NHRA price hike

[Adger Smith]

Just start adding up the numbers on license & membership & Certifications. A little math will show what is brought into their coffers. Out of the old $75 fee they cut the amount the Certification employee gets, then they raise the fee to $150. I was told that just the Certifications in each division brought in enough money, at the old price, to run the Each Division. I was told this quite a while back, before the changes, by someone pretty high in NHRA that I consider very credable. Then they have all these other fees that they charge to all the alternative associations & local tracks. They have license & Certifications too. I don't buy the retoric that they are subsidizing the sportsman. The numbers just don't add up. I think the Sportsman being subsidized is more of a case of "Say the same thing over & over & it will become believed as the truth, even if it isn't." Think about it... Some profit center is paying for all the FREE that the Pro's get. What other big profit center is there besides Sportsman racers & T.V.? OH yes, Spectators, but they have given them a small reduction in ticket prices. I don't mind paying a little more, but double in these economic times... ??

[Michael Pliska]

This really stinks! I'm running on 60% of my regular salary, but was looking forward to bringing my Super-Gas car back out for the first time in 15 years. I suppose I'll pay the extortion for renewing my license (since I drive other people's cars on occasion), but I think my car is about to get throttle stopped to 10.10 (and skip the chassis cert). Literally I saw the NHRA article on this as I was coming in from working on the car, looking up the local chassis cert guy to see if he can recertify next week.

Regards,

[69ss/rs]

IF NHRA has to spend so much to subsidies the sportsmen classes, than somebody needs to find out where all of Forrest Lucas money is going. NHRA is not a business; therefore they do not make money, they only take it in. Having said that, any money they pay out either comes from you the racer or a company paying for the right to sponsor something. So for them to say we cost them money than they are full of s---t. Maybe if they would learn how to get ESPN to pay them for the rights to show the races, instead of NHRA paying ESPN; they could save some of the millions of dollars that they are trying to suck out of us.

[Barney B]

I sent NHRA a polite and professional e-mail about this whole deal. Maybe we should ALL do that. I do not agree with what they did I just don't like to complain where it does no good. I don't think you tracks or division had anything to do with it.

Just a thought, BB

[Roo]

Hi.

This is my first post here, but Ive been reading the site off and on, mostly whenever there is some crisis or goings on in the drag racing world. First off, I'm a nobody. Ive raced one divisional and one national, and was an easy trip for my opponent to the next round at both events.

As a novice S/G racer, I didnt expect to set the world on fire, all I wanted was to not look foolish. I barely met my goals. You see, I sat in the stands for years at the only National event within a reasonable distance of my home. I live in North/West Ontario, and my closest track is BIR. If I dont mess around I can make it there in 6 hours.

For many years, I watched the NorthStar--Champion Auto--Colonel's truck--Lucas oil Nationals from the stands and wanted so badly to someday race there. I had an 11 sec bracket car I owned since I was 15 years old, but at 3900lbs, it was a poor choice for super gas car. SST isnt contested at BIR, so I decided to construct a new car. As a professional mechanic, with great science and math skills, an ability to learn and read anything I can get my hands on, I knew I could do it.

Now, Im not a rich man, I worked hard on my dreams, doing whatever I could to get my car completed. I even went into great debt to do it. I built my own motor, transmission, rear ends etc.. I did my own welding, my own tin work, and I even painted the car myself in my own garage. A show winner it isnt, but I can park it anywhere, even amongst show winners, and it still looks pretty good.

So with the car done, years after I gave into my desire to race in S/G, I began the process of using it. Remember I said Im not rich, and I live 350 miles from the closest possible place to race, so using this car is an expensive adventure. A weekend going to race can get to $1000 pretty easily, so I'm lucky to get out more than 3 times/year. At BIR brackets, youre lucky if you can get more than 15 runs in 3 days, unless you enter 2 classes and pay more entry. Anyway, you can imagine at that rate,the S/G learning curve is very slow, especially for a guy that does everything himself.

So, since Im a Canadian that likes to race, and needs a competition license, I have to subscribe to National Dragster. Initially, I enjoyed it, but with everything NHRA, you can see its rapid decline in quality. I have to drive 6.5 hours to Minneapolis to get my chassis certified, and out of the 3 times Ive had it done, never once have I paid less than $150!! He seems to charge what he wants?? and of course, everytime it gets certified,he tells me I need another bar here, or another bar there.

Anyway, Im a shoestring budget racer, and there just isnt room for these cost increases. In 07, I entered the divisional, got my grade point, a $1000 grade point. I entered the National, whatever the cost was, I was excited to reach my goal. I was suprised at the "insurance" cost, epecially since there was no policy??? I know when I buy insurance anywhere else, I get a copy of the policy, so I know what Im insured for. Not this time.

anyway, to end this boring long story... after fuel prices went crazy last year, I decided to sit things out, and spent some money on home improvements, something that I can get a return on, instead of drag racing. I was hoping to return to racing this year, but the increase in everything $$NHRA$$, Im forced to sit it out again.

This time Im sitting out for good. I will never renew my membership, licence, or get my car certified, or enter anything NHRA ever again. I'l cut up my car if I cant sell it, and part out the rest. I still have my old bracket car, and if I need a fix, I'll race it now and then, staying out of the license range. Im not the only one who feels this way

[Michael Pliska]

I sent a professional but firm letter to NHRA, and a different one to Lucas Oil. I mentioned it on another thread, but I wonder what Forrest and Charlotte Lucas think about this, seeing as how their name is synonymous with NHRA Sportsman Drag Racing. With any luck (and more people contacting them) we can have the Lucas' on our side.

I've been adding up the cost of bringing my car back out (with all the SFI recertifications that were not necessary back when I raced it last). I'm thinking that I can run it consistently in the 10's for bracket races, so I'll only get a trans shield. I'll be one less car at LODRS that would have otherwise been there.

Regards,

[Jason Oldfield]

Originally Posted by H.A.A.C. Racing

(Jason should be proud)

I'm pround of all of you. It's amazing what one little policy change at NHRA can do for the length of the average post on this board. ;-)

That said, Mr. Asta may have said it best. John and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but we most certainly do on this topic.

Also Pat I. made a perfect point about announcing 100% price increases to his customers. Think about that...what would your customers say to you if you told them that you haven't raised prices in 10 years, so you're going to raise them 100%? They'd tell you that you're nuts, this is the last time you're going to see them as a customer, and that if you really need to increase your prices 100%, you had better figure out a way to reduce your expenses or improve your processes if you want to stay in business. My customers these days are looking for price CUTS, not 100% increases

Now, if you have a monopoly, things are different. You can do whatever the hell you want, and your customers can't do a damn thing about it. Time Warner is currently trying this now in Rochester, NY with their Road Runner service (along with Austin, TX and Greensboro, NC), and for the most part since there is no real competition, they might be able to get away with it. The difference is the Time Warner deal affects MILLIONS of people, and those people have now gone to their local government officials to try to get help. Nobody else is going to get involved in our fight because it affects so few people...it is up to us to fight this fight on our own.

[Bryan Gillespie]

OK 100% increase, but 1st. in 10 years so that's 10% per year , 10% a year is a little high but if they don't do it for another 10 years that's only 5 % per year and that is normal inflation.
This is NOT a poor mans sport.
Half the racers that are *itchin are headed to a race as I type.
When a organation is in $$ trouble it is usely it's members that HELP pull them out.
So bottom line if you can't or won't HELP then go play tennis or golf they only take 1 ball.
As for me I have 40k in a car that is not street legal and I like to race (hate golf) so buckup and lets RACE !

[Jason Oldfield]

So, if this is a normal inflationary increase, why haven't our purses gone up 10% per year for the last 10 years? Or, why haven't we seen a 100% increase every 10 years? Fact of the matter is, NHRA can sell it anyway they want, but they're putting the extra money in their pockets. I don't mind paying more when I feel like I'm getting more. But, from NHRA I'm paying more and getting LESS. There isn't a single company on this entire planet that I would continue to give my business to that had that type of philosophy, unless I was absolutely forced to do it.

At the end of the day, I have tens of thousands of dollars tied up in my racing operation as well (24' enclosed trailer, brand new 4-wheeler, 32' motorhome, plus the race car itself), and the extra money isn't going to bankrupt me. But, this is just one more instance of NHRA taking more of my money, and giving me NOTHING for it in return, simply because they can. At some point you have to say enough is enough. Obviously, you haven't reached that point yet Bryan (you obviously also don't work in sales, as I'd love to see you pitch a 100% price increase to my customers - they wouldn't give a crap if it had been 10 years or not since the last price increase, not to mention that 3% is the customary annual increase due to inflation, not 10%, or even 5%).

Show me what I'm getting for my money...just don't take more of it and tell me "because we have to". If that's the case, then I challenge NHRA to open their books to show me the proof, which I'm guessing they will politely decline to do.

Seriously Bryan....Have you ever thought about exactly what it is that you get for your money? $50/year for the license. $64/year for the membership. $50/year for the chassis certification. $60/race for the insurance (oh, and if you have two cars, you have to pay it twice). What do I get for all that? Oh yeah, I forgot...National Dragster, a pin, a patch, and a decal. If I came to your house, and told you to give me $200 for the right to race this year, what would you say to me? I highly doubt it would be, "OK, here you go!"

Is $200 going to break any of us? Probably not. But, who's to say that NHRA is going to stop at $200 per year. Why not $500? What are you going to do about it then? How about $1,000? $2,000?

[Bryan Gillespie]

Jason it's their sandbox, if you don't want to play get some bait or some clubs.