes to go 300mph in less
on. The problem is none of that comes acrossthan five seconds! The crews can tear down an
on TV. When you watch NASCAR they televiseengine and put it back together in less than
the pre-race activities, the on-trackan hour. Show us that! Dont talk while the
activities, and the post-race activities.rockets thunder down the track. Let us blow
They even have a segment called CRANK IT UP,our speakers! It will never take the place of
in which the anouncers dont say a word for abeing at the track, but it would go a long
few laps so you can litterally blow yourway in bringing the NHRA back to the
speakers apart with your surround sound. Thisfore-front  of  the  racing  world.
helps give you the feeling you are at the
track. You could be watching your firstDo yourself a favor, the next time the NHRA
NASCAR event and by the end of the race comeis in your neighborhood, GO. Take your kids,
away with the feeling you understand it, andcall some friends, or go by yourself; just
more importatly you will feel like you knowgo. There is no experience like it in the
the drivers. I dont want to take anythingworld, at least not yet. Maybe someday soon,
away from NASCAR; it is a great motorsportwhen we can board a rocket bound for the
and they have done a fine job of marketing tomoon, the NHRA might have competition. Until
get to this point. But (and it is a big but)that day comes you owe it to yourself to take
there is no feeling in the world like two topin  an  event.
fuel dragsters coming off the line
simultaneously; it will shake your soul.Richard  A.  Brink
Trying to explain this feeling to someone who
has never experienced it is futile. Nor canAftermarketGoodies.
you explain the smells of the track, the



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