03:57:13am, Friday, May 03, 2024
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My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Moderator Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 1,446 |
After my complaints with the NTPA website I thought I should take a look at what the other major pulling organization has for it’s site. After looking at the other site a larger picture was clear.
What happened to PPL? When they first appeared on the pulling scene I was sure that they were going to storm the pulling world with one huge media blitz. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I was sure that with the Lucas Oil media savvy they would control the printed/internet/TV world. Yet PPL seems to operate in a media vacuum, a virtual “black hole”. Why, they have some of the best pullers and pulling team in the sport, yet their point’s races seem to go unnoticed. They have good venues and great sponsors however they generate little media buzz. One of the things that I have noticed, with the exception of Don Slama and the Hillsboro Charity Pull, there is scant efforts made to promote their shows. Unfortunately Don is the exception to the rule not the norm. When I attended the meeting in Louisville a couple years ago Mr. Lucas stated that he wanted to see more excitement, not only in their shows but also the drivers and vehicles [Jeff Hirt was his example] however that vision has yet to take hold. I realize that PPL operates with a smaller staff and I do believe that both John Mears and Kristi Chastain do a great job with the resources they have, however PPL needs to take a more serious and bold effort in their show promotions. They need a website that makes you want to come to it every day, results, polls, videos, information and driver bio’s. Keep the fans update on your point’s races. Give me a reason to look at your site! They need more of a presents on pulling websites. The NTPA had great success with their Unlimited Mods finals and their DSS class; their LSS class came down to the wire before a champion was declared. And last year the NTPA had the great “Team Lambada” from Europe bringing interest and excitement to their shows. PPL needs that same media excitement. That’s one additional point that interesting. PPL’s member states Badger State, East Coast Pullers, ESP, Nebraska Bush Pullers, NYTPA’s, OSTPA generate much more media interest that the parent organization, PPL has a great product, now they just need to do a better job of promoting it! Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2011 10:48AM by Dick Morgan. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 04/02/2008 Posts: 478 |
Just maybe Uncle Dick! We'll see............... J R Eastern Extreme Pulling www.easternextremepulling.com EEPPULLINGVIDEOS Pro Pulling Magazine Hook Magazine |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Determination
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I agree and have said that before. NYTPA and ESP have events in two different countries and a couple different states and get no recognition on the PPL web site. Pete |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 09/04/2008 Posts: 277 |
I remember back in the ATPA day member states use to get a little TV coverage what happened to that nothing since ppl |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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I think the PPL put on great pulls as far as competition and competitors. I have been to a hand full of PPL events the last 2 years and i think maybe 1 or 2 of the events have had an announcer worth a darn. Never knew who was in the lead or even who won the class. The one pull I was in was Wilmington woman announcer. Did a great job. only exception. I was at a pull in terre haute and got one of there programs. That was the most pathetic program I have ever read in my life. Had event ads on every page. and 2 or 3 articles about pullers. Pathetic. NTPA does a wonderful job with there program showing the competitors in each class and a briefing about each class. The PPL website completely sucks and is a waste. Never updated or anything if I ever want to see any of the PPL results I just go to powerandnoise.com. NTPA site is always updated gives me something to look at on a regular basis. All in all PPL has a great thing going as far as competition and competitors but need to advance and update with a few things. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Keyboard Puller wannabe
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They need to hire you Dick,.... but seriously the one thing you said thats really important is PPL has a great product. Why can't the product stand on it's own,.... why does the current day society think everything needs to be spun? Dick which events did you attend this year? Was the crowds disappointing ? If that's the case then yes they need to start taking a look at better promotion, however isn't that really the event prompoters job i.e. Don Slama? PPL could increase it's effort on the world wide web,..... however that takes time and we all know there's only so much of that per day, Kristi and John seem to have a good system established at the events we attended this year . NTPA's web site isn't real user friendly imo. PPL's isn't very good either however it' points section is way nicer than NTPA's, example if I want to see Hurricanes Allis's performance thru out the year all I have to do is click on points, and there it is. I can see how many first places they got for the whole year ect....ect ! Really isn't PPL's job too first keep and maintain quality competitors, then keep and maintain quality events, then keep fairness in competition, then provide high payout (purse & points), then worry about all of us keyboard pullers...? haha |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Moderator Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 1,446 |
I think that the PPL business model is no different than the business model of any other company.
1; the workers = pullers 2; management = John, Kristi and company 3; share holders = sponsors/promoters 4; the product they sell = truck and tractor pulling Everyone has heard of Pepsi and Coke yet day after day they both spend millions to promote their products. If they don’t show a profit the shareholders are not being served. Pulling is no different; if the sponsors don’t sell more of their products they will NOT sponsor pulling. They will take their advertising dollars somewhere else. Same with the promoters [in a lot of cases fair boards] if they don’t turn a profit on a pull they will look for other motorsports or entertainment venues that will make them money. Simple facts of economics, sponsors/promoters don’t sponsor tractor pulling because they love it, they sponsor tractor pulling because their market research shows them that the pulling fan is a potential customers for their product. The number one responsibility of a sanctioning organization is to make a profit for their shareholders. Dick Morgan www.PULLOFF.com Independent Pulling News |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Lots of good points here and constructive criticism. I think in terms of new ways of getting the name/pulling out there, PPL has hit a home run with CBS and Versus broadcasts while NTPA is squeezing out bunts on RFD-TV. Granted, the crowd that watches RFD is more likely to watch pulling, but there are two problems with that. First, people that watch RFD pulling are already in tune with pulling, they are so called "old fans" established enthusiasts that know what's going on at the track. Secondly, and this builds on the first point, how many homes actually get RFD-TV, let alone know what RFD is? I agree that there is less of a distinction between network and cable TV these days, but there is a definite gap between ESPN, Versus, Speed and the RFD channel. Like I said before, most people that get RFD are from a rural background, which fewer and fewer people, especially in the younger generations, have today.
As far as the indoor/outdoor argument, indoor pulls are fine. However, you lose a big attraction with indoor pulling: smoke. People love to watch smoke. You can't see it indoors thanks to the smoke tubes at the indoor pulls. One possibility is to have a winter tour in warmer areas at football stadiums if there is adequate room. Could you imagine 65,000 people attending one pull? It would be a sight to behold. Monster trucks pack outdoor stadiums all the time and although I'm biased, I think a pull is much more of a show than a monster truck doing a couple doughnuts in the dirt and flipping over at the end. Another point is the geography. Pulling is heavily connected to farming, and thus the majority of pullers and events are accordingly held in those areas, specifically the Midwest, with some southern swings sprinkled in. There are some major areas left out. I'm more familiar with the NTPA and its schedule, so I'm not totally familiar with the PPL event schedule. But it seems there is a "no fly zone east of Ohio for the NTPA. While I never expect the NTPA to be at my local fair (the GN Pro Stocks were at my county fair once in '98 and again within a year or two) it would be nice to see the NTPA expand to events in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. There are lots of farms in those states that can relate to pulling. PPL seems to be taking over the eastern US, but as said before, they really lack in promoting the events and I agree with the above statement about the sanctioning bodies stepping up and investing in the sport and not just collect money as they have recently. The NTPA seems to be content riding on its good name (40 years in the sport) and not worried much about taking the sport mainstream. Too many people don't have a clue about pulling and maybe more exposure through whatever means can alleviate that problem. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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2 of the best pulls i have been to are Freeport and the Hillsboro pull, both ppl pulls, both web sites could be more robust |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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excellent equipment
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The pulling vehicles running the championship series is some of the best their is,I think the PPL will grow more in the future.I think it has made steady growth from the start,it would be great to see more venues in the future like wheatland,perhaps other speedways that have many ammenities to make it a pulling experiance,I would watch for Forest to take pulling up to another level yet. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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NTPA40+yrs PPL6+yrs
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Level's in pulling, always a good topic. However NTPA has had the luxury of alot of years to get to the level they are at. PPL hasn't had near the advantages that NTPA has, and still they are at a very high level of pulling. That isn't said to start a pissing match between NTPA fans and PPL fans, however it is being pointed out to those who demand more from PPL. The promoters that want PPL have already picked their pepsi or coke, now it's the promoters job to sell those seats! PPL's job is to take care of their pullers, by large purses and end of season points. Now how does PPL pay for that , by having promoters doing their jobs and filling those seats, so PPL can get sponsorship money. PPL sells the success of the promoters (full seats) to the sponsors. PPL dosen't need to take on the role of "big government" and think they can take care of everybody, they just need to do their job so the promoters and pullers can do theirs. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 2,526 |
While I agree that it’s the promoters responsibility to fill seats in their events, I’d also argue that it’s not 100% the promoters job but also the job of the sanctioning body. Here’s why: oddly enough PPL runs a yearly points series. That point’s race has continued throughout the summer without much fan fair. There’s been almost no promotion or hype surrounding that point’s race. Without mention of the point’s race and point’s series there’s no hype about their events as a cohesive unit. No hype for event means no hype for sponsors. No hype for sponsors means less sponsorship dollars.
PPL provides the product to the promoter, the promoter sells that product to the consumer (fans) the quality and quantity of that product control who and how many fans consume that product. If there were no points race I’d agree that it was 100% up to the promoter (just like a brush pull), but since there’s year end points then the sanctioning body shares in the responsibility for promotion of the event and it’s points race. Jake Morgan Owner, PULLOFF.COM Independent Pulling News This page is a free service. The cost is covered out of my pocket. It takes a great deal of time and a fair amount of money to keep this website going. Donations for: photos, classified ads, forum discussion, etc... are appreciated. Side Note: We are no longer accepting PayPal donations. They have changed their terms of service and stated they would fine PayPal users for spreading "misinformation" and "hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory". PayPal did not provide definitions for some of these vague terms. Woke corporate policies regarding "misinformation" could result in an automatic fine of $2,500 which would have been removed directly from the customer’s PayPal account. PayPal did backdown from some of their policies but quietly implemented portions of them in later terms of service. A financial institute has no right to monitor social media accounts or speech. This is unacceptable and I'll no longer do business with PayPal. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Posts: 1,091 |
The sponsors that are part of Team Lucas are there for the TV coverage of the events mainly. PPL will have a show once again on CBS on a Saturday afternoon that will get a lot of exposure for the sponsors. What would you like them to do to get more exposure on the point races? They had a article and a highlight video from Hamburg that had interviews of some of the pullers in the top of the points going into Wheatland. Jesse Post JP Pulling Productions   Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2011 02:57PM by Jesse. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 04/02/2008 Posts: 478 |
Right on the money Jesse. Until they have gone to a good PPL Champions Tour event to see the signage, etc that represent the sponsors of the series, only then will they have a different opinion. Every organization can be a "little better". PPL having a show on main stream television means a lot. J R Eastern Extreme Pulling www.easternextremepulling.com EEPPULLINGVIDEOS Pro Pulling Magazine Hook Magazine |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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The time we are in right now is the best time yet in History for Pulling to Boom here's why,
#1----Times are tough, right now folks have less expendable monies, and Pulls are a very economical form of entertainment. #2----Nascar is on a fairly steep decline, its just seen its Hayday and now will settle back to a sustainable level. #3----Its so expensive to attend a Nascar or NHRA event, really for your average fan its just not doable for todays economy. #4----How many times have fans come up to me at a pull, and were just amazed at what Pulling really is, they have no real idea! #5----Pulling is a very family freindly sport, most Racetracks are not an ideal place to take your kids and wife! Dick is right, what is holding these guys back, both sides NTPA and PPL? Promotion is the key to anything being sucessful, be it an event or a circuit or any business in general. I know TV advertisement is very expensive, but we really need these guys to bring pulling into the mainstream, at least for the GN level. Then the state levels will benefit as well, but on a smaller scale. The websites are also not known about, many, many times at pulls, almost weekly I give out the midsouth website and NTPA website and PPL as well as Pulloff.com to fans so they can keep up with all the pullers. The fans want it, most of the Pullers want it, the Assoc say they want it too, Whats the Hold UP? I just want to see pulling grown into a mainstream sport here as it has in Europe, and bring sponsors and fans in, so money will flow and it wont bankrupt the good people who give a huge part of their lives to put on and compete at these events! BB |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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hey Bob
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The best thing you said was "Dick is right" haha everybody knows that! But seriously why do you think PPL is being held back? CBS aint no RFDtv! Come on, they are moving in the right direction with their thinking(PPL). Which champions tour events did you attend (LSS was offered this year)? Here's an idea maybe we'll see a Pulloff.com ad on PPL's CBS broadcast next month.
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What is the Next Level?
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Registered: 04/06/2008 Posts: 387 |
Whats is everyones idea of "the next level"? Does that mean more tv coverage? Does that mean events at bigger venues? (ie silverdome, superdome, msg). I think the biggest step anyone could take right know is bring pulling back indoors. This way you can expose more people to the sport all year round, not just during the summer. This worked years ago for TNT and USHRA before the monster truck craze. Now the question is what classes do you run? JMO Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2011 05:01AM by Dan M. |
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Sanctioning bodies assume very little risk!
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BuckeyePuller
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The sanctioning bodies assume very little risk. When I say that, let's take NTPA (WPI) for example. A promoter comes to NTPA (WPI) and says we want an event. NTPA (WPI) says cool, we want you to have an event. But before you have your event we need your date deposit, eventually we need your sanctioning fees, and you are going to pay all the prize money Mr. Promoter, you are going to pay the pre-commit money (if that is the case why does NTPA (WPI) hold it till banquet time?). At that particular event NTPA (WPI) will collect all the entry fee money. Sanctioning fees are more or less determined by whether or not you are a RN, GN, or SN event. Lets take a look at an event like Bowling Green. We're going to use estimated numbers because I don't have the rule book right in front of me this second. Let's say the SF Class at a Super National event pays out $5500. The 10 Pre-Commits NTPA (WPI) has pays no entry fee. So at BG you are looking at 62 paid entries session 1 and 60 entries session 2, so that is 122 paid entries just in the SF class. The entry fee is 1% of the purse, so that is $6710.00 collected in entry fee money for the SF class at BG. (Remember these numbers are used for easy math and the sake of conversation) So what is my point. My point is, the sanctioning bodies are holding all the aces. They are designed not to lose money and are very low risk. NTPA (WPI) does one event in house and even they do not assume all the financial risk there, Mr. Kent Enderle who any corporation would be hard pressed to match in generosity and kindness towards pullers assumes the purse responsibility. So in that particular event WPI is assuming less risk than they expect their promoters to take. So what is the answer, it's complicated and some of it has to do with the complacency of leadership but it all hovers around promotion of the sport and that entails a lot.
I don't think it matters what station you have pulling on, I don't care if it is Versus, RFD, whatever it is, it is the sanctioning body's responsibility to promote their TV shows. In the day and age of cable television is irrelevant what station it is on. NTPA is on more consistently than PPL has ever been. The sanctioning bodies I think what people are trying to say, need to take more ownership in their product. Yet you have the CEO of WPI touting that pullers don't need more money. Easy for them to say when all the invested risk is on the back of the pullers and the promoters. What does taking ownership in the product mean? I think some of it is promoting your points races. I think some of it is in the merchandising, I would be a little more particular about how my merchandising is handled. Look no further than MMA to know what kind of shirts young men and women are wearing, (Affliction, Tapout, Throwdown, Sinister, etc) while these are more expensive to create they are also more likely to sell. I think taking ownership of the product means giving kids something tangible to take home. I still go back to the days you could go to your toy aisle and get the foam tired pulling table top sets, micro machines, hot wheels, amt ertl models etc. While WPI gets a percentage of the merchandise sales, the majority of the financial risk is assumed by Dion Bliss. I think taking ownership of the product means being more thankful of the pullers that put the show on. Anyone who has attended many WPI meetings can tell you they don't feel appreciated, it's a very adversarial process in which the CEO usually beats his chest like King Kong and gets his way and at times tells pullers how stupid they are and that when it comes to business decisions he makes the call. I believe in the old addage "you have to spend money to make money" right now for the most part sanctioning bodies are just collecting money. They invest very little back into the sport. When you talk promotions you are talking a far larger picture than just getting people to the pull, that is the first step but a small on in the grand scheme of taking pulling to the next level. |
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Re: What is the Next Level?
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Registered: 03/27/2008 Posts: 480 |
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate all the hard work that goes into indoor pulls but I don't think pulling needs to go to a bunch of domes in major cities to promote pulling. The show is not impressive on a 175-240 ft. track. In this day and age if you want to go to the big cities most of them have some kind of racetrack that they can set up at. Chicago, LA, Detroit, Miami, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, and Pheonix all have racetracks that could be booked to put on pulls. The other big cities have airports and other large stadiums that could put in tracks just like Anahiem does for the Supercross series. If you want to take pulling to the big cities, keep them outside were they can show what they are about. Not indoors were the sled has to be set tighter and they can't get as much speed up. Just my .02 cents. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2011 08:06AM by Fuelish Fan. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Take a look at Forrest Lucas involvement with NHRA, Dirt Track Racing, Sprint Car Racing,so on and so forth, now compare that to his presence in Pulling? Seriously, it doesnt even compare, not slamming them or complaining simply stating since you brought it up! I think the PPL group is doing an awesome job, the TV show is great, I just want to see more of it. Pulling is a very missunderstood sport, and there are many folks who have a pre-conceived idea of what it is about. You should see the look of amazement when I explain to them what a Component Tractor is and the amount of investment the average competitor has in their equipment. Dont get me wrong I am not saying Pro one side Neg the other,both assoc have their strong points and weeknesses, I just dont understand why Pulling is not more mainstream than say offroad racing, or Boat racing or such. The technical complexity of the equipment and the Power level is unrivaled, even with Top Fuelers, sit Adam Bauers 5 engine Mod next to a Top Fuel Dragster and see which one gets the most attention, and Fans have the most questions about! There is a level of challenge, because there is only one competitor on the track at a time, yet PPL has done an awesome job, making this more exciting, I even like the little meter at the bottom of the screen showing the distance, and the excitement of the announcers, awesome show. As for me, I was trying hard to make all the PPL events for LSS, but customers projects come first, and by the time I did get Stormy back going there was only one hook left, and without proving out the new chassis, didnt want to drive all the way to Wisconsin. Bet your hind end you'll see Stormy at some PPL events next year!
BB |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 04/04/2008 Posts: 1,522 |
personally i think what is holding pulling back is the tractor itself.probably 90 percent of the country has absolutly no connection to a tractor of any kind at all.myself being somewhat of a gearhead,can see the draw to all forms of motorsports.the general population of the country has a connection to cars,and speed.where i live boats or so-so since i live close to the river,but im not going to a boat race cause i have no connection to it...i would like to know the percentage of people on the grounds that have a connection to tractors of some kind somewhere.... |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Registered: 01/19/2010 Posts: 260 |
Living in Minnesota PPL is a non factor. We only Have NTPA sanctioned events. So as fan i follow the Ntpa state regional and grand national points races. As a fan its way eaisier to understand the points race here. There is also a long history of tractor pulling in ntpa ranks. Banter bros., Rob Russel, Esden Lehn, Bill Voreis and others have cemented the foundation of tractor pulling. Their names are connected to Ntpa and perhaps gives the brand a face.
One other advantage that Ntpa has is name reconition. Like Coke, and Pepsi. When i talk to people about Ntpa pulling they know exactly what im talking about. When i talk about PPL or Outlaw pulling, they dont understand as much. Not that there is any difference in quality vehicles. But when it comes to marketing an Ntpa championship is more reconized through out the world of pulling. Not that PPL wasnt just as fought out and competitive, Ntpa just means more with the history behind it. just my 2 cents a faithful fan of all tractor pulling. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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payout
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Payout to the pullers is very low in comparison to any other motorsport,tomah and bowling green payout to a winning puller I know was over $1000.00 less than a ppl win,I know the figures of both however I will not say what they were,Bowling green had the biggest attendance ever and without any doubt made a great deal of money.I wonder just how cheap they could get on payout and still get the pullers to come,we see more pullers every year with the nascar style hauler's even the most modest super farm tractors $100000.00 can be invested and 10 or 15 out of 50 in a class at tomah or BG getting a check.I think to sum it up the puller's do it for the fun of it,their level of spendable dollars determines how big they can go,the sanctioning bodies have no worries of getting puller's for their shows,sponser dollars have not trickled down to the puller's at a very high percentage,more in the ppl than the NTPA,many promoters unless they are well healed stand a big chance of loosing their shirts,but I do know the next time I buy tires they will be General Tires just for the fact that they promote the ppl and I do use Lucas oil products,I used to buy Wrangler clothes when the promoted NTPA but no more.In many area's pulling has grown so much.more hp,state of the art sled's,advanced turbo's,blowers,pumps,ign systems,maybe one of the biggest is chassis design,it is a builder's hay day if they are advanced in tech design,if not they fall of the face of the map very fast,and the investment just to keep up is huge for the pullers and the builders,but without the fan's in the stand's you won't be back.I read in an earlier post Jeff Hirt's name mentioned every time he hooks you can expect a show he is willing to get the front end up and run it on the edge that is why he is a 2 time champion now and that is what the crowd want's to see. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Wonderin
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Does it really help the sport when you have to give away the tickets for free just to try and fill the seats for TV [Indy 2010] ? What does that say about your product? Great entertainment as long as its free. The crowd in 2011 Was way less than half from last year. 10-1 odds Indy won't be on TV this year. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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answer = yes
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What does free tickets have to do with hurting the sport? You are a negative person . You need to work on that!
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Someone needs to contact Jery Jones
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Clark Harris lll
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If you want to expand pulling I think someone should try putting on a pull at the new Texas Stadium. They are willing to put on a variety on non Cowboy show's IE Oregon Vs LSU and the Ironman BPR show. I Think an Mid November early December pull could have a lot of potential in a up and coming state for pulling. Texas in the last couple of years is turning out more pullers and more outlaw pulls are being sactioned. Its time to put on a show in a large venue with capabilities for for a big crowd. |
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Re: Someone needs to contact Jerry Jones
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Subjective
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You're missing one point.
-Louisiana State University and the University of Oregon already had large, established fan bases and followings. -PBR already had a large, established fan base and following. There have been several events put on at LARGE venues. The ATPA used to pull on pit road at Bristol Motor Speedway and the place looked EMPTY!! Building the sport of pulling doesnt have much to do with the size of the venue. There are lots of events around the country that are tiny little towns with small, but with growing facilities that pack in tons of people. Making a list would be easy, but even within the sport there are probably a bunch we even WE dont know about. This is partly due to lack of coverage and partly lack of marketing. When are we going to start doing everything better?? The problem this sport is facing is visibility and familiarity to the fans. Basically from September 1 til the end of the year, football rules most of the country, whether it be high school, college or the NFL. Gearheads that dont care about football or baseball are most likely going to pay attention to the NASCAR Chase or NHRA points chase. After this date, most farmers are so busy harvesting that they arent going to park equipment to go watch an event, much less worry about one being on TV. There are always diehard fans, but developing them is hard to do when the economy is so depressed and people simply dont have extra funds for entertainment or travel. The history of this sport is somewhat short, but there were times when there were events in other parts of the country. There were competitors from parts of the country we wouldnt even think there were. The possibility for things to get started in these places is very real, but someone has to invest the time and money to get things rolling again. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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Not negative
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If the stands were fairly full last year due to free tickets, why didn't all those people return this year when they had to buy tckets? Could it be because they figured if the pull was free, it must not be a very big deal. |
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Re: My opinion-What happened to PPL?
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yep
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You think Jeff will help get pulling going bob how much did that guy cost mid south |
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Re: Lucas Oil / PPO
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Registered: 07/06/2008 Posts: 1,347 |
There have been rumblings in the drag racing world that Lucas Oil is going to pull back on sponsorship for 2012. Whether that happens, we'll know next February at Pomona.
Regarding PPL, there is one aspect to being an elite organization they just don't have: An elite, signature event. If we divide pulls into tiers, the top of the pyramid would include Louisville, Bowling Green, and Tomah. Right below that would be Chapel Hill, Henry, Wisner, perhaps some of the larger State Fair pulls (I will even include Hillsboro in this group) Below that would be your "average" GN/Champions Tour pull, or maybe a larger state event like Tanner (went there once, a national level state sanctioned event) Below that would be your "average" state level pull, and below that would be maybe a brush or county fair pull. I put Louisville in the top tier because of tradition, prestige, and $. BG and Tomah are there not because of the purse (which I agree should be higher, especially for BG), but for tradition, prestige, the fact they run almost every "pro" class there is, and they are places pullers want to pull. Nowhere else will you get 60-70 total super farms, 40+ twds and fwds, and get to see semis, minis, 3 different super stock classes, pro stocks, diesel trucks, and of course unlimited mods. Also, BG and Tomah are the only pulls I've seen with the sheer huge numbers of campers there as well, though I know other places like the Fort and Wisher also have camping. Bringing this back to the subject, if PPL were to get a multi-day, open competition (ie- non Champions Tour precommit only), event that drew the type of crowd, campers, and # of pullers, then that would make the whole "taking pulling to the next level" more credible. If PPL could combine this with their financial package for the pullers, then there would be more of the complete package. I could go on and on with ideas about promoting the sport in general, but for now, this is enough meat to chew on. |
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Re: Lucas Oil / PPO
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Good point "Michael".Now correct me if I'm wrong,but doesn't PPL have a pull at Indiana State Fair?They call it "Indy Super Pull"?That would be a good start for them.Change the name of it,it's not indoors in January,Throw some money at it and see what happens.It won't happen overnight,neither did Louisville or Bowling Green,it will take a commitment of many years losing money trying to promote it to get it to the level of BG and Louisville. |
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