NHRA's Response - Summernationals

[Harry 6674]

A little comedy is always good. Calling soccer a contact sport is pretty funny to me. When I was growing up only girls played soccer and after watching about 1 minute of the Seattle Sounders things are still the same. Only girls. As far as Mr. Barton is concerned sometimes faces need to be gotten into. PC does not always work.

[Dan Fahey]

Thanks Guys:

I look at every problem in my business as an opportunity.
That attitude has always paid off too.
Things get solved when opportunity meets preparation.

As a President of my company it is my job to fix what broke, make good better, and sleep with good conscience.

In business and family when a problem arises many times I am the last person to know about it. Just the nature of things.

Have been reading lots of griping about NHRA this and that, yet nothing seems to get done.

We are NHRA Members, we are a UNION of Racers.
Know a lot of you hate that word but get over it.

Our objectives are simple.
Safety, fun, fair treatment and dignity at the tracks.

Side Note:
I remember when tracks were never prepped and seems that VHT though makes tracks consistent can also cause maintenance issues and inconsistent traction of if not correctly used.

Back to Topic:
NHRA is a business and its Leadership is a large complex organization trying to seek a balance with fans, players and gripy people.
Just like any other sports organization.

Believe me sometimes it is not fun.
I have Reffed Soccer Games from Hell...in fact recently.
Despite calling the best games of my life there is no pleasing those that want to win and have all the calls go their way.

Back to our Sport.
We have the right to petition our NHRA Leadership.
However there is no leader or team of advocates, that I know of.

Who advocates for us now, because IMHO it does not seem to be NHRA?

Think IHRA is trying hard to working well with racers.
Yet most racers are NHRA centric and not migrating to IHRA that seems more pro racer.

We the members of NHRA want them to be successful.
I know they are trying to do their best. They are not monsters.
All of us have a lot in common especially regarding our investments and theirs.

It would be to our advantage to organize, challenge NHRA and IHRA professionally and not be adversarial to help them manage their organization.

Now back to work...

D

[Dan Fahey]

Originally Posted by Harry 6674

A little comedy is always good. Calling soccer a contact sport is pretty funny to me. When I was growing up only girls played soccer and after watching about 1 minute of the Seattle Sounders things are still the same. Only girls. As far as Mr. Barton is concerned sometimes faces need to be gotten into. PC does not always work.

Well what I meant by contact sports is 40 years of Martial Arts (Civilian & Combat). In the early 70/80's did a lot of Full Contact Kick Boxing.
Now practicing JDK, Silat, Lameco, Bando, Filipino, Brazilian and American Wrestling.

AND Soccer can be a contact sport, usually followed up with a RED CARD !!

You right PC does not always work !
But it does work.

However, unprofessional behavior puts us all back a notch.


D

[Jeff Niceswanger]

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

Thanks Guys:

I look at every problem in my business as an opportunity.
That attitude has always paid off too.
Things get solved when opportunity meets preparation.

As a President of my company it is my job to fix what broke, make good better, and sleep with good conscience.

In business and family when a problem arises many times I am the last person to know about it. Just the nature of things.

Have been reading lots of griping about NHRA this and that, yet nothing seems to get done.

We are NHRA Members, we are a UNION of Racers.
Know a lot of you hate that word but get over it.

Our objectives are simple.
Safety, fun, fair treatment and dignity at the tracks.

Side Note:
I remember when tracks were never prepped and seems that VHT though makes tracks consistent can also cause maintenance issues and inconsistent traction of if not correctly used.

Back to Topic:
NHRA is a business and its Leadership is a large complex organization trying to seek a balance with fans, players and gripy people.
Just like any other sports organization.

Believe me sometimes it is not fun.
I have Reffed Soccer Games from Hell...in fact recently.
Despite calling the best games of my life there is no pleasing those that want to win and have all the calls go their way.

Back to our Sport.
We have the right to petition our NHRA Leadership.
However there is no leader or team of advocates, that I know of.

Who advocates for us now, because IMHO it does not seem to be NHRA?

Think IHRA is trying hard to working well with racers.
Yet most racers are NHRA centric and not migrating to IHRA that seems more pro racer.

We the members of NHRA want them to be successful.
I know they are trying to do their best. They are not monsters.
All of us have a lot in common especially regarding our investments and theirs.

It would be to our advantage to organize, challenge NHRA and IHRA professionally and not be adversarial to help them manage their organization.

Now back to work...

D

Dan

I have to say,your the first President of a company that I have come across.... to endorse that "Union" word.You have to keep in mind,this is a hobby for most of us. Good, worthwhile, Unions are alot of work, alot of time,and have many, many teething pains.I know as I've been in the middle of starting up 2 of them.I can't think of any " hobby" organizations that are Unionized. And this one is spread out over the entire US. I think it would be a disaster and in the end...fail. The SRAC is a great idea,but this membership of racers needs to talk to your reps and keep them informed of your feelings. I.E Do they even(your rep) know, if this race gets rained out,where your choice for the make up race is?Do you tell them/Do they ask.? In my line of work, all these questions would be answered by the Union stewards or by me. IE.. A steward or myself would go get you the answer your asking Like....what kind of compound is on that track? I doubt most people even know who their rep is.I'm betting they are willing to do all they can, but you need to be involved also.What we have will work, we just have to work on it. Make it stronger, make it better,with more communication.....

Jeff Niceswanger
President UE Local 718
ConAgra Foods
Lancaster Ohio

[SS Engine Guy]

PC meaning "politically correct" translates in the real world to " political corruption ". And I agree that unprofessional behavior puts us all back a notch. That is most definitely unprofessional behavior putting cars down a track in unsafe conditions. As far as fines or penalties for what transpired I advocate using the "first or worse" rule. The first infraction is a dangerous track, worst would be unsafe conditions. The fine should be reversed and levied toward the cause not the effect.

[RJDUDEK]

Originally Posted by Jack Matyas

'74 Summernationals -and we brought our own cool .And we all hooked .Thats Stan Welsh in my 'pool' ........It sure was a different time .

!------------------------------I can feel the Humidity ..was there all three days..as a 24 YO and his friends would do.We had a 24 ft Ford straight job from my Trucking Co. and we slept and lived in the box..cooked on a makeship grill and had a 55 gal drum filled with and ice and adults refreshments for the not so adult guys.-------------------------------------!

.Remembering...Butch Leals winning Ply-SSB pulling the wheels on every shift..>Popular with the fans..and Larry(with the Grump) Lombardo beating (Wayne) Gapp and Roush. Maverick 4dr Taxi...Jungle Jim's (R.I.P.) wild wheel-stand in the FC final ..against winner Al Segrini.

Those WERE the days.

[Andys dad]

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

NO !!

Listen to your comments.

I am a Soccer Referee and exposed to opinions of Players, Coaches and Parents at times upset with my decisions on the field.
Have been involved in Soccer for almost 30 years, 40 years in contact sports, been an owner of a Soccer League, Coach and now Soccer Ref.

Not with standing the actions of NHRA.

Based on what was written in these posts.
The actions of Mr. Barton's outburst would be considered "Abusive Language" which is a Red Card.
Resulting of the player being kicked off the field and I would have to write a detailed report.

There is no sports institution that will put up with the anger displayed in public.
Which includes face to face confrontations that I have experienced.

Mr. Barton was right to be upset. Have no argument about that.
However, he survived the crash because the safety equipment designed to keep a driver safe worked.
The rules did what they were suppose to do. Improved over the years as our sport got more sophisticated.
By people thinking ahead. Not hearing anyone cheer about that.

Mr. Barton had he not been so expressive and behave a bit more professionally.
He may have gotten his point across and more effectively without the crass behavior.

There is a difference in being mad and being angry.
Mad is the reaction on these posts of NHRA's negligence.
Anger is what Mr. Barton expressed.

Mr. Barton please return the money and pay the fine.

We are NHRA Members.
With our collective and coordinated power NHRA will listen but will not do so easily without proper and persistent persuasion.
Which is the real goal !!

The issue is NHRA lack of quality management and poor attitude of the Sportsman ranks.
It seems to be the prevailing long term issue that covers far deeper ills because profit motive has become radically more important than the racer and the sport.

This is the same ill and attitude in a far larger scale that has afflicted our country over the last 30 years.

NHRA has demonstrated how this ill has embedded our sport.

Sincerely,

Dan Fahey

Finally - a well thought out comment

Ron

[SStockDart]

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

Thanks Guys:

I look at every problem in my business as an opportunity.
That attitude has always paid off too.
Things get solved when opportunity meets preparation.

As a President of my company it is my job to fix what broke, make good better, and sleep with good conscience.

In business and family when a problem arises many times I am the last person to know about it. Just the nature of things.

Have been reading lots of griping about NHRA this and that, yet nothing seems to get done.

We are NHRA Members, we are a UNION of Racers.
Know a lot of you hate that word but get over it.

Our objectives are simple.
Safety, fun, fair treatment and dignity at the tracks.

Side Note:
I remember when tracks were never prepped and seems that VHT though makes tracks consistent can also cause maintenance issues and inconsistent traction of if not correctly used.

Back to Topic:
NHRA is a business and its Leadership is a large complex organization trying to seek a balance with fans, players and gripy people.
Just like any other sports organization.

Believe me sometimes it is not fun.
I have Reffed Soccer Games from Hell...in fact recently.
Despite calling the best games of my life there is no pleasing those that want to win and have all the calls go their way.

Back to our Sport.
We have the right to petition our NHRA Leadership.
However there is no leader or team of advocates, that I know of.

Who advocates for us now, because IMHO it does not seem to be NHRA?

Think IHRA is trying hard to working well with racers.
Yet most racers are NHRA centric and not migrating to IHRA that seems more pro racer.

We the members of NHRA want them to be successful.
I know they are trying to do their best. They are not monsters.
All of us have a lot in common especially regarding our investments and theirs.

It would be to our advantage to organize, challenge NHRA and IHRA professionally and not be adversarial to help them manage their organization.

Now back to work...

D

Daniel, with all due respect, we (NHRA) are not a UNION................far from it. I am a NHRA member, but I do not pay dues to a UNION. I pay for membership to NHRA, by choice and not because I have to...... and none of it goes to any UNION. Other than a membership fee, I pay nothing (sounds like Sgt Schultz)...I pay nothing to UNION to influence a political vote that is contrary to mine. So, my question(s) to you Daniel are: How many employees do you have, and how long before you are fired.

[Ed Fernandez]

Al the bitching,moaning and pontificating isn't going to accomplish squat.There was a thread a while back about NHRA sending a memo out to all NHRA members about waiving all rights to vote on any aspects of the operations of the organization.The membership
supposedly gave up their right to do so.So now this is what it has finally come to.
And BTW Wally was in charge then and hadn't developed Alzhiemers yet.

[B Aceves]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

Al the bitching,moaning and pontificating isn't going to accomplish squat.There was a thread a while back about NHRA sending a memo out to all NHRA members about waiving all rights to vote on any aspects of the operations of the organization.The membership
supposedly gave up their right to do so.So now this is what it has finally come to.
And BTW Wally was in charge then and hadn't developed Alzhiemers yet.

Some Get It ! most don't lol