Pacific Raceway National Event Parking

[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.

[SSDiv6]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Steve Polack]

Thanks you guys for the support and also refusing to stay home. In Jonathan's defense he did pursue this matter for me and was in agreement with me. Yeah Seattle always has a poor car count. We are lucky to get thirty cars to show in super stock. But it is the only National event our division has and I am staying home again. I got family and friends that want to come out and support me and are asking if I am going to be at the show and I have to tell them no. That is what really sucks. I even got licensed for comp this year and considered running my junk in comp at this race so I would get to pit close to the lanes. But I am not going to fork out the almost grand it will cost me to get a diaper for NHRA's benefit. Aint going to happen. I am tired of seeing the red carpet rolled out for these special ones when they come and race in our division and when I go to their turf no one is out there rolling out the red carpet for me and my wife. All of you not on this special list needs to stay home and send a message. Us stock and super stockers need to band together and do something and quit talking about it.

[larry dowty]

Steve with the current gas and diesel prices, I dont think to many touring pros will make the trip out west. When sonoma has no SS it really would make the trip expensive, as for me i am going fishing that week.I was lucky last year, i dont think that will happen again LOL

[Jim Storms]

Steve, your point's are good, the way the track is now it is NOT SPORTSMAN freindly, it's to bad when it's in our back yard! even for the point's meet we can't park until thursday night. the racetrack would rather cater to the road course then the drag strip. everbody in SS & Stock should just go fishing with larry!!