Ihra

[Dave Turner]

Oh Canada!!!

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

This is an incredibly ignorant post. If it's supposed to be good natured humor (which it should be, knowing Ed), it misses the mark. It's unfathomable to me that we have people constantly cussing about NHRA, but will stand on the sidelines cheering and jeering any possible negativity toward IHRA. It's assinine.

1) Rockingham and Virginia are still IHRA tracks. Until announced otherwise, it's nothing but internet rumor.
2) Sanctioning tracks is a two way street, and it's up to the sanctioning body to provide value to its tracks, not the other way around.
3) What do the location of the tracks have to do with anything?
4) There's no "supposedly" about the Eagle Motorplex joining IHRA (see http://www.eaglemotorplex.com/), a former NHRA Divisional track that saw some great action, featured on Larry Pfister's Horsepower Heaven videos (the guy that brought you "4 Days in May", and if you haven't heard of that, you should be ashamed to call yourself a Class racer!)

What's the next post going to be, "OMG! NHRA has tracks in Medicine Hat and Saskatoon, SaskatchasomethingIcan'tspell, they must be going UNDER!"

Michael,show me where I'm bashing IHRA
Point #1:Maybe so
#2&3:Bill Edgewoth said both are out of the way tracks.Low car counts low profit for track and sanctioning body.
#4 Never heard of it.I have no shame about that.

NHRA does have some small out of the way tracks.They come with the territory of being a sanctioning org.
Here's a question for you.If a track is being sold do you think the value would be greater with an IH or NH sanction?Pure economic question,not sentimental answer required.
I said before,I've run both and enjoyed both.
Now I'm going into territory I am not comfortable with.When I ran Budds Creek in 2006
I was r/u twice that weekend.I walked away with a grand total of $800.As much as i enjoyed myself,the payout totally sucked.Granted it was only 5 rds each race,still,the payout sucked.
As bad as NHRA pays,it's a kings ransom compared to IHRA.And oh yeah.That new
emasculated winners trophy is more suited to girls volleyball.There was nothing wrong with the old Iron Man.I still sting over not getting one that week in Budds Creek
Read my post again,all I was saying is that IHRA is not helping their prestige by
possibly losing two first class venues.

[Michael Beard]

#2&3:Bill Edgewoth said both are out of the way tracks.Low car counts low profit for track and sanctioning body.

.....and?...... Should they not be sanctioned? Somebody better explain all this to Chris Hall. You know, the guy from Rocky Mountain Raceway in Utah that just won the Summit World Championship and drove home with $10,000, a new enclosed trailer and a golf cart. IHRA has programs that even the smallest of race tracks can take advantage of. Not only the SWC (which BTW has also had World Champions from Grand Bend in Canada, little Osceola in Michigan, po-dunk Hinesville, GA, and Aruba), but also the SSS, TCR, etc..

#4 Never heard of it.I have no shame about that.

Put it on your Christmas list. www.horsepowerheaven.com "4 Days in May" was an all S/SS video, with COMPLETE coverage of Bobby DeArmond's historic 9-sec pass, and teardown! Not to mention all the other action at Mission Raceway. ALL of Larry Pfister's videos are the bomb!

NHRA does have some small out of the way tracks.They come with the territory of being a sanctioning org.

So.... why is it ok for them and not IHRA?

If a track is being sold do you think the value would be greater with an IH or NH sanction?

Doesn't make a hill of beans, because the new owners can sanction with whomever they want. Or did you mean those NHRA tracks at Memphis and Gateway...? They are defunct money pits. Now, is that NHRA's fault? NO! You can fly as many NHRA flags as you want around Gateway, and it won't change its financial problems, which are independent of any sanctioning body.

I was r/u twice that weekend.I walked away with a grand total of $800.As much as i enjoyed myself,the payout totally sucked.Granted it was only 5 rds each race,still,the payout sucked.

...and you get what for 5th round loser at an NHRA race? I'm undefeated in 12 years of Stock eliminator racing at Atco. Whoopdidoo. They've got my $115 entry fee and my $170 entry fee. I have nothing. Well, I did get a hat. Everybody's got their own good and bad stories. Okay, we've exchanged stories... what's that accomplished?

Read my post again,all I was saying is that IHRA is not helping their prestige by possibly losing two first class venues.

So they have lost prestige because somebody started an internet rumor? Wow. Listen to yourself!

[Jim Woods]

Ed, first of all , my post was not just for you, I meerly stated my opinion, and i believe you have done that numerous times on here and i did not accuse you of getting your panties in an uproar . You have no idea who I am or how many races I ran in IHRA . I know for a fact all the IHRA officials I have worked with go out of their way to make a pleasant, fun safe and fair race for all.This is one of the very few times i have posted my opinion on here and you want to start something over it. , now flame on , but until you know me , dont post stuff you dont know about me. Have a nice day Ed. happy thanksgiving to you and yours from sunny fla.

[Chad Rhodes]

Not bashing IHRA at all, but I do have a question. If IHRA just released their Nitro Jam schedule, then obviously they have seen the NHRA Div schedule. Why in the would you put one of your national events almost midway between 2 NHRA divisionals on the same weekend (why NHRA is having them on the same weekend is another issue)? the D4 race in Houston, the NItro Jam in Baton Rouge, and the D2 race in Valdosta are all going to be the same weekend. The D4 and D2 races are technically far enough apart, even though a lot of racers run both. But putting an IHRA race almost halfway in between the two is idiotic at best, it will kill the car count. Especially when you consider that this isn't North Carolina where the IHRA race may prevail, this is the gulf coast where 99% of the class racers are NHRA racers, who will occasionally run an IHRA race.

[Ed Fernandez]

Michael you go and race IHRA and I'll race NHRA.As faulted as NHRA is,logisticaaly and
money wise NHRA fits me.
Jimyour post seemed to be aimed at the guy who made the first post.Sorry for the mistake.

[Racer 6x64]

The IHRA guys have a good program going now. it's all sportsman racing from morning until about 6. Then its the pro show. The sportsman racers are not filler with the IHRA they are over half the show and they get a lot of runs.

As far as the new tracks in Canada, the track that is in Prince George maybe a decent drive but it is a beautiful facility, the track is in a bit of a valley, the staging lanes are down hill to the burnout boxes and an uphill shut down. It is surounded by mountains and just a very scenic place. Ashcroft (Eagle Motorplex) is a very well set up track as all the pits are along the return road and it too has a up hill shut down area. That track is in the mountains as well. I have not been to the other track. I have been around the sport since for over 30 years and I have seen a lot of good and bad things. Hell I first met Graham Light when i was 7 when he was the track manager at Edmonton International Speedway.

The tracks up here in the frigid north are great places to race. I would put Mission raceway in British Columbia up against any track anywhere as a record setting track, it is an NHRA track but it is still in Canada.

If the NHRA ever abandons Canada all together we will gladly put the IHRA logo on more tracks. Western Canada is hot bed of racing, make no mistake.

my $.02

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

Not bashing IHRA at all, but I do have a question. If IHRA just released their Nitro Jam schedule, then obviously they have seen the NHRA Div schedule. Why in the would you put one of your national events almost midway between 2 NHRA divisionals on the same weekend (why NHRA is having them on the same weekend is another issue)? the D4 race in Houston, the NItro Jam in Baton Rouge, and the D2 race in Valdosta are all going to be the same weekend. The D4 and D2 races are technically far enough apart, even though a lot of racers run both. But putting an IHRA race almost halfway in between the two is idiotic at best, it will kill the car count. Especially when you consider that this isn't North Carolina where the IHRA race may prevail, this is the gulf coast where 99% of the class racers are NHRA racers, who will occasionally run an IHRA race.

I can't argue with you there. On top of that, at least in recent years, they've also had Baton Rouge on top of a Div. 9 race. Not that there's many Carolina guys who would drive to Baton Rouge, but I would go support the National if there wasn't a Pro-Am in my back yard. Last year, I skipped a single Pro-Am in my state to drive 8 hrs to hit a double Pro-Am in Alabama. Double-headers really open up the schedule, but somehow they still seem to have a lot of conflicts.

[Mike Pearson]

Chad

The same thing is happening this weekend with Valdosta and Palm beach. I will be at Valdosta because I need a grade point for next year and the drive is the same distance. If the two events were on different weekends i would have run both. Palm beach is a great facility. This just does not make good sense to me. I think both sanctionig bodies need to re think the scheduling especially at the beginning of the year. I for one like running both HRA's With the schedule we have here in div 2 of I & N it will be real tough to make all of the races at the beginning of the year.

[Jim Woods]

Mike,
the race at palm beach this weekend is not an IHRA points meet or nat'l. It is a special race put on by the track itself. I will be running the s/ss part of the race for them just as I did last year.Good luck at south ga. this weekend and pass it on to all the guys.