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

[Bruce Noland]

Tony,

Do you race in Stock or Super Stock?

[CMcAllister]

For what it's worth,

Everything is more expensive - building and maintaining a competitive car and the costs of running it, travel and tow rigs, entries and the costs of membership, license,etc. - everything. NHRA has grown substantially in every way possible in the last 20 years. When has there ever been a meaningful increase in the purse for any of the Sportsman classes at any of the races run under the NHRA banner, national or divisional? Sure, there are guys who can race and not care about it, but for others, it makes a difference, and it should reflect the supposed and inferred importance of the events. Personally, I may never win a damn thing, but it's a collective insult to all the Sportsman classes to spend the money, absorb the increases and never see an increase for their efforts.

Contingencies. Money available to winning racers from companies as a reward for purchasing and using specific items and also advertising. A substantial benefit and incentive to participate with NHRA. Is it really necessary to treat this program, paid for by the participating companies, as a cash cow to the point where they all tell NHRA to pack sand? Is anyone really putting any effort into this anymore? The decline of available contingencies is money out of racers pockets. Sure, the economy was bad, companies change priorities, etc., but how much effort is really being put into getting sponsors involved and keeping them? The Manufacturers Midway used to be a great place to interact with these companies. Now it's a shell of what it was.

Integrity. Times change, parts get superseded, things get approved and accepted, that's a given. But not teching or looking at these cars, unwritten "winks and nods" and treating enforcement as an afterthought, is a lack of respect for the integrity of the rules that make class racing different from a bracket race at the local track. Those differences are real to people competing and they expect them to be central part of NHRA's conduct of the events. That means providing tech guys and not sticker hander outers.

Sure, it would be nice, but I don't expect "The Company" to do anything other than continue to focus on the TV product, monetize everything as much as possible and make everything else as cheap, trouble free, and as easy to run as possible. I'd really like to be proven wrong.

[mopacltd]

I'm just a lurker, but Stock /Super Stock are my favorite classes. Please make my day and tell me 1320racer is on a permanent vacation!

[1320racer]

What part of the truth and the facts don’t you like?

[mopacltd]

It's more your abrasive attitude!

[HR9121]

Overall I'm not at all worried about NHRA doing away with sportsman racing, as I've said before they need us and now more than ever. What does concern me are some of the issues stated above already. One thing we should remember though, it's about sportsman racing not just Stock and SS, these other classes are just as important as they give us a much bigger voice and as some of you know I started racing in the Super classes. We must refrain about making any recommendations about just Stock or SS if we want to be taking seriously otherwise it becomes just a one-sided agenda.
First of all I would like to see quotas for all sportsman classes increased somewhat to more realistic versions of a few years ago. For Heavens sake 70 or 75 per class would look like Indy at this point. I feel they are keeping it to a bare necessity of what's the income they need from us at each event and it could easily be risen up some without creating too much of a schedule conflict. It's been done in the past and can be done again, I know some of it has to do with pit space at certain places but not all. Over the last couple years at Charlotte for instance there has been plenty of room left on the sportsman side that they have turned into Gold parking and there is plenty of places for those to be parked elsewhere.
My other concern would be cost vs payout, it is ridiculous but it will not stop me from doing this. I as well the vast majority don't do it for the money ofcourse but I got to admit a little bigger check wouldn't hurt my feelings a little and might even give me a little more leeway with my financial director at home.
I started following Stock and SS in the mid to late 80's and it's obviously not what it was then but I don't feel we or sportsman racing are on life support just yet. Actually over the last couple of seasons I've noticed a little bit of increase in car counts. There's still some new people trickling in across various classes and there's the appointment of Charles Myers by NHRA as sportsman relations director. Charles loves sportsman racing especially Stock and SS and has dreamed of working in this capacity since he was a kid. He will do good things for us I believe and may just be the voice we've been needing in Glendora for a while. Hope everyone has a great season and I look forward to seeing you all at the races.

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

Tony,

Do you race in Stock or Super Stock?

I haven't yet, but you never know. Why do you ask?

I interpret your question and my reply of "no" to mean that whatever I have to say is worthless here.

Personally, I don't see all the hype about national events. My favorite events are divisionals. I run my local national event because it is close and another chance to run Super Comp. One year I ran two nationals because I had a gold card. That said, a national event poses unique challenges due to the schedule and I'd love to win one.

In my post, I made an honest effort to think of how other classes would be affected differently if sportsman racers were pushed out of national events. That's why I brought up class eliminations although that doesn't happen at all events. That is a unique element to nationals. If they were to contest class at an equivalent number of divisionals, what else is missing from your sportsman racing experience?

If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be wrong as long as I learn something as a result.

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by Lenny5160

I haven't yet, but you never know. Why do you ask?

I interpret your question and my reply of "no" to mean that whatever I have to say is worthless here.

Personally, I don't see all the hype about national events. My favorite events are divisionals. I run my local national event because it is close and another chance to run Super Comp. One year I ran two nationals because I had a gold card. That said, a national event poses unique challenges do to the schedule and I'd love to win one.

In my post, I made an honest effort to think of how other classes would be affected differently if sportsman racers were pushed out of national events. That's why I brought up class eliminations although that doesn't happen at all events. That is a unique element to nationals. If they were to contest class at an equivalent number of divisionals, what else is missing from your sportsman racing experience?

If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be wrong as long as I learn something as a result.

You are indeed wrong. There lots of folks who race the Super Categories and Stock or Super Stock. If you you already race in Stock or Super Stock you would already have an insight to the question you asked previously. Also, I asked for comments from all Categories because the quota system effects all of us.

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

You are indeed wrong. There lots of folks who race the Super Categories and Stock or Super Stock. If you you already race in Stock or Super Stock you would already have an insight to the question you asked previously. Also, I asked for comments from all Categories because the quota system effects all of us.

What kind of reply is that? People race them because they are there, myself included. If they weren't there, I'd move along to what was available and it would be fine.

I'm interested in what would really be taken away if nationals weren't an option, and class eliminations were still contested elsewhere.

[Bruce Noland]

Tony,
In short, I said lots of folks run in several categories and if you ran in Stock or Super Stock you would have a better insight into your class racing question. And then I said that I had invited comments from all Categories? What else am I missing here????