No really. What are NHRA racers going to do?

[69Cobra]

You/we have no rights. We play by their rules or we take our toys and go home.

[ALMACK]

I was a member of NHRA for 30 years. I got hooked on class racing at the 1982 Winternationls. Those were great years !

After Wally Parks died, it appeared to me that the NHRA was slowly being run into the ground. I didn't renew my membership after that.

As posted above: Members do not have any rights. However, people do have the right to not give the organization their hard earned money.

Even if NHRA attendance slows way down and revenues drop off, the corporate suits can blame the downfall on the economy, not on company policy. Easy way out I suppose. No doubt some are packing their own golden parachute right now.

What can class racers do ? I don't have the answer.
Combo races appear to be the easiest start.
Non-NHRA sanctioned Sportsnationals type events are next and if the sponsors that NHRA just stung want to get on board that would be great !

Until then, one can only hope the IHRA grows and has more events throughout the country.

[Michael Beard]

You probably haven't gotten a lot of response due to the premise set forth in your original post. To paraphrase, 'If you have a problem with NHRA, I don't want to hear you quit, run other races, or complain. Oh, BTW, what can you do about your concerns?" You've taken everything off the table. They've proven time and time again that it's their ball and their court.

Personally, I try to not spend a lot of time beating my head against a wall. If I have a concern, I voice that concern, and if it's still a repeated problem, I vote with my feet. That's not just NHRA -- it's like that with anything: Restaurants or other stores, etc. That *is* your "right as a member". You cannot force NHRA's hand. If they can't see that their business model is resulting in fewer racers, spectators, and fans... well?

So far this year, I have run 71 races in 38 events in 10 different states. That includes NHRA (minimal), IHRA, S/SS Combos, and bracket racing from the local to Big Buck levels. I've also announced at multiple events, write race coverage for a magazine, and coming up Thanksgiving weekend, my promotions partner Anthony Walton and I will be presenting a major Footbrake event of our own. Additionally, my business's customers are all drag racers, promoters, and tracks. So, I'm not sitting on the couch. Everything I do in life revolves around drag racing.

[chris3racing]

Well I have been wondering how much longer it would be before NHRA got to this site. Jimi B your a racer that NHRA is looking for. I will never slam any young racer for enjoying drag racing at any level; however, NHRA as many of us "old time racer" will remember is not the same. NHRA is listed as a non-profit; however, they have been recently under investigation by the IRS for the amounts of money they collect and the salaries that the "higher ups" are making each year. The fees and the requirements for sportsman racers continue to increase, while the Big Money team do not have to pay their share. Go to the competition plus web site and look at NHRA's attack on the sponsors. Spectators are down, in this economy the average joe can not afford to tak his family to the racers. Sportsman racer car counts are down due to the costs to participate, stingent car requirements and just the treatment of the racers in general. No matter how many complaints they receive there does not seem to be any interest on NHRA's part to improve any of these issues. As I posted on Class Racer website with the treatment of companies like Jegs, Summit and all others there are a lot of great race tracks that would greatly appreciate the companies coming to see them with their money to put on a race. As racers, and I have being doing it for over 30 years, we should participate at these events outside of NHRA to show support to companies and organizations which appreciate us bringing our cars and spending our money to participate. Maybe the people at NHRA who make the mulit-hundreds of thousands of dollar salaries will understand where their salaries come from and it is not from racers like John Force, Don Shumacher, Greg Anderson and others; however, based on the latest news out of NHRA these guys should be defending their sponsors and the money that the companies pay them to participate.

[Rollins_2241]

As much as many people, particularly bracket racers, don't want to admit it, there are some unique features of NHRA drag racing that keep me coming back:

Publicity. ND has a much wider circulation than any other sanctioning body's. Yes, they mostly get read on the toilet, but I get calls for months after winning an NHRA race from people who read about it. Quick: who won the Thursday $10K bracket race at SGMP? Yeah, they had one. No, I don't remember either. And I was in at 7 cars. But I know who's leading the Jeg's points in Top Dragster or is national champ in Super Stock.

Safety. I crashed and could have died this year - at an NHRA-owned track with an ALS ambulance there for a test and tune. I shudder to think what would have happened at some other tracks. That stuff costs money. When you race at a Lucas Oil or Full Throttle event, that's what you're paying for. They actually care if your helmet is on in the shutdown area. They care if you are wearing arm restraints in the water box (if I hadn't been, my wife would be wiping my butt for the rest of my life). Nothing else matters once the shiny side is no longer up.

Fair competition. Yes, electronics and other issues have advanced faster than they can keep up. At least they weigh the cars, care about the rules, put cars on a ladder the same way every race, and keep the points updated. How many of you have seen a "house car" "put back in the race" at a big-buck bracket event after a "bad timing issue"?

Schedule. I'm too old to race until 3 in the morning four days in a row. Those days were fun in the old B&M series and such, but I like knowing what they plan to do and when. No, they can't control the weather, and neither can IHRA.

Their biggest weakness is "not invented here" mentality. Their senior staff should all be required to "mystery shop" by attending, as a racer or spectator, one IHRA, one ADRL, one big-buck bracket race, and one heads-up outlaw race per year, to see how other events are putting thousands of spectators in the seats and 400 cars in the pits. What works and what doesn't. Then they should contact every lapsed member they can find from the past 5 years and do a quick survey of why. Finally, they should poll racers who quit or have not run a class when they consider a rules change - not the current population of class racers whose primary interest is protecting their competitive position.

That was more than two cents, but thanks for listening.

[Michael Beard]

Quick: who won the Thursday $10K bracket race at SGMP?

Timmy "Two Toes" Smith. And then he backed it up with a win on Friday, too, to collect a big bonus.

Sorry. I'm a fan of the sport. BUT the point rings true. That major point... RECOGNITION. It's not just National Dragster. It's "LIVE from" on ClassRacer, it's Live Timing/Audio/Video, it's Drag Racing Action magazine, it's Drag Review. Used to be TV coverage on IHRA. I think the series that REALLY work hard on the providing timely real coverage and human interest stories of their events are the ones that will rise to the top. If nobody knew about a Wally, nobody would care if they won one. It's coveted because of its history and the recognition that goes with it.

[Ed Fernandez]

Until NHRA either changes direction or loses it's contract lock on the tracks around the country,NHRA still is in control of the board. Once the exclusive contracts run out then IHRA,ADRL etc. will have the opportunity to set up shop.

[bigshow2966]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

Until NHRA either changes direction or loses it's contract lock on the tracks around the country,NHRA still is in control of the board. Once the exclusive contracts run out then IHRA,ADRL etc. will have the opportunity to set up shop.

ADRL? How many stockers and super stockers you think they will allow? It will be interesting to see if they even exist next year since the Sheik is not tossing baskets of cash around anymore.

I would like to see the IHRA with a bigger piece of the pie around here, but they just can't hold on to any tracks for too long.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by bigshow2966

ADRL? How many stockers and super stockers you think they will allow? It will be interesting to see if they even exist next year since the Sheik is not tossing baskets of cash around anymore.

I would like to see the IHRA with a bigger piece of the pie around here, but they just can't hold on to any tracks for too long.

I included ADRL just for the fact that independent series organizations wouldn't be
beholdened to NHRA to deal with tracks to run their races.
IHRA will never grow as long as Feld Ent. owns it.

[Jimi B]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

Timmy "Two Toes" Smith. And then he backed it up with a win on Friday, too, to collect a big bonus.

Sorry. I'm a fan of the sport. BUT the point rings true. That major point... RECOGNITION. It's not just National Dragster. It's "LIVE from" on ClassRacer, it's Live Timing/Audio/Video, it's Drag Racing Action magazine, it's Drag Review. Used to be TV coverage on IHRA. I think the series that REALLY work hard on the providing timely real coverage and human interest stories of their events are the ones that will rise to the top. If nobody knew about a Wally, nobody would care if they won one. It's coveted because of its history and the recognition that goes with it.

I can also tell you one of my close friends Disco Dean Karns won the $10k today and almost the $5k tonight going out in the 7th round!