The '16 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series gets underway this weekend with the Circle K NHRA Winternationals, and just about every aspect of the circuit is "getting a makeover," according to John Oreovicz of ESPN.com. NHRA President Peter Clifford since being named to the position in July has "orchestrated a remarkably thorough overhaul of the way a classic form of motorsports will be marketed and broadcast." Clifford said, "We all want to continue to grow the sport and move it forward, and I think we have a good plan in place to do that." Oreovicz noted the "key element in Clifford's six-point plan is to improve drag racing's television reach through a new partnership with Fox Sports." The NHRA has "taken its video production in-house, and for the first time in its history the majority of Mello Yello Series races will be broadcast live." With the "most diverse driver lineup in the world, the NHRA certainly has no shortage of stars to promote, including more race-winning female drivers than any form of motorsport" (ESPN.com, 2/11). Clifford said, "The company has been around 60 plus years and we have an incredible product. A credible business on the track. ... Our goal is to just make more and more people aware of the sport. We knew we needed to make some changes. We needed to make them quickly and we did that" (RACINTODAY.com, 2/10).
MORE EXPOSURE: In L.A., Alex Shultz noted Fox will broadcast 17 live events on FS1, FS2 and Fox, while ESPN last year "allotted five hours of live coverage for drag racing." NHRA VP/PR Terry Blount said, "We needed to fix television. ESPN had been a great partner for a long time, but it had reached a point where we knew we needed to move forward and do it in a different way." Shultz noted there are "other unresolved logistical issues with live coverage," including the "chance of delays, primarily caused by weather or engine failures that throw oil on the track." Fox' broadcasts, in an effort to fill any downtime, "will rely more heavily on feature profiles and show what goes on in the pits between races." The goal is to "personalize drag racing for viewers." Blount said, "We want to make as many of our drivers stars as we can." Shultz noted the situation is also a "bit of a Catch-22 for the drivers, who stand to attract better sponsorship deals from a viewership boost but will have to prepare more quickly between elimination rounds to appease their broadcast partners." Driver/owner John Force said, "We don't like it. We need the time. But it's not our choice what to like. We want the opportunity to tie into new sponsorships" (LATIMES.com, 2/11). Driver Del Worsham said, “It’s going to be great to have the live TV. It's going to be excellent for drag racing overall. ... There probably will be some growing pains with it, but with 100 percent effort from everybody it’s going to be a great show” (USATODAY.com, 2/11).
