National Event Entrys...wow

[Dave Steltz]

I just happened to look at the entries for this weekends national in Tennessee and next weeks in Va...man talk about different than years past...Check the Super entries, man are they low...I can remember only just a few years ago it was tough to get in some of these with low grade points...

So whats everyones reasons here for not attending or low attendance...

Are you just sick of it (Nhra Div/National Events) like me, the economy, jobs...

Tenn
SG 51 of 100
SC 64 of 100
Stk 56 of 80
S/S 57of 80

Va
SG 26 of 90
SC 64 of 100
Stk 31 of 80
S/S 37 of 80

[SSTHottie1236]

NHRA is going to blame the economy which is true to a point but it's also they way they've been treating people. They won't figure that out until the economy is booming and the car count is still low if that ends up being the case. Guess we all won't know until then really.

Kelli
1236 S/ST
1836 S/G

[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.

[BKSG1198]

Dave,
I guess just getting fed up with the "LONG DAYS" at the track. I mean unless I'm a traveling professional and can afford to take 75 days off a year to go racing then it's just not fun anymore. I personally only get 16 days per year in "Personal time" and then 9 "Holidays" off from work. When I have to burn 4 days in a week to leave Tuesday of a National Event, park on Wednesday, Time Shots on Thursday, Eliminations on Friday and quite possibly be done by then or if weather rolls in and be pushed to Monday or Tuesday I just can't afford to do that and take the time off from work. I mean I have a local track 25 minutes from my house (Like you with LVD) with Atco that runs a great bracket program that I don't have to burn ANY personal days from work unless they have a high dollar race on a Friday but that is not set in stone that we have to run that. I also have MASGA that I love and have fun running 2 races in a weekend and the only time I need to burn time there is when we go to Numidia. Sadly I have not hit the lottery yet and still need to work 1 full time job and 1 part time job so I can live a decent life. I mean I plan on running out in Arizona next year at the D-7 races just cause it's a dream of mine to do but after that I'm going MASGA and Bracket racing next year.

Rob Keister

PS: Also if you want some really go answer just go check out the Stk/Super Stock site.

[Rick Bailey]

JJ like you I was pitted by gate 4.and yep! no scanner. I had two crew tickets for my guest and they were supposed to walk clear around to said gates.......but after a somewhat of a heated discussion with the cop at the gate they were let in. Now check this out! next day they got scanned at another gate and onced they were scanned they could enter any gate..........wow unbeliveable.

Rick

[S/G 386N]

Originally Posted by Rick Bailey

JJ like you I was pitted by gate 4.and yep! no scanner. I had two crew tickets for my guest and they were supposed to walk clear around to said gates.......but after a somewhat of a heated discussion with the cop at the gate they were let in. Now check this out! next day they got scanned at another gate and onced they were scanned they could enter any gate..........wow unbeliveable.

Rick

I think it was Thursday, I went to gate 3 to see if they had scanners. Since that was the closest gate to the campground that was supposed to have them. Gate 4 told me up front they weren't going to get any but gate 3 had them. Anyways, I went to gate 3 Thursday morning to see if they had them. They told me no, but they were supposed to get them sometime that day, and in the meantime, they were told to just tear the bar code off the ticket and let people in. I told them that the tickets were supposed to be good for the entire week, and if they tore the bar code off, how were they supposed to get in the rest of the week. The 2 guys just looked at each other with a puzzled look, shrugged their shoulders, and said they'd figure it out when the time came. I can only imagine what kind of headache that those ticket holders had to deal with the next time they tried to enter.

[Mark Schmidt]

Guys, I'm pretty much out of the loop...took this year off, but it sounds like Glendora took something simple and f&*%#ed it up. No customer service at all. I really enjoy our Div 3 guys, but national events are another story.