Sportsman Racers Council?
 

Has anyone on the sportsman racers council been involved with the new enhancements?
It seems to me like a couple of racers have nhra ear on what is best for all. It is evident with the distain they have for someone making a single, calling it an attendance award.
And this charlie is taking what they say as gospel for everyone else.
Am I right?
If so, can this be stopped? Before it does any more harm?
It has been stated that the sponsors wanted this. I have called several that I know and they have said they had nothing to do with it.
Will any sponsor that has backed this idea stand up for what they believe in?

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

I heard it when you heard it. I think we have all heard there were issues with the contingency sponsors, among other things. Lot's of issue discussed on the other thread. Eliminations have not been fooled with. And from what I have heard, Class payouts unless you were a Mopar racer were not very good anyway.

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

Art, you've got to calm down a little bit. Believe me, I can feel your pain but there isn't anything that we can do about it but stay home.
Might I suggest that you take my stance on all of the recent "enhancements"? For over 25 years I've followed the NHRA program running as many as 8 Divisional and 5 or 6 National events per year and (in my old age) I've finally come to the conclusion that they (NHRA) don't care. I've gone from a mindset of feeling as if I "had" to go to these races to feeling that I'll go if I "want" to.
I still have friends that work for NHRA, the Division office, the racetracks and all of my racer friends and I now go to see them. Don't get me wrong, if I am going racing I intend on winning but I just don't feel the urgency to go anymore. Maybe it's old age, maybe I've been around too long.
I told an NHRA official years ago " Show me your rules, I'll race by your rules, YOU remember your rules!". I also told him "if NHRA decided tommorrow that from now on we will all race wheelbarrows full of rocks then I'll be there racing a wheelbarrow full of rocks". I'll just race that wheelbarrow because I feel like I want to not because I feel like I have to.

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

I spoke with Mike Crutchfield and he said the same thing as Jeff. NHRA never came to them with this ridiculous idea. Why have the SRC? Jim

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

That is how NHRA complies with the IRS on the "membership participation guideline". Only thing they overlook is the "listening to input" from them. Must be an oversight, they would never intentionally just do what fills their pockets would they, nah........that can't be it.

I have to agree their new "Class Elims" isn't all bad. Some of the guys might actually run flat out to get the cash at four of those races. I bet we see some long black skid marks at the finish line at those four events ;-)

Good luck to all of you. I enjoyed Stock when I had the Camaro and drove Mosbecks car but it got to costly for me to continue. Just an old bracket racer now. Sure wish they woud show Stock and S/Stock last couple rounds on ESPN, then maybe people would see "real racing" and cars that look like cars////////whoa, sorry, got to dreaming there for a minute.

Jok

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

They would rather show the Alcohol cars do their entire burnout and staging procedures and talk about worthless stats than show a couple of rounds of s/ss! Not to mention filling in with interviews about how these cars operate, or clutch setups or whatever.....stuff that makes no sense to the fans!

Showing S/SS from the quarter finals on would be an "enhancement" some people would actually enjoy!

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

iI heard the src members are all in witness protecion

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

This is something I have griped about for years... the media coverage for the pros gives personal interviews, info on the SPONSORS, and explanations of how the systems in the cars work, crew members, etc. This helps the fans CONNECT to the John Force/Greg Anderson/Don Schumachers, etc. I think fans would connect to the Sportsman racer just as well, and even in a more intimate way thru car identification. This would bring more exposure to sponsors and Sportsman racers, making the contingency dollar more of a value to the companies paying them.

The coverage continually hypes on the amazing power levels, performance and sophistication and construction of the pro cars (rightfully so, I might add), so that the average fan can have an insight into all that's happening... not so for the Sportsman racer. In my experience, every casual spectator that has had an opportunity to see how the S/SS car is modified, constructed and tuned to perform at the level that they do, and how drastically different the level of performance is from the stock vehicles they start out from, they never fail to be impressed, and more interested in following the classes.

How many media fans know that most SS cars and many Stk cars have a crewchief?? Or what he does?? How a racer prepares for the next round of competition?? What affects their setups and performance?? Do they even know how the class a car fits into is determined?? What the handicap system/index system is in place for?? (Don't give me that crap that the average spectator doesn't understand handicap racing... how many of them understood a slipper clutch, or tire shake?? These things have been explained to the fans on behalf of the pros, to the point that they have become part of the experience, instead fans of asking "why do half the cars just smoke the tires and not go fast??") And what about introducing fans to Sportsman blogs and websites like they do for the pros??

NHRA just needs to recognize the untapped potential in today's Sportsman ranks and capitalize on it, to the benefit of racers, fans and NHRA...... "enhancements" that could solve many of these contingency problems as well as grow the eliminator.....

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

I'm sure if a sportsman program brought enough sponsor monies like Force or Bernstein have to the show there would be plenty of TV time etc......Bottom line is Money talks..and the whiners just keep getting "ENHANCED"! LOL

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

Well said Billy. I know I complain a fair amount on this forum with NHRA`s constant decisions to change things with the hign altitude racing,I finally said enough. Last season,I raced when I wanted to ,not because I felt like I had to,and enjoyed the season just as much if not more. I missed the fellow racers more than I did the racing. I competed at a half of the events I normally do,and actually did much better than I thought I would,because I WANTED to race,not `cause I felt like I had to. Sure it was bracket racing,but a winner`s check is a winner`s check!

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

As Jeff and Mike have indicated the SRAC learned of this change at the same time everyone else did.


From what I learned today the new format for class racing was not a NHRA idea but a plan developed by the Sponsor Association to help reduce their expenses and add some excitement to Class racing. There were a lot of reasons for the change and the Sponsor Association have been trying to figure this out for a couple years. As you may all ready know the money put up for Class is “voluntary” and not part of their National event sponsorship commitment with NHRA?

The reasons I heard for their change in format are:

1. They are not getting the benefit, sales and/or return on investment for all the money they are investing in class contingency
2. There are so many classes and a large portion of the money is going to single competitor classes ( I think Indy had around 50 single competitor classes between stock and super stock)
3. Racers are falsifying the contingency forms and claiming products they don’t have.
4. Some sponsors are frustrated that they are paying some racers that bought a part or product from them 10 years ago and they have not sold them anything else since then.
5. They were also trying to come up with a new exciting twist to class racing with the National Class Champions who could win a lot at $500 per product. They also hope to promote the winners for added press and hopefully sales.
6. and the obvious, Economic conditions


This is all I know. I think I speak for all of us we very much appreciate any and all sponsors that supports our racing addiction especially those that voluntarily support class racing. I have only won class once in about 10 years so I may not have as much to loose or gain as others on this site but I would hope the sponsors will be open for suggestions and feedback on how this could be adjusted so it would be a win win for everyone.

It’s pretty obvious we need to support the sponsors that support us.

Kent Hanley
SRAC D1

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

Kent, your post belongs in the above Sticky, well said !!!

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

Hi everybody,remember me?Just a few comments.

I agree with #1 and #6
#2-Not the racers fault.Let them pay 1/4 the amount for singles,after all we are advertising for them by having the decals.Sort of like a moving billboard.
#3-I've been checked visually on and off for my class wins.On my win in 2006 Iwas visually checked on all visible parts.If someone lies then shame on them.
#4-That speaks well for the quality of their parts.They should emphasize that in their advertising.
#5-Not exciting if you have to run 4 guys or more in other classes.
As far as Wallys,we had to jump through a .5 hoop to get one.Then they killed .3 and eliminated that rule.Reinstate the .5 rule to maintain an element of so called performance.
Also we all will be paying $305 for the honor of running a national.I think that would help to cover the cost of them.And go back to awarding them for actual racing purposes.Give out plaques for the other non performance related mumbo jumbo.

A kinder and gentler
Ed F.

Re: Sportsman Racers Council?
 

And I bet I could tell you which sponsors would use that reason.

Could it be that some only have one part that is actually worth using?

Like I said in a previous post: I use NO parts that have a time limitation on them unless it has an expiration date.

This isn't about the sponsors, its about the money. The upfront fees. They didn't like it in a good economy and they won't put up with it in a bad economy and I don't blame them. All we are hearing is what somebody "told us". Well, I talk to parts manufacturers every day and my customers will still be getting paid for class, whether it be a single or 50 cars.

By the way, what part of the membership got to set in on this meeting of the "Sponsor Association"? I have actually never heard of such a group.