There seems to be a special cache about saying what the viewers are
about to see is live, but our sport doesn't lend itself to this format very
well. From the management side there seems to be some concern that if we don't
provide live coverage, the TV people will find some form of motorsports that
will.
We all recognize the problems of trying to present live drag racing on
television, from oildowns to a rain shower than can result in a delay of an
hour or more. As fans, we've experienced those delays, and recognize them as
being an unfortunate part of the sport.
However, one thing many of us will never learn to accept is the delays
caused by the format of live broadcasts. Up until recently all of us have known
that any delays will usually take place just before the final rounds, as the
last sportsman cars are given just a few minutes to prepare after their round-robin
racing.
That's given us a few moments to catch our collective breath and get
ready for what used to be 30 to 45 minutes of the most exciting racing of the
day. In rapid-fire order we've been served up the finals of Super Gas through
Top Fuel, with almost no time in between runs. Those finals, the runs that
determine the various eliminator champions, are packed with drama, and the machine
gun-like way in which they've been presented has always left the fans figuratively
gasping for breath as they head for the parking lots. They're usually talking
excitedly about what they've seen, assuring one another they'll be back for
more next year.
Unfortunately, those same fans -- the ones who pay significant amounts
of money for their tickets -- often go home from races televised live with a
decidedly different attitude. For one thing, the running of the final rounds
rarely follows the traditional format, as timing usually precludes a Super
Gas through to Top Fuel order. What they get is interminable delays due to
commercials and "fill" interviews. What they experience is totally dead time
as they watch the finalists strapped in their cars waiting for apparently nothing.
The fans aren't stupid, and they definitely have a negative reaction
to those delays. At the Winternationals they were openly booing, and at the
Mile-High Nationals, as they watched thick grey clouds roll in over the mountain
behind the track, they started screaming for blood, knowing that rain was on
the way. Meanwhile, the two Top Fuel finalists sat bolted into their cars,
with the starter motors hooked up. There was enough time between runs to have
completed the entire event, but those fans saw nothing, for the skies opened
up, and the racing didn't re-commence for well over an hour.
By then only a few hundred diehard fans were on hand, and the question
must be asked: Did those other folks go home talking about the superlative
performances of Darrell Alderman and John Force, or did they go home grumbling
about the Top Fuel final they'd missed? The folks watching at home got the
same short stick, because the broadcast window was long closed when it finally
took place.
Home viewers are treated to what amounts to the best half hour of drag
racing, followed by what can be the wrost. The fans at the track only experience
the latter. The efficient Diamond P Sports team does an excellent job of editing
together early race highlights for that first half hour. It's a tight, exciting
show, even with its usual commercial breaks. If they're so good at doing that,
why can't they then do the same kind of editing work on the finals, broadcasting
those runs 30 minutes, or even an hour after they take place?
If they did, everyone would benefit. The paying spectators wouldn't be
subjected to endless, emotionally draining delays, nor would they be faced with
the Top Fuel final -- followed by the semifinal round of Stock eliminator!
At the '93 Winternationals the demands of live television caused a change
in the final round format that was trying and potentially dangerous. Well before
the race was to go on air live, almost every final pairing was ready, but instead
of running them off, there were interminable delays filled with "acts" deemed
unlikely to cause any down time. And then, during the broadcast, Kenny Bernstein
went through his memorable finish line crash. The home audience saw the crash
and the resulting comments from Bernstein, but the show ended before a complete
analysis could be given.
Meanwhile, back at Pomona, it took 90 minutes to repair the guardrail
Bernstein's shattered race car had obliterated, and the six remaining finalists
in TA/D, TA/FC and Comp waited until it was almost too dark to see the finish
line. By the time they did run there were almost no fans to see them, but more
importantly, Mark Chapparone's Olds got a little out of the groove, and on the
now damp with evening dew race track, almost collected the guardwall. All of
this was, we believe, the results of the demands of a live television broadcast.
Yes, drag racing needs television exposure. Yes, drag racing can actually
be exciting on TV. But, what the sport doesn't need is live TV. No one really
seems to benefit from it, certainly not the fans who have paid to see the event
in person, and often the fan sitting at home as well. A tape delayed broadcast
of 30 to 60 minutes after the fact hurts no one, for how else can you explain
the widely accepted belief that the best NHRA national event broadcasts are
those that are done a same-day, tape-delayed basis.
