[Dave Steltz]

Last year gasoline prices were a good reason to travel less...but this year is a whole nuther ball of wax...Gas is down but unemployment is way up ,and so is the cost of living... and I personally know of alot of folks not racing or racing way less, in fear that they will lose their jobs..I know lots of guys who say that their job market is doing well, but if you think that lots are not doing well you have your head stuck in the sand..My brothers dealship just lost their franchise and now they will become a tire dealer...

Really whats more important to you...racing, or paying your morgage and bills...There are some guys that will race no matter what for sure, but there are alot that will park their stuff at the local track and bracket race when they feel they can...

Me personally I am racing more local because I am tired of the travel to a Nat or Div race, sit for 2-3 days in hopes that they will call S/G for a time trail during the day (not 11:00 at night or something stupid)...getting treated like crap by the NHRA officials, etc..I am doing 2-3 divisionals this year, but for fun, not to try to chase points or anything...And before any says go to IHRA races they treat you better, up here in the Northeast thats not an option for most of us, there arent any that are close enough to run more than on race or so..

My track has a SST series that is opened up to any car, that runs 8-9 saturday races..then I stay over and bracket race on Sunday...two races for way less cost than one divisional...and I dont need to reach the final to just pay back my entry...

My .02