If an advocate could be found - what would you say?

[1320racer]

Yea Lee Valentine is out in that field with me. He too doesn't think there is a problem with NHRA Sportsman Racing and he's been doing this 55 years! But does agree stock eliminator racers have "always been crying about factors and rules,costs quotas etc."

Nuff said.

[Rusty Gillis]

At one time there were people in the stands when Super Stock was on the track.

[Lee Valentine]

Bruce it's been inevitable that sportsman racers are going to be pushed out of national events with the size of rigs and the amount of crap NHRA tries to pack in. The worry is if they eliminate us altogether or have stand alone sportsman races. We don't have enough young racers coming in to stock and super stock to support the eliminator much longer.

[Carguy49]

The world is changing, and so is everything in it. NHRA racing is not what it started out to be. It is more about the BIG show and what can be done to entertain the new crowds. As Lee mentioned a big part of the problem is space for rigs at each event. Not only the Pros and their multi rig teams (John Force and his 8 semis, as example), but the bigger and nicer rigs that many of the sportsman racers use.

If you want to see what real change is, just have a loved one die from cancer. As you all know I lost my wife last April and life is NOT the same, nor will it be for many years to come. The emotional, mental and financial strain has been and will be enormous. Yes, I am still trying to pick up the pieces.

I hope all involved in the sport can accomplish their goals. Let's all take life for what it is worth. The most important part of racing is the friends that we make along the way (yes winning is very cool, also) and I have made some great friends over the 49 years I have been going to drag strip around the northwest.

May GOD bless each and everyone one of you in your racing programs.

[Pistol Pete]

Well said Ron.
God Bless.

[Bruce Noland]

Lee, the very first race that nhra attempts to produce without Sportsman racers will put them in the entertainment busness without any premise for holding onto its coveted not for profit status. nhra has been a traveling entertainment show for years but it has always had the not for profit protections that the Sportsman racers have helped to protect. Compton found out when he tried to pedal off the Pros that it was a fools errand to separate them from the Sportsman racers. Compton, himself, said many times that he knew that nhra had not treated the Sportsman racers with the respect they deserve. He brought Len Imbrogno in to help fix the problems but never really supported him. And one more point, there is nothing wrong with encouraging nhra to improve relations with us. In fact it is healthy. There were a bunch of unhappy racers at Pomona for various reasons but most are too smart to come out here and be berated by a clown who has never raced with us.

[Lee Valentine]

Bruce I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from and I appreciate the effort. Don't under estimate Ed I am not a friend of his I just know of him and we have mutual friends in stock eliminator. He's more knowledgeable about what goes on in stock than a lot of stock racers,just a little rough on presentation.

[Bruce Noland]

Lee, I've seen enough of his posts, he's short on information and long on nusiance. I guess that's why he keeps getting "time-outs" on this site.