The IRS and NHRA, you gotta see this.

[Gary Smith]

Originally Posted by Marvin Robinson

Well, I hope this is not an opening of Pandora's box..... I would certainly like to see better practices on behalf of the Sportsman Racer from NHRA, but I wonder if this lawsuit will turn things in that direction, or have unintended consequences for all of us.

The Salaries quoted do seem excessive, but I don't buy for one minute that Dallas and Graham work 1 hour a week. Anyone who has run any type of organization larger than 5 people knows that the principal people involved put in many times the effort and hours that you would think they do, to make things happen. Having said that, 700K, 400K or more, may be excessive compensation for what they do, I don't profess to know enough about what kind of time & effort they actually expend, and whether the salary for those positions is justified. I DO know that I'm not real happy with how they have addressed (or failed to address) many issues on the part of the Non-Professional racer.

The salaries are only a small part of a larger problem... how well does the organization serve it's designated members (ALL of them, not just the pros), and what kind of relationship does it maintain with it's members, suppliers, affiliates and contractors? How well does it control it's expenses, and does it distribute it's services equitably and in a fiscally responsible manner?? Does it properly account for all of it's activities and finances??? How well this has been done in the past will have a direct bearing on the procession of events in this lawsuit, and the outcome(s) relative to the average racer. I hope for the best...

Statistics prove that any successful organization is always run by someone who truly loves and believes in the product/service they're providing. They reap the monetary rewards when their customers/clients are happy. But those who are motivated by money first, then the product/service suffers, ultimately driving away customers through dissatisfaction and sometimes animosity. All three of the top brass (Light, Gardner, and Compton) are about the money/opportunities over the love of what they do. The NHRA is a sick train and has been running on borrowed time and will derail unless someone knows how to turn it around.

[NWDragracing]

Just a great example of "Executive/White Collar" crimes...

[Ed Wright]

My business has been through two IRS audits. Takes up time, but they found nothing.

[FED 387]

Ed --in our case the with the IRS it was a matter of interpretation of a rule---the 1st agent I had said no and his superior who was a road racer(SCCA) understood my thoughts on the deductions and was more than sympathetic to me in reaching a fair and equitable decision.In the end I paid a small additional amount of tax (about $90) and I was good to go... Never had a problem with using/claiming that deduction again

[chevy620]

One of the "issues" that might pop-up during an audit is the "insurance surcharge" they hang on every competitor at National Events.
Here are the potential problems with it:

• Is NHRA acting as an "Insurance Agent" forcing members to pay for so-called "premium increases" in participant insurance coverages? Are they a licensed Agent in every state?
• Has anyone every seen what the insurance premium costs for a National Event?
• Has anyone ever seen the "increase for 2011" in the form of a written rate increase?
• If we are being assessed approximately $155 in "insurance fees" ($65 for years and now $95, right?) per entry and there are 500 sportsman entries... do you really think an insurance policy for one event can actually cost $77,500.00?!! That is what NHRA is claiming are "insurance surcharge fees" if I read my National Event entry forms correctly.

The lawsuit that could end NHRA could be the IRS audit, the one issue that is laying back there in the weeds is the "excessive fees charged to members of the organization" in the name of increased insurance premium fees per event.
Maybe someone from Wells Fargo can show us the actual Policy we are all paying for and the terms, coverages and premium for that Policy?

When the **** hits that fan....it could involve paying back thousands of racers for an "intentional overcharge" under the disguise of an insurance cost increase.

If that happens, NHRA will become a different deal, which it needs to. Needs to be run FOR ITS MEMBERS, TO BENEFIT THE SPORT.
I just don't think people are going to stand by and watch their hard-earned money get misused in today's world like they did when their expendable money was a little easier to come by.

Either things will start to change or we will all just ignore what "our organization" is doing to us in the name of more profits while ignoring the expenses they are charging us all.

Jok

[Marvin Robinson]

Originally Posted by Gary Smith

Statistics prove that any successful organization is always run by someone who truly loves and believes in the product/service they're providing. They reap the monetary rewards when their customers/clients are happy. But those who are motivated by money first, then the product/service suffers, ultimately driving away customers through dissatisfaction and sometimes animosity. All three of the top brass (Light, Gardner, and Compton) are about the money/opportunities over the love of what they do. The NHRA is a sick train and has been running on borrowed time and will derail unless someone knows how to turn it around.

I agree totally, Wally Parks they ain't... but since the influx of the big "corporate" dollars, the grassroots sportsman racer has almost always been considered at the end of a line of other's more expensive priorities.