NHRA At It Again

[Billy Nees]

Alan, good post!
I really want to answer you but I think that I'm going to start another thread. Gonna have to think about this for a bit.

[Ron Ortiz]

Stock does seem to be the largest of the sportsman classes. I looked back from 2022 - 2017 to see how many Stockers ran a points-earning race of any kind, how many ran at least 5 Divisional races, and how many ran the full slate of 8+ Divisionals each year:

2022: 969 - 287 - 51
2021: 957 - 291 - 73
2020: 850 - 239 - 32
2019: 1077 - 282 - 61
2018: 1077 - 250 - 39
2017: 1088 - 260 - 42

After looking at the numbers Tony put up, it appears that the ones who complete 8 or more are the ones who fill the quotas for the last couple of years. Understandably. But it sure cuts out a whole lot of others. And that's including all the other grade 8's.
It's their game, I just play in it a little. While it lasts.

[Mike Pearson]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

As NHRA continues to add classes, seeking to find "the next new thing" and "draw the new, young crowd", they will find that it costs them their core fans, and their core racers. Their attempt to "be everything to everyone" will be an abject failure.




Honestly, the ONLY that saves them with Stock and Super Stock racers is the large portion of the group that is convinced that they receive the greatest "prestige" from paying large sums of money to NHRA for a 1 in 50 to 1 in 70 chance at a Wally.


What people need desperately to understand is that, if Bo Butner puts on a Stock/Super Stock race with NHRA tech, a week after an NHRA event, and you race the same 5-7 racers at Bo's race that you did at the NHRA race, the real prestige is the same, the only difference is Bo paid you more and treated you better.


If you can't collect enough grade points to get into a National event, and you can't collect enough points to win a championship, or you have decided not to chase a championship, why are you skipping good races put on by good racers, who are treating you well? To go take a shot at a Wally? To collect too few points? To collect a woefully inadequate purse and contingencies?


I'll say this, right here, right now. When we went to Bowling Green for a Stock/Super Stock combo, we raced almost the exact same people and cars we raced the previous weekend at an LODRS race, or would race two weeks later at an NHRA National event. And winning that combo, against the same drivers, and the same NHRA legal cars, was damned sure every bit as much fun, and brought as much pride.

Listen to Bobby Fabio “Insatiable Bunch” video on the other thread and it will open your eyes on how some of the racers think.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Billy Hampton

Gentlemen, Let us not forget NHRA is in the entertainment business and not in racing. Its like F1- about the show and not the racing or competition. Their goal is to make money and sell TV adverting to the mASSES.

Revoke the non- profit and make them pull back the curtain and lets see what is really going on. Sorry, I just woke up from a dream (nightmare).

I also hope they don't regret not including Super Street in this race, but I believe they will....especially with Top Sportsman and Top Dragster having only 3 & 20 entrants respectively, as of this post.

[BKSG1198]

Originally Posted by GarysZ24

I also hope they don't regret not including Super Street in this race, but I believe they will....especially with Top Sportsman and Top Dragster having only 3 & 20 entrants respectively, as of this post.

Top & Top normally don't fill as quickly as the other categories normally do unless it's Indy where you have everyone trying to get in at a Grade 7-8. I think you will see a few more entries before the event comes around and probably top out in the mid to low 20's.

Originally Posted by GarysZ24

I also hope they don't regret not including Super Street in this race, but I believe they will....especially with Top Sportsman and Top Dragster having only 3 & 20 entrants respectively, as of this post.

I understand your feelings Gary. I have lots of friends in super street too. As GP drops it will fill though.
The class rotation sucks! This year in Sonoma, no Pro Stock or comp. ! Tell me why fans will go?

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Barry Polley

I understand your feelings Gary. I have lots of friends in super street too. As GP drops it will fill though.
The class rotation sucks! This year in Sonoma, no Pro Stock or comp. ! Tell me why fans will go?

Thanks Barry & BKSG1198. I'm also going to be keenly looking at Gainesville's entry list on March 6th (cutoff day), because while Top Sportsman is only 1/3rd full, Super Street has already reached (exceeded) its quota with 6wks left to enter. I also noticed the Gators are showcasing 15 categories, while the Az Nats only have 10. How much larger (?) is the pit area in Gainesville than Wild Horse Pass?