Doing an NFL on the NHRA Divisions...

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Ken Haase

There's no question that if you live West of the Mississippi River the dragstrips are fewer in number and many more miles apart. But, you can do all the divisional realignment in the world and it's not going to move any starting line closer to your home. Acton's already drawing as many D5 racers as D6 racers and it's still a major tow for most racers from both Div's. Same thing for Medford, pretty large percentage of Div 7 racers of the total entered. Same holds true for Woodburn. It's customary for the announcer to play up the rivalry between 6 & 7 in the later rounds. In any event, can't you claim 1 or 2 out of division races if you want?

Compared to Div4 and Div5, racers in the East do have it much better in terms of choice. Especially if you add both sanctioning bodies together.

One other consideration is the HUGE amount of land in the West that is public land; BLM, U.S. Forest Svc., etc. That means WE THE PEOPLE own it. However, I'm pretty sure the new, incoming, Eco-friendly administration has no plans to construct any dragstrips on any public land. That would just piss-off you guys in the East anyway (they would all be factored tracks). Not to mention all our tree-huggin', Spotted Owl and snail darter lovin' neighbors.

I haven't done the math, but I'm pretty sure it would still be cheaper to tow 2 or 3 hundred miles farther on average, than it would be to sell your home and move to a part of the country with a higher concentration of dragstrips. It's a trade-off.

Thanks Ken,

I don't know about your trade-off theory, because if it were only 2-3 hundred miles farther on avg, then I wouldn't have brought up this topic...especially since under the current format you can only claim two out-of-division points races for your chosen divisions totals. Let's say you live in Denver, Co. and you are chasing points...why not be able to replace the eastern Div. 5 races with truly the next closest races to your home; Las Vegas (750), Acton, Mt. (525), and Noble, Ok (630). Still long tows, but not nearly as bad as having to go out to either Earlville, Ia. (900+), Cordova, Il (900+), or Brainerd, Mn (1050+), and that's just one way!!! Perhaps if NHRA would allow a racer to pick their division, but race at any divisions races they so choose, then that would help level the field a bit, however moving isn't the answer. When the divisional layout as we know it was made, it took into account the inclusion of Canada's provinces. However, as the decades have changed, so has the involvement of Canadian tracks (with the lone exception of Mission, Bc.). Thus the once averaged sized Div's 5,6, & 7 compared to Div's 1 & 3, became overbloated. Therefore, when you look at the Divisional layout (and only focus on the lower 48 states), you'll see the enormous discrepency of the east compared to the west---and for those of you who don't like my thoughts, I challenge you to come out here, live in our shoes and try to do what you've done out there as easily & inexpensively as you do out there (only ground travel, no air travel to all of your races)...it won't happen...again just ask Kevin Helms, or Mike Tueffel the next time you see them...

Oh and another thing, I did the math and for the five division 7 races I traveled to, I traveled 1,353 miles (one way). If I lived in Philly, and raced Div. one, I could've gone to all seven of their races with 634 miles to spare! If I lived in Columbus, Oh. that mileage would've gotten me to all of div three's races with 42 miles to spare. Now, if however I lived in Denver, Co. that mileage would've only gotten me to Bandimere Speedway, Great Bend, Topeka, and half-way to Noble, Ok's divisional---what's fair about that???

Steve & 63 Corvette: I hope NHRA does get a reality check, however I'm concerned that with the funds taken from those lost sponsors, they'll be coming back to us with even higher entry fees (as if they haven't gone up enough these last two years!!!

Ed: I'm sorry for your retirement situation, however my thoughts are not BS. If you walked in our shoes you'd find yourself going to much fewer races (at least on this level), than you get to do there. I shouldn't have to trade in my warmer nicer winter weather just so I can be close to more racing facilities...If NHRA would've focused on the lower 48 in the first place (instead of Canada & Mexico too), then the parity would've been done years ago. I know of some racers who gave up class racing because they got tired of the long tows and felt that NHRA didn't care about their thoughts like mine, so I'm speaking for them and others like us.