Gators
 

Wow less than 24 hours Gators quota in Stock already full. Crazy.

Re: Gators
 

Where can you see that?

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That totally sucks! Grade 6 still 13 days away and no chance in hell.

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I checked it around 430pm EST yesterday and it was at 56. I figured it would fill fast but that's crazy!

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Just opened yesterday for Grade 8, saw that this morning, wow. Oh well, Baby Gators will just have to do since I only have 5 points.

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Go to the divisional and run class for the National event -

Get a Gators class "Wally" and get paid for winning class.

Skip the circus ...


Ron

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Super Stock is at 40

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Looks like alota racers can't wait to go racing .

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I would enter The gators but since I am a "pit snob" I will never pit in a bad pit spot >lol and if I am directed to a bad pit spot I will ask for my Money back and leave

Re: Gators
 

Speakin of the Gators, there is a guy on the entry list named Bruce Noland, from Leesburg VA. He's listed with a '69 Firebird 400.

I found that he raced a 2nd gen Camaro Stocker. Not many '69 Birds in competition nowadays. So, does anybody here know anything about this car ?

https://www.nhraeventreg.com/ListEve...=GF1&cc=8&rn=3

Re: Gators
 

wow, Glad, I have only 6-grade points that will save some money .Can't enter if I wanted to ,

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It’s a brand new car, AND I am sure that it’s nice,

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Stock and Super Stock will be parked in the “back forty” for the national event. For the Baby Gators you can park in the pro pits.

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Thanks for that info !

I'm lookin forward to seeing how it does this year. Assume it will see action in lots of div 1 competition. Wonder if any of the other div 1 Pontiac guys are helping him with it ?

Seems like most of the Pontiacs are up in the Midwest, in div 3 & 5. Will be nice to see another div 1 Pontiac. I hate to look at a Q-list & see just 1, or maybe no Pontiacs at all. :(

Re: Gators
 

I'm kind of annoyed at myself that I drove all over gods creation to get 6 grade points and I can't even smell an entry into the Gators. I really don't think that it's fair that a division has at least 3 national opens that their grade points count towards national events held in other divisions when the hosting division doesn't have any national opens to get points. I know I'm going to hear that I could have went the national opens, but the traveling just to get the 6 grade points was over 8000 miles. At this point in time, I have to rethink any kind travel to get points since I'm in the same boat as when I had 2 grade points, can't get in.

Casey Miles
248H Stock

Re: Gators
 

Mr. V. Eight Pontiac, I believe it is a Trans Am, and Bruce is the person who got the data submitted a few years ago . If I'm wrong , I'm sure he'll tell me ;-)

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Only if you are not entered in the Gators.

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Casey,
Division 2 had 6 National Opens in 2019 I think.
There is 7 scheduled for 2020
Chip

Re: Gators
 

Just the way nhra wants it. In a few years it will be just the pros at National events.

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Looking at the entry list...Pro Mod, Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and Factory Stock look like the future.
MJ

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You are talking about the 1/8 mile races set up for the former ihra cars. You are correct and I'm mistaken, but I will not drive 1000 miles to race a race that isn't conducive to my car, I race a 4 speed not an automatic and 1/8 mile just doesn't work for me with the combo I race with.
Casey Miles
248H

Re: Gators
 

I still think there should be some sort of preference for the home division racers. Maybe give the home division racers first choice on the first day if they have say 5 or 6 grade points. Doesn't make sense to have someone from across the country take a local guys spot. I think in the long run this is going to backfire and the divisional races will suffer. I have 7 grade points and most likely will not get in the gators either in SS. The steady reduction in quota is what is causing some of this issue. I guess this year I will try to get 8 or more.
Best of luck to the racers that get in. Well deserved.

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Please stop with .."im a d-2 racer I should get into the gators over someone with more grade points..You are the same racers every year crying you can’t get in.
You should GoTo More Races. I have a grade 6. Can’t get in guess what ?
I will race elsewhere.
Oh by the way I can’t get into Englishtown. Anymore

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Just stating my opinion. No crying here. Like you said I will race elsewhere. The big race for the sportsman guys is the "Baby Gators" anyway.

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I do not care about not getting into a race . I don't chase the championship anyway so if I cannot get into a track I will go elsewhere , remember me I am a pit snob lol at me> been racing since 1963 there will always be another race somewhere Besides soon the entry fees will go up I suspect is the next step for a racer to get into the limited quota which reduces the income for the sanctioning body executives.

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Hey James, not as easy as you think to just go to more races in D2, for me, Orlando is 200 miles and it's the closest. Up where you are it's just the tolls that kill you not the distances. I think the farthest is Epping or Virginia, maybe 400 miles. Galot, which should be in D1 is a mere 900 miles which takes a days drive all by itself. Like I said in an earlier post, over 8k miles to get 6 grade points. It's not about going, it's getting there. I'm on the same page as Mike about division preference.
Casey Miles
248H

Re: Gators
 

D2 has already released the Open schedule, three doubles plus another following the Rockingham race in the fall. Know it’s not ideal for the Florida racers but offers a lot of options to gain grade points.

And for those that haven’t heard, the Baby Gators is an awesome race! No grade points required! Lots of great racing for Class, hopefully with the same great weather as last year and without the circus of the following week.

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I think they should make a minimum of 80 entries but make it a 64 car field.

At least the Baby Gators has class eliminations.

If NHRA was smart, they would offer class at many more divisional races as an extra race. They could even charge for that.

That way, if you wanted to enter class, you could. If you didn’t want to enter, don’t.

I wish they would not have messed with the Gators, but they have. D1 racers have been making the drive down south for decades, so that is not new.

To have people with 7 on the outside looking in will need to be reviewed or the racers will give up on the grade points and the division and open numbers will go back down.

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This one will be a bit of an ugly duckling for the first year, until this old Chevrolet guy figures out a Pontiac. I have had a lot of good help so far so we'll have to wait and see how it runs before locking it up in a bodyshop for months on end.

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Casey
I'm in NC and other than Rockingham and Galot the closest one to me is 300 miles. Also the 1/8th mile opens are open to NHRA cars too. All you have to do is enter to get grade point. You dont have to stay.

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Great to here about the car !

Sorry to hear about the long wait for paint. :( I thought it was about ready to race.

Anyhow, lookin forward to it's debut. Good luck with it !

There are a some good Pontiac guys in div 1, that will probably help, if you ask. There have always been VERY few Pontiac guys in my area. So, we've always been a pretty close knit group, helping each other.

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Atco is about 150 miles from me but it's the tolls and traffic that beat us up. 150 miles can take 3 hours without traffic and 5-6 hours with NY traffic which is constant any time of day
Add in that 4 of the D1 opens are in Canada and that hurts us too. I don't even want to hassle with border crossing with race fuel.
So we need out of division races to get to 8 or more

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BTW, I'm not complaining or saying we got it better or worse. It's just as hard everywhere to get to a grade point 8. Things are tough on everyone.

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Or you could just buy a Craigslist car put a battery hold down fuel Check valve etc never make a pass down the track just tech the car in and get 8 grade points like some people 🤔

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Hey, Bruce! I don't think you have been racing in quite a while. How did you come up with 8 grade points?

Patsy

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I'm sitting here with a grade 7, Still my go to the baby gators. Maybe they should aloud more cars with a 64 car qualified field.

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Patsy,
I'm glad you asked. I can tell you that getting 8 grade points is not as easy or inexpensive as writing to NHRA every year begging horsepower reductions.

First you have to have a legal NHRA Stocker, then in my case, I towed that sucker to 8 grade point races and went to tech. It's not a particularly cheap process but it is legal and highly effective! Happy New Year!

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Slick move Bruce

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I'd type more but I have been having a severe case of writer's cramp.