Drag racing, and in particular, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), is routinely criticized in public forums over its ticket prices, as detractors point to the cost of admission and suggest it is out of line for the value of the entertainment provided. The value derived from a live event is, of course, very subjective — one individual may find floor seats to a Taylor Swift concert to be worth the thousands of dollars it costs to acquire, while at the same time believe $50 for a National Basketball Association (NBA) game (that lasts twice as long as a concert overall) to be outrageous.
The relative fame and demand of the party performing, the amount of time the performance lasts relative to its cost, the view a given seat provides, the venue, and so on, are all factors that go into one’s individual belief on what constitutes value.
The most expensive reserved grandstand seat (ie. not a suite or all-inclusive area) to an NHRA drag race will generally cost you around or less than $90 all-in after fees. Compare that to the best reserved seat at virtually any sporting event, concert, or comedy act, where the primo tickets are almost universally in the hundreds of dollars, and certainly the thousands for more in-demand acts and games.
As famed drag racing historian and statistician Bret Kepner confirms, NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series ticket prices have trended under inflation every year since 1968. During the 1990s, they were upwards of 20 percent higher in price than they are today relative to the value of the dollar, and today, remain considerably under their anticipated inflation cost. Take, for example, a reserved seat at the 1996 Winternationals cost $58, and adjusted for inflation, should cost $113 today. But that ticket, at last weekend’s race, was in fact $75, or $38 cheaper than it ought to be relative to the value of today’s dollar. Instead of effectively doubling, it has gone up just $17, or less than a dollar a year, since our 1996 example.
In simple terms, the NHRA hasn’t raised prices relative to the value of the dollar in 55 years, and has in fact become cheaper relative to that dollar over the last quarter century.
To put the cost of drag racing into perspective, the cheapest seat for Bruce Springsteen’s summer visit to Wrigley Field is $113, and Brooks & Dunn’s Buffalo, New York country music show will run you anywhere from $55 to $670. Top-billed comedian Kevin Hart’s Canton,…
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