So...................

Bruce Noland · 03-15-2009, 10:25 AM

Guys,

We might as well say it straight out. The good ship nhra is foundering. They are making all the wrong moves at exactly the wrong time; obvious signs of an outfit in serious trouble. The rumor mill is full of stuff about nhra being washed up. With little or no reserves it appears that nhra is living off the cash from each race. Executives in Glendora must be fearful for their jobs, as they circle the wagons. Car counts are way, way down and I did not see the normally huge crowds at the Gators this year. Yeah, there were lots of fans there but nothing like the past. This bad economy has a lot to do with it as well. I heard they have resorted to giving tickets away at NASCAR races to fill the stands for the TV cameras. I hope the nhra bean counters are paying attention. Or they could be finished by the end of the year!

442OLDS · 03-15-2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

Guys,

We might as well say it straight out. The good ship nhra is foundering. They are making all the wrong moves at exactly the wrong time; obvious signs of an outfit in serious trouble. The rumor mill is full of stuff about nhra being washed up. With little or no reserves it appears that nhra is living off the cash from each race. Executives in Glendora must be fearful for their jobs, as they circle the wagons. Car counts are way, way down and I did not see the normally huge crowds at the Gators this year. Yeah, there were lots of fans there but nothing like the past. This bad economy has a lot to do with it as well. I heard they have resorted to giving tickets away at NASCAR races to fill the stands for the TV cameras. I hope the nhra bean counters are paying attention. Or they could be finished by the end of the year!

If they are hurting that bad,I would expect them to have an announcement that Stock Eliminator will be allowed to race at Atlanta and St Louis.I can't believe they would eliminate the class at these two races if they truly wanted to increase revenue.I don't know about Atlanta,but I think St Louis would easily have about 80 cars if Stock Eliminator was being contested.

Ken Miele · 03-15-2009, 12:04 PM

I have to disagree Bruce, the parking lots were full, the camp grounds full, the stands were full. I purposely stayed away from pro pits because there were so many fans. I don't see the doom and gloom, I have not heard any rumors about NHRA having money problems. The racers, tech people and manufactures that I talked to are all upbeat. When I went out to eat, the norm was 20 to 30 min wait. I think NHRA will be here for a long time along with stock and super stock. If NHRA survived the 70's I think they will be able to get through these times.

People can put any spin on what the times are today, but for me the late 70's were the worst, its not even close. Today people worry about how many cars they can own, how big there house is, back in the 70's I was happy to have one car and a warm place to live.

I'm sorry guys, I am not a doom and gloom guy. You say NHRA is fondering, well I don't see it.

Alan Roehrich · 03-15-2009, 12:26 PM

I wouldn't necessarily say NHRA is actually foundering. But they have lost focus, and they are wandering off in a direction that leads to nowhere, especially where sportsman racing is concerned.

Ken, you are correct, we have not yet gotten to the low we reached under Carter in the late seventies. The problem is many people are not at all convinced we won't reach that low, or go even lower.

63corvette · 03-15-2009, 12:34 PM

I attended the Phoenix National race and the fan count was down and the midway was much smaller than years past. Comp eliminator car count was next to nothing. I think there was 11 cars I am not sure.
I also have a personal friend who works at NHRA in Glendora and there was a 10% pay cut for all the hourly employees and a layoff of some. Not sure how many were laid off. So I think NHRA must be feeling a pinch.
My 2 Cents

Bruce Noland · 03-15-2009, 12:56 PM

Kenny,

It's good that we can disagree. But I did not see what you saw. Yes, there were a lot of people there but not like I have seen in the past. I walked right into the Out Back, Ballyhoo Seafood and a popular Mexican restaurant on three separate evenings and was immediately seated. We must have eaten at different times. And I guess, while we are politely disagreeing, the parking lots did not appear to be as full as before and the mid way was a lot easier to get around than any time before. And the car count was down over 100 cars on an already reduced quota. Just my .02 worth - we are not talking doom and gloom. Reality maybe - but no doom and gloom. There is no point in running from the obvious. That kind of stuff helped us get into the mess we are in. And we are in a mess. We all get up every day to go to work and do our part to help this country get out of this mess. I'm sure the folks at nhra are doing the same thing but it may be too little too late.

I have to add one remark about the seventies and agree with Alan. We have not seen the total picture yet. Most good economists are skipping over the 70's and going back to the 30's to paint a picture of the fix this country is in. We have not seen the whole picture yet. It is evolving and it would not be smart to ignore what is going on. It may not have hit some of us yet but many racers are hurting.

John Lang · 03-15-2009, 01:10 PM

63corvette!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anything said if the BIG DOGS took a 10% cut , or a temp layoff (heh,heh), Ya Right , Just curious!.............Later.........John

Colin Wigle · 03-15-2009, 01:15 PM

Bruce,

With all do respect, you have a tough decision to make either continue to support NHRA and the sport you love or take this opportunity to sell your operation no while it has a place to race and may retain some specific value. Bad press only adds to a tough situation! There are very few business in north America that are not feeling the same crunch.

Colin

Alan Roehrich · 03-15-2009, 01:33 PM

Colin,
Should we all stand around and applaud while NHRA repeatedly makes bad decisions? We pay dues, we pay entry fees, we pay license fees, but we should remain silent if we do not agree with what they do for (to) us? That is not how it works. See, originally, the idea was, we, the members, do not belong to NHRA, but rather NHRA belongs to us, the members. That is how it was originally intended to work. Somewhere along the time line, some people took control, and they decided that we, the racers, should belong to NHRA, and we should take whatever they decided to do to (for) us.

The point is, the dues paying entry fee paying members of NHRA should have a lot more say in what is going on. And if the "board of directors" of NHRA cannot stand scrutiny and criticism, then they should not be living the good life on our money.

Bruce Noland · 03-15-2009, 01:36 PM

cwigle,

I think your post is arrogant and out of line. I am entitled to my opinions. Don't read them if you don't like them. I'll eventually sell my stuff because I'm actively pursuing a land speed car but I won't sell it because someone I do not know offers me two alternatives. Grow up.

Ditto what Alan said!

03-15-2009, 10:25 AM	#1
Bruce Noland VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,855 Likes: 83 Liked 444 Times in 145 Posts	Re: So................... Guys, We might as well say it straight out. The good ship nhra is foundering. They are making all the wrong moves at exactly the wrong time; obvious signs of an outfit in serious trouble. The rumor mill is full of stuff about nhra being washed up. With little or no reserves it appears that nhra is living off the cash from each race. Executives in Glendora must be fearful for their jobs, as they circle the wagons. Car counts are way, way down and I did not see the normally huge crowds at the Gators this year. Yeah, there were lots of fans there but nothing like the past. This bad economy has a lot to do with it as well. I heard they have resorted to giving tickets away at NASCAR races to fill the stands for the TV cameras. I hope the nhra bean counters are paying attention. Or they could be finished by the end of the year! __________________ Bruce Noland 1788 STK

03-15-2009, 12:04 PM	#3
Ken Miele Live Reporter Join Date: Dec 2000 Posts: 4,861 Likes: 456 Liked 16,554 Times in 1,522 Posts	Re: So................... I have to disagree Bruce, the parking lots were full, the camp grounds full, the stands were full. I purposely stayed away from pro pits because there were so many fans. I don't see the doom and gloom, I have not heard any rumors about NHRA having money problems. The racers, tech people and manufactures that I talked to are all upbeat. When I went out to eat, the norm was 20 to 30 min wait. I think NHRA will be here for a long time along with stock and super stock. If NHRA survived the 70's I think they will be able to get through these times. People can put any spin on what the times are today, but for me the late 70's were the worst, its not even close. Today people worry about how many cars they can own, how big there house is, back in the 70's I was happy to have one car and a warm place to live. I'm sorry guys, I am not a doom and gloom guy. You say NHRA is fondering, well I don't see it.

03-15-2009, 12:26 PM	#4
Alan Roehrich Veteran Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Murfreesboro TN Posts: 5,113 Likes: 1,571 Liked 1,821 Times in 413 Posts	Re: So................... I wouldn't necessarily say NHRA is actually foundering. But they have lost focus, and they are wandering off in a direction that leads to nowhere, especially where sportsman racing is concerned. Ken, you are correct, we have not yet gotten to the low we reached under Carter in the late seventies. The problem is many people are not at all convinced we won't reach that low, or go even lower. __________________ Alan Roehrich 212A G/S

03-15-2009, 12:34 PM	#5
63corvette Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon, Tx Posts: 551 Likes: 127 Liked 353 Times in 102 Posts	Re: So................... I attended the Phoenix National race and the fan count was down and the midway was much smaller than years past. Comp eliminator car count was next to nothing. I think there was 11 cars I am not sure. I also have a personal friend who works at NHRA in Glendora and there was a 10% pay cut for all the hourly employees and a layoff of some. Not sure how many were laid off. So I think NHRA must be feeling a pinch. My 2 Cents

03-15-2009, 12:56 PM	#6
Bruce Noland VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,855 Likes: 83 Liked 444 Times in 145 Posts	Re: So................... Kenny, It's good that we can disagree. But I did not see what you saw. Yes, there were a lot of people there but not like I have seen in the past. I walked right into the Out Back, Ballyhoo Seafood and a popular Mexican restaurant on three separate evenings and was immediately seated. We must have eaten at different times. And I guess, while we are politely disagreeing, the parking lots did not appear to be as full as before and the mid way was a lot easier to get around than any time before. And the car count was down over 100 cars on an already reduced quota. Just my .02 worth - we are not talking doom and gloom. Reality maybe - but no doom and gloom. There is no point in running from the obvious. That kind of stuff helped us get into the mess we are in. And we are in a mess. We all get up every day to go to work and do our part to help this country get out of this mess. I'm sure the folks at nhra are doing the same thing but it may be too little too late. I have to add one remark about the seventies and agree with Alan. We have not seen the total picture yet. Most good economists are skipping over the 70's and going back to the 30's to paint a picture of the fix this country is in. We have not seen the whole picture yet. It is evolving and it would not be smart to ignore what is going on. It may not have hit some of us yet but many racers are hurting. __________________ Bruce Noland 1788 STK Last edited by Bruce Noland; 03-15-2009 at 01:06 PM.

03-15-2009, 01:10 PM	#7
John Lang Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sheboygan Wi Posts: 391 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 2 Posts	Re: So................... 63corvette!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anything said if the BIG DOGS took a 10% cut , or a temp layoff (heh,heh), Ya Right , Just curious!.............Later.........John __________________ John Lang 365 STK, SS

03-15-2009, 01:15 PM	#8
Colin Wigle Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 50 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: So................... Bruce, With all do respect, you have a tough decision to make either continue to support NHRA and the sport you love or take this opportunity to sell your operation no while it has a place to race and may retain some specific value. Bad press only adds to a tough situation! There are very few business in north America that are not feeling the same crunch. Colin

03-15-2009, 01:33 PM	#9
Alan Roehrich Veteran Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Murfreesboro TN Posts: 5,113 Likes: 1,571 Liked 1,821 Times in 413 Posts	Re: So................... Colin, Should we all stand around and applaud while NHRA repeatedly makes bad decisions? We pay dues, we pay entry fees, we pay license fees, but we should remain silent if we do not agree with what they do for (to) us? That is not how it works. See, originally, the idea was, we, the members, do not belong to NHRA, but rather NHRA belongs to us, the members. That is how it was originally intended to work. Somewhere along the time line, some people took control, and they decided that we, the racers, should belong to NHRA, and we should take whatever they decided to do to (for) us. The point is, the dues paying entry fee paying members of NHRA should have a lot more say in what is going on. And if the "board of directors" of NHRA cannot stand scrutiny and criticism, then they should not be living the good life on our money. __________________ Alan Roehrich 212A G/S

03-15-2009, 01:36 PM	#10
Bruce Noland VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,855 Likes: 83 Liked 444 Times in 145 Posts	Re: So................... cwigle, I think your post is arrogant and out of line. I am entitled to my opinions. Don't read them if you don't like them. I'll eventually sell my stuff because I'm actively pursuing a land speed car but I won't sell it because someone I do not know offers me two alternatives. Grow up. Ditto what Alan said! __________________ Bruce Noland 1788 STK Last edited by Bruce Noland; 03-15-2009 at 01:38 PM.