[S/G 386N]

The whole process with National events now is just a clusterf**k. Nobody working at the events knows what the hell is going on. For example, US Nationals this year. I broke my engine, and got it fixed the Thursday before Nationals, so I registered late. So, pulling in the gate on Monday, they didn't have my credentials. No biggie, I'll get them later. So Tuesday, tech day, I go to the trailer to get my credentials, tech card, etc, they tell me to go to tech (staging lanes). So I do, with my car. They give me a tech card, but ask what happened to mine. I told them the trailer told me to get it from them, in which I got a weird look for. Go through and take tech card to tech trailer (top end of track). All good there, and since I printed my ticket online, I got stamped for the restricted access. However, I needed to buy additional restricted tickets for my dad and wife, and some additionals for friends. Well, those are sold at the trailer at gate 2. (opposite side of the facility)(also the ones that told me to go to tech to get my credentials). Go back there, get 2 more, but have to go back to the trailer to get stamped for the restricted access. Still, neither trailer now knows where to get the rest of my credentials and parking passes. So I go back to tech, since those working in the trailer are clueless, they tell me to find one of the guys parking the rigs, in which I do. He tells me to go to the trailer at gate 2, in which I told him they told me to go to tech, who told me to go to you. Long story short (for this part), after about an hour of riding around, I find the guy that was pulling in the trailers on Monday, and he was parked by the sand trap at the top end of the track. 2nd issue. All tickets purchased by racers are electronic tickets (cheaper for NHRA I'm assuming). Well, I was pitted by gate 4, which is a pedestrian gate. I had a lot of friends I bought week long tickets for that were camping out across the street from Gate 4. Problem is, Gate 4 didn't have the scanners for the tickets. So everybody had to walk about a 1/4 mile down to gate 3, or 1/2 mile to gate 8 just to get in, and walk back to my pit (that they can see from their campsite). Also had some friends with my tickets that parked near the main gate (free parking). Main gate didn't have scanners either. So they had to jump in their car, drive to gate 2 ($10 parking) and had to get in there.

Now maybe ORP has a lot more gates than other tracks and that's why they didn't have scanners, I don't know, but it made it a big pain. I think every time I went to the trailers, people were complaining about something. The organization wasn't very good at all. Now as much as I'm frustrated with the NHRA, I don't have much choice, because there aren't any more IHRA tracks in Indiana that I know of, so I'm kinda stuck. But I've got a baby due in Feb, so I'm going to be done racing for a few years. Hopefully by the time I get back in the seat again, things will be better.