It ’ s been a very rewarding journey for sure .”
Another underlying theme is that Bader Jr . understands people want to be entertained . It ’ s also one that Force understands .
“ I ’ ve met a lot of good promoters in my day , but they ’ re the ones that have the mindset , we ’ re here to entertain , not just to drag race ,” Force says . “ We entertain the people on their day off .”
“ I think what sports is quickly recognizing is that we are in the entertainment business , not in the business of , in the case of drag racing , running cars up and down the track ,” says Bader Jr . “ I feel like we are missing the ball by not having an infusion of entertainment to go along with who ’ s winning and who ’ s losing , how it ’ s presented , how it ’ s packaged . Fans want to engage – they want to cheer for their favorite driver , and they want to stomp their feet . People want to be drawn into and ultimately be made part of the show .
“ Drag racing is the last great American-made sport that is , as far as I ’ m concerned , in the infancy phase of its product life cycle ,” Bader Jr . continues . “ We have not done a good job of taking drag racing to where I think it can be . We ’ re so engrossed in the nuts and bolts of drag racing , and a finite number of people care about that . I think there are an infinite number of people that care about an evening of entertainment . If Night Under Fire is anything , it would help say , ‘ Hey , you know what , this model works too .’” DI
DANIEL WILKERSON AND CRUZ PEDREGON SQUARE OFF
JOHN FORCE
132 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 184