Mr. Reinhart just graciously called and we had a good conversation on this topic. He was able to articulate the rationale for this changed run order, something no one I found could do.
He explained that the new order doesn't have a whole pile of people with Round 1 in the am and Round 2 in the evening, meaning they have to sit at the track all day. The new order gives half the folks the ability to come early & leave early, and the other people the chance to sleep in and stay late. OK, I buy that.
But as I explained to Alan, I really have two issues: 1) trying to hot-lap dozens of cars with insufficient space/time/info to make it work smoothly, and 2) a whole bunch of people (racers, people in NHRA uniforms, fans, friends, etc.) who weren't clear what was going on.
The issue with getting it done smoothly is exacerbated by Seattle's pit/staging lane arrangement. He said it worked great in Denver, but not so well in the narrow confines of Pacific Raceways. Nonetheless, I'd like more info. Maybe if immediately after Round 1 they sent out a guy on a scooter with the pairings to the pits, at least you'd know who to look for... Before you roll up. Just an idea. More info is always better.
The second issue of not knowing what's really going on is the big issue. Sometimes it seems that if you don't stay at the track, you're completely out of the loop. I suggested to Alan that there's this cool thing called "the internet", and that the
event schedule on NHRA.com is lame. It says simply "Sportsman Eliminations" on Saturday. And on Sunday it's even worse...
I suggest to NHRA, if you KNOW the run order, post it. How about "Sportsman Eliminations, Run Order: ...". No, the times don't have to be perfect, just some guidelines. The run order I finally did see said S/C Round 1 at 5:00 and we ran at 6:15 -- who cares, we all know it's just a SWAG. But at least to know the order would help.
Using the internet would let us be able to tell friends to look there for the schedule, and show up accordingly ("just show up for the 3:00 pro session and stay for us"). And we would have planned our day better, and known what's going on.
So really, to quote the late Strother Martin from
Cool Hand Luke: what we got here... is failure to communicate. NHRA has all the cards, they know what's going on. We don't. Find a better way to tell us all.
Thanks again Alan, enjoy your ride.
Chris