Lets talk NHRA Stk/SS with Lonnie Grim - Ideas - Comments

[Ken Miele]

Originally Posted by Ken Miele

I know we can not make everyone happy, but we need to come together on things we agree on to improve NHRA for the sportsman racer.

Lets talk ideas and please be respectful... I don't want to here NHRA bashing, its a waste of time and does not help improve our sport.

Chime in guys, if you want changes... now is the time, what do you think of the ideas above?

I guess some of you did not care to read this part of my post. Oh well, I knew I was asking the impossible... trying to get racers to agree any anything in Stk/SS is a waste of time. So guys, lets just make it a bash NHRA thread, its looks like that's what some of you really want.

At least I tried, you couldn't pay me enough to Lonnie's job. I can't imagine what he thinks of us now. James Schaechter's post was well thought out, and gave me hope, but some of you guys.... well I just don't get.

God help Stock and Super Stock.

[rboyle]

Originally Posted by Ken Miele

I guess some of you did not care to read this part of my post. Oh well, I knew I was asking the impossible... trying to get racers to agree any anything in Stk/SS is a waste of time. So guys, lets just make it a bash NHRA thread, its looks like that's what some of you really want.

At least I tried, you couldn't pay me enough to Lonnie's job. I can't imagine what he thinks of us now. James Schaechter's post was well thought out, and gave me hope, but some of you guys.... well I just don't get.

God help Stock and Super Stock.

I really appreciate your efforts Ken. Speaking on Stock I do think more emphasis On Qualifying would be helpful. Weather in terms of a point structure, sponsorship money or something else beyond my pay scale in experience and expertise. I feel if AHFS is to be effective then having some importance on the Q ladder needs to be established. I know the Bye round can be an incentive but it's also unpredictable if there will even be a Bye when trying to factor for 80 plus cars. That is why so many try to land in the bottom of the top half, better odds your opponent may have had problems or be broke and no AHFS trigger or raising of the average.

[442OLDS]

I think a 64 car qualified would be interesting. Even if there wasn't a quota,I'm thinking there would be some races where they don't even get 64.Then what? A 32 car qualified field?

[Casey Miles]

I don't get the idea of raising the entry fee when it's too much already. Back when I started racing, there were 20 cars just in my class, so here again I don't get the quotas of 60 cars or less in Stock.
I think that the home division hosting the national event, that that division racer gets 24 hour preference to enter, then the rest of divisions can enter.
NHRA say that they will pay the S/SS the extra money with the higher entry, I don't believe it, NHRA will find a way to divert to everything but the racer.

Casey Miles
248H Stock

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Casey Miles

I think that the home division hosting the national event, that that division racer gets 24 hour preference to enter, then the rest of divisions can enter.


Casey Miles
248H Stock

Yes, but first let me say, this isn't about ME. I'm not a player here.
This is about Joe Lunchpail that supported NHRA Nat's, Divs. and paid his dues for 50 years. Now retired, and didn't inherit the golden wallet. He now finds himself unable to play the g.p. game.

Maybe so many years or back history required, ONE g.p., this year or last, then he gets 3 days early entry window for the closest National meet .

In other words...NHRA } Dance with the one who brung ya.
(hope that didn't sound critical )

[rboyle]

As far as increasing entry fees and payouts, I'd be in favor of larger payouts at the 3rd round on up. Even if it's not significant. I mean for some classes 3rd round is either a Final or Semi Final. They pay the same entry as us 7 rounders.

[Ed Carpenter]

I can tell you this much. Money 💰 talks. In D4 a few years ago we had 6-8 Comp cars show up. Now we have 25-30 and Ennis is coming up and we probably will have 35-40. A qualifying bonus program was installed and there’s a pot of cash 💰 waiting the top-10 at the end of the season. It’s all about the money. More money more racers!

[Jim Whitehead]

(1) Let’s start with increasing the car Quota at Nationals.
(2) Let’s go back to Tech and Looking at cars.
(3) We need to work with NHRA to help improve sportsman racing.

[L.Fite]

Originally Posted by Ken Miele

I guess some of you did not care to read this part of my post. Oh well, I knew I was asking the impossible... trying to get racers to agree any anything in Stk/SS is a waste of time. So guys, lets just make it a bash NHRA thread, its looks like that's what some of you really want.

At least I tried, you couldn't pay me enough to Lonnie's job. I can't imagine what he thinks of us now. James Schaechter's post was well thought out, and gave me hope, but some of you guys.... well I just don't get.

God help Stock and Super Stock.

Personal opinion: I don't think there has been a lot of NHRA bashing in this thread, and I understand the racers frustration...
I've been doing this off and on for nearly 45 years, I've street raced, bracket raced, super comp raced, and for the last two years have been working on a project to possibly begin racing again...

In that time I have watched the price of racing continue to climb, in the last year alone prices on most of the parts I'm buying have gone up a minimum of 20%...
Some parts reaching the realm of unobtainium...

And yet as entry fees have increased, and what you get for that is gone down in value, the payouts have remained the same for the last what, 30 years?...
As this has happened, the NHRA has become more and more "Top Heavy" in management.
We as members should not be considered "Customers", but rather stockholders...

This is not peculiar to S/SS, but applies to all the sportsman racers...

I hope Mr. Grimm is serious about making things better for the racers, I also don't think he has the power to do anything about the stuff at the top of the organization that is the source of all the anguish of the way many perceive they are being treated.

He's going to have to have a thick skin to deal with this crowd, and understand where everyone is coming from.

I wish him the best in this endeavor, and hope he can help the Class Racing be more enjoyable to everyone and not let it become just another bracket race.

I will weigh in on the original topic of what can be done to make S/SS better, (at least what I think I would like to see) in another post as this one has gotten long and somewhat off topic of original post.

[Ken Miele]

Originally Posted by L.Fite

And yet as entry fees have increased, and what you get for that is gone down in value, the payouts have remained the same for the last what, 30 years?...
As this has happened, the NHRA has become more and more "Top Heavy" in management.
We as members should not be considered "Customers", but rather stockholders...

You were saying something about bashing? I'm trying stay on topic. We can never agree I anything can we. Remember I said some... not all.