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james schaechter · 10-04-2011, 10:32 PM

There is interest and opportunity. There are good people at NHRA that love and support us, but it does not appear that the people making decisions are among them. If they are, we sure are not hearing from them.

That being said, we all have a responsibility to forward the support in any way we can. I would have known nothing about NHRA class racing were it not for Bob Gipson. He taught my brother and I to race and we took it from there.

We talk about the young kids not being interested? If we generalize about the Millineum Generation, they are all a bunch of texting, gaming stay at home import racer wannabees. That is not true for many of the kids. They want to know and then they take it from there.

NHRA Drag Racing is very popular, but it has always been a bit of a niche market. How were you introduced? I bet you were not in the majority in High School. There were more guys into Stock car Racing or not even into cars when I was in High School.

I know I didn't see it on TV, ever to get started. It was a racer and a science teacher showing the value of applied science. To stay in school. so that I could afford to race. Math and physics actually matter.To understand that book smart doesn't always equate to good results. Working together to solve a problem under challenging conditions. To have fun helping others at the track. To be the best you can be with what you have at that moment, on the line.

The point is, we can all make a difference. Even if it is one future racer at a time. That is how it is done. That is how it always been done.

I for one and going to have a good time. I plan on doing this for a long time. I think there is interest in Stock Superstock racing. I do what I can to help promote racing. We need to support the local tracks. If the tracks survive we can race. If NHRA goes to figure skating, we can still race. If there are no tracks, we are screwed. We need to find the voice of the track owners and fit into their business plan to survive.

I took a neighbor kid to Joliet Nats. He is 8 years old. He had a blast! I am quite sure he had never seen a Drag Pak or a 69 Camaro ever! He loved both. He met Tony Schumacher and Big Daddy. I think the hook is set. We can't expect NHRA or anyone else to spoonfeed the next generation of racers. Put your arm around some of these kids and show them what it is all about. That is where our next Gen of racers can come from if we try.

10-04-2011, 10:32 PM	#2
james schaechter VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cumming GA Posts: 1,992 Likes: 1,293 Liked 1,436 Times in 299 Posts	Re: Nhra There is interest and opportunity. There are good people at NHRA that love and support us, but it does not appear that the people making decisions are among them. If they are, we sure are not hearing from them. That being said, we all have a responsibility to forward the support in any way we can. I would have known nothing about NHRA class racing were it not for Bob Gipson. He taught my brother and I to race and we took it from there. We talk about the young kids not being interested? If we generalize about the Millineum Generation, they are all a bunch of texting, gaming stay at home import racer wannabees. That is not true for many of the kids. They want to know and then they take it from there. NHRA Drag Racing is very popular, but it has always been a bit of a niche market. How were you introduced? I bet you were not in the majority in High School. There were more guys into Stock car Racing or not even into cars when I was in High School. I know I didn't see it on TV, ever to get started. It was a racer and a science teacher showing the value of applied science. To stay in school. so that I could afford to race. Math and physics actually matter.To understand that book smart doesn't always equate to good results. Working together to solve a problem under challenging conditions. To have fun helping others at the track. To be the best you can be with what you have at that moment, on the line. The point is, we can all make a difference. Even if it is one future racer at a time. That is how it is done. That is how it always been done. I for one and going to have a good time. I plan on doing this for a long time. I think there is interest in Stock Superstock racing. I do what I can to help promote racing. We need to support the local tracks. If the tracks survive we can race. If NHRA goes to figure skating, we can still race. If there are no tracks, we are screwed. We need to find the voice of the track owners and fit into their business plan to survive. I took a neighbor kid to Joliet Nats. He is 8 years old. He had a blast! I am quite sure he had never seen a Drag Pak or a 69 Camaro ever! He loved both. He met Tony Schumacher and Big Daddy. I think the hook is set. We can't expect NHRA or anyone else to spoonfeed the next generation of racers. Put your arm around some of these kids and show them what it is all about. That is where our next Gen of racers can come from if we try. __________________ James Schaechter 3163 STK Last edited by james schaechter; 10-04-2011 at 10:40 PM.