Re: New England Divisional
 

Not trying to be the voice of reasoning because I had this just happen a few weeks back at one of my events, people got there early, the event for Fri Night got rained out but the track owner and GM were nice enough to open the gates till 10pm to allow racers time to get in and parked but it was a $15 charge and I heard it from a few racers.

You do realize that because you get there early and the track is nice enough to allow you to come in and park, they need to man the ticket booths with employees who are not working for free...depending on the state you're in we all know the Min Wage is insane. I can say NH is one of the highest because it's actually a state that they get a lot of NHRA employees to come work because the Min Wage is sooo high...for those that don't know the NHRA employees are paid via the state you're in and what their MW is, so some states could be $7.50, others $15.00, so when they say Parking is open on Thursday that means to get there on Thursday, not Monday or Tuesday or if there is a Private T&T that you can get in an watch for free.

It's like having tickets for the Rolling Stones but you get there a day early while Metallica is playing, and you try to use the Rolling Stones tickets to get into the event because your already there.

Re: New England Divisional
 

Or do a little of both

Re: New England Divisional
 

Cause us retard.....errr.....retired guys got nuttin better to do!!!:):):)
Seriously, I usually roll in sometime the day/evening before mainly because as you know stock us usually first or second out and I try (try is the operative word here) to have my sheet together and not have to rush around to get to the lanes. If it works out it works out, if not oh well. I'm a little like your pops as I'm usually knee deep in a project when it's time to roll out. The next five or six races we will be in NC working on our property soo that tractor time is important. See u there Keed!

Re: New England Divisional
 

Don't like to drive the rig at night, don't want to rush around, want to get a good pit spot and get set up the day before.

Re: New England Divisional
 

My problem is not with the money. When the kid at the booth said $240, I immediately handed him my card. If you asked me what I paid at Numidia 3 weeks ago, I couldn't tell you. It was when he handed me back 2 receipts, one at $225 and another at $15. I asked what the $15 was for and he told me "parking for today". If I know the charges, I'll decide if I want to arrive early. The only notification of this charge apparently showed up on D1 Facebook (not website) and only yesterday. It's a "Gotchya!" What's next, measuring my suitcase to see if there's an extra charge for that? These are the things that drive customers away.

I've been on the other side and our trucking charges were very simple and few accesorial charges. The big carriers have gone the other way with many nit-picky charges. Customers liked that they knew what to expect.

Re: New England Divisional
 

There are a lot of retired folks or those with the ability to get to a race way early and try to get a more preferred pit spot.

I often used to work till noon and have my rig with me.....drive to the race after work on Thursday and end up parked in the boondocks....

I've raced at Island Dragway a couple times this summer.....You get one time run and if you want a second run, you pay $20.....The entry for Pro is $75 and it's $1500 to win.....and there's always 60+ cars....

We are in an era of getting charged for everything and anything that used to be free.....

Re: New England Divisional
 

Racing has never been about the $$$$
I hate my$$ cause all I want to do is race my cars
But I?m gonna be 57 this year I live on Long Island
I have been racing in New Jersey and Nhra since 1993 or so
I am having to look at what?s more important right now
I have nothing to complain about financially I?m not rich but I?ve always done what I want
And the travel is tiresome but I love drag racing and right now I?m a little on the fence
Haven?t raced since Lebanon valley and it doesn?t bother me
Good luck too all
My comments wasn?t about bashing Nhra
Try traveling from where I live 30 plus years straight it sucks

Re: New England Divisional
 

James, I don?t think it?s just you, I think everyone is feeling the effects of tracks closing. ATCO closing has seen a lot of people put their cars in garage with a cover or put a for sale sign on them, the travel costs are killer on many and if your lucky you have a track like Numidia or Maple Grove that you can leave your things at all season. I can say in my series I?m down almost 50 members from 2023, some are juniors who aged out and didn?t jump into a big car. I read somewhere that dirt tracks are really struggling and somewhere in Kentucky has seen 3-4 tracks close in the past 2 months because of car counts and cost to operate.

Re: New England Divisional
 

James, the Island is a challenging place to live without pulling a rig out of town to race. It just wears you out. I used to live in Stamford Connecticut when I raced and every racing trip involved crossing the GWB. Even the tow to Epping was a dreadful four hours. It becomes too laborious. I feel your pain.

Re: New England Divisional
 

How much is the toll today to cross the GWB with 4 axles?