Pacific Raceway National Event Parking

Steve Polack · 06-10-2008, 07:38 AM

Just spoke with Jonathan Adams our division director and NHRA told him parking for Super Stock and Stock will be like last year. As most of you saw I turned around and went home and I won't be going again this year. Of course there will be those on the special list that will be pitted close to the staging lanes. If Super Stock and Stock has to park down at the end of the track on the road course than everyone should have to park there. How can you be competitive in a heads up race. This is unfair competition when the select few can go to the staging lanes with their engine and trans nice and cool and ours is boiling over from the nice road trip. Well I guess they can race themselves.

SSDiv6 · 06-10-2008, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Polack

Just spoke with Jonathan Adams our division director and NHRA told him parking for Super Stock and Stock will be like last year. As most of you saw I turned around and went home and I won't be going again this year. Of course there will be those on the special list that will be pitted close to the staging lanes. If Super Stock and Stock has to park down at the end of the track on the road course than everyone should have to park there. How can you be competitive in a heads up race. This is unfair competition when the select few can go to the staging lanes with their engine and trans nice and cool and ours is boiling over from the nice road trip. Well I guess they can race themselves.

NHRA forgets the event is not a road race, it is drag racing. The interesting part of all of it is that if they took their time, they can do a layout to accomodate everything and everybody. Every year I have attended the event I see vacated areas that they could have used for parking.

Rory McNeil · 06-10-2008, 12:02 PM

Last year they cleared out a bunch of trees, and paved one of the few decent spots that the Stock & S/S guys used to pit that was reasonably close to the staging lanes. However instead of letting the Sportsman racers pit there again, it basically became an "overflow" big rig parking area, I noticed the semi trucks that transport the rent a golf carts were parked there for the weekend, as were some of the "little guy" Nitro teams. A couple of years ago, they parked some of us waaaay past the finish line, in front of the old free spectator parking lot, which was turned into a gravel pit. By the time I got my car to the staging lanes for Tech, my engine temp was already approaching 200 degrees. And this was on Thursday! Add several thousand nitro fans slowly strolling thru the pits and access roads, you would be hard pressed to get into staging on Sat or Sun without boiling over! Hopefully when they eventually get the track re configured, there may be some decent Sportsman pit spots, but with most Nitro teams having 2 or 3 semi trucks per race car, I won`t be holding my breath. Between the current 50 car cut off in Stock, and the dismal pit parking, it is quite frustrating to be unable to attend the only NHRA National Event within 1200 miles from home.

Bill Edgeworth · 06-10-2008, 01:12 PM

This situation really sucks for guys like Steve with a CM car especially when the pits were talking about are on the opposite side of the track too the time slip booth and scales.
So it’s about a mile drive with lots of up and down and bends on the back road course or about ¾ of a mile if you wait at the end of the track for a pause in racing where they let cars cross. Then it’s another adventure to get back to the pits after the fuel check and scales. I can live with it with my combo but a SS/modified 16:1 motor running on C-25 that’s brutal.
Also I hear we cannot park until Thursday night for the Divisional next week at Pacific

larry dowty · 06-10-2008, 02:27 PM

Steve, as one of the few to park on top last year, it was a mistake by NHRA. The first 4 off us were sent to the old parking. Till one of the officials realized what was going on. Then we refused to go back down, and they let us park on the curve. I will not go back, as I am with you. That it is ridiculous for stock/ super stock to park 3/4 of a mile away when there is more than enough room on top in the alcohol pits for all of us!! And as of right now, parking for the points meet will be Thursday night. Tech. and qualifying will be on friday. Sounds like a real fun time for all ?

SSDiv6 · 06-10-2008, 02:44 PM

Division 6 has not been the same since the departure of Mike Rice. All previous directors were more sympathetic and supportive to class racers. The current director's experience is running a track and that is what the powers in Glendora wanted...someone that is afraid to challenge their decisions and supportive to taking the competitors money in the same manner as running a business.

Rory McNeil · 06-10-2008, 02:45 PM

I know it would never happen, but wouldn`t it make sense for NHRA to allow the cars that are required to drive to the lanes pit nearby, and let the alcohol cars and Comp cars park out in the road race course, since they all tow to the lanes anyhow? I know NHRA wants the "Pros" in the prime locations, but with space at such a premium with the huge number of big rigs hogging the real estate, ("technology centers", hospitality trailers etc), can`t the "fluff" stuff be parked elsewhere? Heck, the ARMY obstacle course setup took up so much prime pit space last year that you could have parked at least a dozen Stock S/S cars there.

Todd Gale · 06-11-2008, 09:37 PM

I can understand the fact that pit space is limited in Seattle, but what really got me was the fact they parked 70 or so golf carts, and 5 EMPTY semi trailers in spots that could have been used for stock, super stock or any other racers for that matter. Those should have been parked where the stockers where instead, and when I asked about it the guy who's idea it was told me basically tough ****. I did manage to get a spot up by the pro stockers, (amazingly enough after I told me golf cart guy that that was B.S.). So my next question is, where were we going fishing?

Bob Berleen · 06-12-2008, 01:18 AM

we didnt have the grade points last year but watched in horror, at the fiasco that they called parking last year , with the pros now getting both sections of upper pits.
we have the grade points and are not going to waste them this year, but if things remain the same this year , then we will recam the car and put a real carb and intake on it and go where the racing is fun.
if the track puts in speakers that work, or ups the output on the radio, to hear the call to the lanes it might have been workable , but i dont expect either to happen .

Don Kennedy · 06-12-2008, 01:43 AM

Lane :

I hope all is well with you. by the way since Denver is at grade point 2 and there is only 7 Super Stockers and only 20 stockers to park in the dirt or where ever Denver parks us ,then maybe The Decisions makers need to rethink their parking situation. . I will never go back to denver to park where they put us i would rather go fishing . Now if the decision makers would park us where we should be parked i might go back to race there ,but i now can decide where ,and when ,and who treats us the best on the place to race or go fishing.

The time has come for the decision makers at race tracks needs to treat the sportsman as a huge profit center or deal with the lack of income ,we can always go fishing at this time and econimic times

06-10-2008, 07:38 AM	#1
Steve Polack Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Enumclaw. WA Posts: 16 Likes: 0 Liked 4 Times in 1 Post	Pacific Raceway National Event Parking Just spoke with Jonathan Adams our division director and NHRA told him parking for Super Stock and Stock will be like last year. As most of you saw I turned around and went home and I won't be going again this year. Of course there will be those on the special list that will be pitted close to the staging lanes. If Super Stock and Stock has to park down at the end of the track on the road course than everyone should have to park there. How can you be competitive in a heads up race. This is unfair competition when the select few can go to the staging lanes with their engine and trans nice and cool and ours is boiling over from the nice road trip. Well I guess they can race themselves.

06-10-2008, 12:02 PM	#3
Rory McNeil VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: from Vancouver BC Canada, now in Nova Scotia Posts: 1,311 Likes: 315 Liked 1,103 Times in 301 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking Last year they cleared out a bunch of trees, and paved one of the few decent spots that the Stock & S/S guys used to pit that was reasonably close to the staging lanes. However instead of letting the Sportsman racers pit there again, it basically became an "overflow" big rig parking area, I noticed the semi trucks that transport the rent a golf carts were parked there for the weekend, as were some of the "little guy" Nitro teams. A couple of years ago, they parked some of us waaaay past the finish line, in front of the old free spectator parking lot, which was turned into a gravel pit. By the time I got my car to the staging lanes for Tech, my engine temp was already approaching 200 degrees. And this was on Thursday! Add several thousand nitro fans slowly strolling thru the pits and access roads, you would be hard pressed to get into staging on Sat or Sun without boiling over! Hopefully when they eventually get the track re configured, there may be some decent Sportsman pit spots, but with most Nitro teams having 2 or 3 semi trucks per race car, I won`t be holding my breath. Between the current 50 car cut off in Stock, and the dismal pit parking, it is quite frustrating to be unable to attend the only NHRA National Event within 1200 miles from home. __________________ NHRA 6390 STK M/S 85 Mustang

06-10-2008, 01:12 PM	#4
Bill Edgeworth Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 258 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking This situation really sucks for guys like Steve with a CM car especially when the pits were talking about are on the opposite side of the track too the time slip booth and scales. So it’s about a mile drive with lots of up and down and bends on the back road course or about ¾ of a mile if you wait at the end of the track for a pause in racing where they let cars cross. Then it’s another adventure to get back to the pits after the fuel check and scales. I can live with it with my combo but a SS/modified 16:1 motor running on C-25 that’s brutal. Also I hear we cannot park until Thursday night for the Divisional next week at Pacific __________________ Bill Edgeworth 6471 STK

06-10-2008, 02:27 PM	#5
larry dowty Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: chewelah wa Posts: 283 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking Steve, as one of the few to park on top last year, it was a mistake by NHRA. The first 4 off us were sent to the old parking. Till one of the officials realized what was going on. Then we refused to go back down, and they let us park on the curve. I will not go back, as I am with you. That it is ridiculous for stock/ super stock to park 3/4 of a mile away when there is more than enough room on top in the alcohol pits for all of us!! And as of right now, parking for the points meet will be Thursday night. Tech. and qualifying will be on friday. Sounds like a real fun time for all ?

06-10-2008, 02:44 PM	#6
SSDiv6 VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Glendale, Arizona Posts: 3,043 Likes: 712 Liked 1,577 Times in 581 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking Division 6 has not been the same since the departure of Mike Rice. All previous directors were more sympathetic and supportive to class racers. The current director's experience is running a track and that is what the powers in Glendora wanted...someone that is afraid to challenge their decisions and supportive to taking the competitors money in the same manner as running a business.

06-10-2008, 02:45 PM	#7
Rory McNeil VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: from Vancouver BC Canada, now in Nova Scotia Posts: 1,311 Likes: 315 Liked 1,103 Times in 301 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking I know it would never happen, but wouldn`t it make sense for NHRA to allow the cars that are required to drive to the lanes pit nearby, and let the alcohol cars and Comp cars park out in the road race course, since they all tow to the lanes anyhow? I know NHRA wants the "Pros" in the prime locations, but with space at such a premium with the huge number of big rigs hogging the real estate, ("technology centers", hospitality trailers etc), can`t the "fluff" stuff be parked elsewhere? Heck, the ARMY obstacle course setup took up so much prime pit space last year that you could have parked at least a dozen Stock S/S cars there. __________________ NHRA 6390 STK M/S 85 Mustang

06-11-2008, 09:37 PM	#8
Todd Gale Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: West Richland Washington Posts: 14 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking I can understand the fact that pit space is limited in Seattle, but what really got me was the fact they parked 70 or so golf carts, and 5 EMPTY semi trailers in spots that could have been used for stock, super stock or any other racers for that matter. Those should have been parked where the stockers where instead, and when I asked about it the guy who's idea it was told me basically tough ****. I did manage to get a spot up by the pro stockers, (amazingly enough after I told me golf cart guy that that was B.S.). So my next question is, where were we going fishing?

06-12-2008, 01:18 AM	#9
Bob Berleen Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kent , Wa. Posts: 16 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking we didnt have the grade points last year but watched in horror, at the fiasco that they called parking last year , with the pros now getting both sections of upper pits. we have the grade points and are not going to waste them this year, but if things remain the same this year , then we will recam the car and put a real carb and intake on it and go where the racing is fun. if the track puts in speakers that work, or ups the output on the radio, to hear the call to the lanes it might have been workable , but i dont expect either to happen . __________________ Bob Berleen 6910 STK 65 Bel Air Wagon P/SA 6910 ET 691Q

06-12-2008, 01:43 AM	#10
Don Kennedy VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Portland TN Posts: 1,590 Likes: 3,876 Liked 902 Times in 237 Posts	Re: Pacific Raceway National Event Parking Lane : I hope all is well with you. by the way since Denver is at grade point 2 and there is only 7 Super Stockers and only 20 stockers to park in the dirt or where ever Denver parks us ,then maybe The Decisions makers need to rethink their parking situation. . I will never go back to denver to park where they put us i would rather go fishing . Now if the decision makers would park us where we should be parked i might go back to race there ,but i now can decide where ,and when ,and who treats us the best on the place to race or go fishing. The time has come for the decision makers at race tracks needs to treat the sportsman as a huge profit center or deal with the lack of income ,we can always go fishing at this time and econimic times __________________ Don Kennedy 7701 SS Last edited by Don Kennedy; 06-12-2008 at 01:46 AM.