Covering an NHRA event

[Hustle]

Going to Richmond in October, mostly for a feature on a pro stock team whose driver (and his family, i.e., the crew) all live in our coverage area.

Anything I should know beforehand from those that have done this sort of thing?

 

[Moderator1]

I'll talk to you later about this one, Huss.
Drag racing is great. And if your guy is who I'm thinking your guy is, he's always been VERY easy to deal with in good times and bad.

 

[Moderator1]

And you ain't going to Richmond. Track is well south of Richmond.
I love that about the NHRA. The stop in Atlanta is about an hour north. Houston is a good way away from the city.
Bristol is, well, in Bristol.

 

[oldfart]

Hustle

I've covered drag racing for a lot of years (along with all other motor sports). Are you looking for helpful hints in general or something more specific? PM me and I'll try to be of some help

 

[playthrough]

Have fun Hustle. I love drag racing. First non-prep event I ever covered (many moons ago), and the access was great. John Force invited me into his truck for a story on one of his rivals; I can't imagine a top NASCAR driver doing that with a 23-year-old nobody.

I think drag racing is like hockey in that TV can't do it justice and that if fans would go in person, they'd be completely hooked. Great sport.

 

[Clerk Typist]

Very good people in this sport. NHRA staff is very helpful no matter who is on site, and even better, the major teams have their own PR people who are delighted to see mainstream press on hand. And the drivers are almost always quotable, with Force peerless in that regard. Gary Scelzi is a gem as well.
But bring earplugs if you're caught in the pit area (open to the public) and someone fires up a nitro car to test the engine. Deafening.

 

[Keystone]

I know who you want to talk to, and he's one of the better interviews in the NHRA. His PR guy is very good, too, so PM me if you need contact numbers.

If you've been covering only NASCAR events, then the access you get with the NHRA will make your head spin. Where else will the top driver invite you into his hauler, crack open a beer and grill you a hamburger before the interview.

If you've seen Force's reality show, he's really like that in person.

But in order to be truely initiated, you need to inhale some nitro fumes while they're testing engines in the pits. Closest thing to it is tear gas. 8)

 

[PalmettoStatesport]

You'll have a great time, and yes, the access that the driver's and teams give is completely amazing. A good friend of my wife's family races on the NHRA circuit and I'm completely blown away each time we go to Southern Nationals with how first class everything is.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Oops, sorry, I thought this was an NRA thread. Shoot me.

 

[Matamoros Blues]

I agree with what you are hearing here. Been a while since I've been around the NHRA, and it was always for business matters, but they were always very good to deal with. Much more open and easier to work with than other motorsports.

 

[Bill Horton]

One of the problems with covering drag racing is working on ...
SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY !!!

 

[joe]

Jeff Gluck says Hillary Will is hot.

 

[Ledbetter]

If you've never been, then you have no clue how loud it is down by the starting line. The plugs they give you to put in your ears don't do ****. It's so loud you feel it deep in your chest, like the sound is in there bouncing off your ribs.

As others have said, the access to the drivers and their teams is outstanding.

 

[Keystone]

If you've never been, then you have no clue how loud it is down by the starting line. The plugs they give you to put in your ears don't do ****. It's so loud you feel it deep in your chest, like the sound is in there bouncing off your ribs.

As others have said, the access to the drivers and their teams is outstanding.

Actually, the glass in the media center vibrates a bit, but you shouldn't need earplugs unless you're standing at the starting line. Which you shouldn't be doing unless you're a photographer.

 

[nitrobreath]

Even though it doesn't have anything to do with Pro Stock, you definitely be in the near vicinity when the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes are on track. Ain't nuthin' like it. We could all live another two centuries and broadcast technology will NEVER give you that in-person feel for what it's like. Those cars were only putting out about 2,000 horsepower back when I started covering racing in '78 and now it's up around 7,500 (or whatever number the TV guys make up). Whatever the real number is, I swear, if you're down where the photogs are, you WILL get a buzz from the electrical field the ignition systems in those cars creates. And there honestly is a shockwave that'll kick you in the chest near the finish line.

Damn, why can't I cover this stuff every day?!?!?! Gimme nitro, baby!

 

[cubman]

Jeff Gluck is right. Lucky me that Hillary Will was the first NHRA driver I interviewed when I went to Vegas earlier this year to get research for the race in my area.
Everything I've read here seems spot-on. Force is hilarious ... one-on-one is good enough, but he's at his absolute element in a group setting. I hadn't covered any drag racing and really didn't know a lot about it before I went to Vegas, but the racers and PR people are extremely helpful [Densmore (Force's PR guy), Judy Stropus, Mickey Schultz, Joe Sherk and the Knapps come to mind] and really don't make you feel stupid if you're learning.

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Everything written above is right on. I covered an NHRA event my first year in the business and the access was incredible. And yes...there are grill-side interviews.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

you gotta go out there (with ear plugs) early just to get a feel of those badboys taking off

if you've got to do an entire event, don't worry about story ideas, the pr folks beg you and all but blow you to do their stories and they're usually good stories. everyone's easy to deal with and they drive you around to the trailers in their golf carts

it's an interesting spectacle -- for a day. after that, ugh. it gets old. but for a day it's really enjoyable

 

[Moderator1]

All the PR people Cubman mentioned have been at it a LONG time and know what they're doing and know they're dealing with media that doesn't cover the sport on a daily basis. So they go out of their way to help and encourage questions. Good folks all.

Most NASCAR PR people, or many I should say, have a "gatekeeper" mentality. A lot of that is understandable, given the demand, but some seem to do it just for kicks. Densmore deals with a pretty high demand guy, yet neither he nor his client has become a prick. About 10 years ago, I was working on a fairly technical story that had nothing to do with them and Densmore went out of his way to help.

Joe Sherk should run a school for PR people.

The NHRA? The red carpet by comparison to any other sport.

 

[Diego Marquez]

Once had a photog download his pics from an NHRA event. He complained about the pain inflicted on his body by the ground shaking under him. Then he quit. Wuss.