2025 Payout / Pay Structure

JP1738 · 03-14-2025, 09:21 AM

yeah I was late on the W9 stuff so I haven't gotten my payout yet. Lord I hope it's more than 300 bones but I'll let y'all know how much it is whenever I get it. I spent about $2000 just getting to Gainesville and back home after buying trailer tires post blow-out, truck alternator, two entries, race gas, diesel, etc. I'm busted down lol. Gonna try to make something happen this weekend at the SGAS race at Carolina Dragway. Would love to dig myself out of this hole.

442OLDS · 03-14-2025, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP1738

yeah I was late on the W9 stuff so I haven't gotten my payout yet. Lord I hope it's more than 300 bones but I'll let y'all know how much it is whenever I get it. I spent about $2000 just getting to Gainesville and back home after buying trailer tires post blow-out, truck alternator, two entries, race gas, diesel, etc. I'm busted down lol. Gonna try to make something happen this weekend at the SGAS race at Carolina Dragway. Would love to dig myself out of this hole.

Keep us posted,but I would be surprised if it is more than $250.

Last year at the Division 3 race in St Louis, there was over 140 cars trying to qualify for the 128 car field and the Runner Up only got $500.

NHRA1926 · 03-18-2025, 04:42 PM

You make it down to 4 cars and all you get is $300! Make it down to the final 2 cars and only get $500! I remember making it down to 6 cars at the last Atlanta NHRA National event. I received a whopping $250! So where is all the money from entry fees going? How come they pay more to win a Divisional race than a National Event? Then to hear they had timing issues at Bella Rose and refused to re-run some of the rounds, after already re-running prior runs with admitted issues? This is getting to be ridiculous. Why are the big wigs at NHRA treating the sportsman racers like their red headed stepchild. After all, WE, that's right, WE are their customers. That doesn't seem to be any concern of theirs anymore. When bean counters become the managing body, instead of what used to be people with real racing experience running these events, it surely shows that it's now all about the corporate or advertising dollars, not about the details that matter to the racers. This was never more obvious than when they hired a division DIRECTOR that had NO DRAG RACING experience or knowledge of drag racing management experience. BUT he did come from, wait for it, wait for it, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on his resume! And when you asked this DIVISION DIRECTOR a technical question about Stock Eliminator, His response was, "Well, I suggest you Call the Division 2 Director" Thankfully he was removed from that position after only 1 year. Pitiful. Maybe IHRA can make a come back and give NHRA some competition. Until then, NHRA knows they are the only game in town, and if you don't like how we do business, go somewhere else. That's the attitude they've had for a number of years. So sad.

Tom O · 03-19-2025, 12:03 AM

Found out last weekend that D4 doesn't pay until the 5th round! I know we don't do this for the money but it would be nice if they threw the dog a bone for third round out. I could be wrong but I think every other division pays at 3rd round. I find it hard to believe that the D4 Lucas oil racers are ok with this.

JeremyDuncan · 03-19-2025, 07:50 AM

At least on the divisional side most of the money goes to Alcohol cars. They pay no entry and get 10 crew passes for free. Pays 10 spots back. So yes the even the first two alternates get paid!

At most divisional races the crowds are very small. The Alcohol cars don't pay for there selves in attendance. The other sportsman racers pay for there purse. It's time for Alcohol cars to be a national event only level categories.

Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock use to be contested at Division races before becoming National event only categories. It's time to do the same with Alcohol cars. Save track owners money and direct some of it to other sportsman categories purses.

Mike Pearson · 03-19-2025, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyDuncan

At least on the divisional side most of the money goes to Alcohol cars. They pay no entry and get 10 crew passes for free. Pays 10 spots back. So yes the even the first two alternates get paid!

At most divisional races the crowds are very small. The Alcohol cars don't pay for there selves in attendance. The other sportsman racers pay for there purse. It's time for Alcohol cars to be a national event only level categories.

Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock use to be contested at Division races before becoming National event only categories. It's time to do the same with Alcohol cars. Save track owners money and direct some of it to other sportsman categories purses.

Actually the Alcohol classes only compete at the regional races. Here in D2 that is the baby gators. I think other divisions hold one regional event along with the divisional schedule. I agree. The alcohol classes should be national event only. At the baby gators and Gators neither of the classes filled to make a full field. Track owners and promoters need to do a better job of promoting the events and attracting spectators into the stands. This has been discussed on many threads here on the forum in the past. We should not be funding the purse for the TAD and TAFC classes. They need to stand on their own 2 feet.

JeremyDuncan · 03-19-2025, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Pearson

Actually the Alcohol classes only compete at the regional races. Here in D2 that is the baby gators. I think other divisions hold one regional event along with the divisional schedule. I agree. The alcohol classes should be national event only. At the baby gators and Gators neither of the classes filled to make a full field. Track owners and promoters need to do a better job of promoting the events and attracting spectators into the stands. This has been discussed on many threads here on the forum in the past. We should not be funding the purse for the TAD and TAFC classes. They need to stand on their own 2 feet.

You are lucky in D2. D3 has regionals at 4 out of 7 divisional races. Another 2 regionals at stand alone events at divisional tracks. So they are using sportsman entry fees to use alcohol cars as a booked
in show.

NHRA and tracks have embraced the double race model. If that is your plan then you have to know that your spectators are not coming out on a Wednesday. It's high time we realize that we(sportsman racers)are the main customers and we deserve better payouts and convenience for our entry fee costs. Paying spectators are merely a bonus at a vast majority of non national event races.

Also when Alcohol cars are contested at a double they receive "test passes" why? At Bella Rose they received 2 test hits before their 2 qualifiers when it was known that weather was going to impact the races. Then they
ran Alcohol eliminations on Friday. They made zero passes on the weekend.

03-14-2025, 09:21 AM	#1
JP1738 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2024 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 564 Likes: 1,597 Liked 1,168 Times in 331 Posts	Re: 2025 Payout / Pay Structure yeah I was late on the W9 stuff so I haven't gotten my payout yet. Lord I hope it's more than 300 bones but I'll let y'all know how much it is whenever I get it. I spent about $2000 just getting to Gainesville and back home after buying trailer tires post blow-out, truck alternator, two entries, race gas, diesel, etc. I'm busted down lol. Gonna try to make something happen this weekend at the SGAS race at Carolina Dragway. Would love to dig myself out of this hole. __________________ Dawson Pauley #2827 N/SA 1980 Malibu SW 2S 305/180 #2827 S/ST 1978 Mazda RX7 w/ 383 sbc/glide Last edited by JP1738; 03-14-2025 at 09:29 AM.

03-18-2025, 04:42 PM	#3
NHRA1926 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Bowling green, Ky Posts: 234 Likes: 12 Liked 212 Times in 64 Posts	Re: 2025 Payout / Pay Structure You make it down to 4 cars and all you get is $300! Make it down to the final 2 cars and only get $500! I remember making it down to 6 cars at the last Atlanta NHRA National event. I received a whopping $250! So where is all the money from entry fees going? How come they pay more to win a Divisional race than a National Event? Then to hear they had timing issues at Bella Rose and refused to re-run some of the rounds, after already re-running prior runs with admitted issues? This is getting to be ridiculous. Why are the big wigs at NHRA treating the sportsman racers like their red headed stepchild. After all, WE, that's right, WE are their customers. That doesn't seem to be any concern of theirs anymore. When bean counters become the managing body, instead of what used to be people with real racing experience running these events, it surely shows that it's now all about the corporate or advertising dollars, not about the details that matter to the racers. This was never more obvious than when they hired a division DIRECTOR that had NO DRAG RACING experience or knowledge of drag racing management experience. BUT he did come from, wait for it, wait for it, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on his resume! And when you asked this DIVISION DIRECTOR a technical question about Stock Eliminator, His response was, "Well, I suggest you Call the Division 2 Director" Thankfully he was removed from that position after only 1 year. Pitiful. Maybe IHRA can make a come back and give NHRA some competition. Until then, NHRA knows they are the only game in town, and if you don't like how we do business, go somewhere else. That's the attitude they've had for a number of years. So sad.

03-19-2025, 12:03 AM	#4
Tom O Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Pahrump NV Posts: 110 Likes: 406 Liked 147 Times in 34 Posts	Re: 2025 Payout / Pay Structure Found out last weekend that D4 doesn't pay until the 5th round! I know we don't do this for the money but it would be nice if they threw the dog a bone for third round out. I could be wrong but I think every other division pays at 3rd round. I find it hard to believe that the D4 Lucas oil racers are ok with this.

03-19-2025, 07:50 AM	#5
JeremyDuncan Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 264 Likes: 1,167 Liked 354 Times in 79 Posts	Re: 2025 Payout / Pay Structure At least on the divisional side most of the money goes to Alcohol cars. They pay no entry and get 10 crew passes for free. Pays 10 spots back. So yes the even the first two alternates get paid! At most divisional races the crowds are very small. The Alcohol cars don't pay for there selves in attendance. The other sportsman racers pay for there purse. It's time for Alcohol cars to be a national event only level categories. Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock use to be contested at Division races before becoming National event only categories. It's time to do the same with Alcohol cars. Save track owners money and direct some of it to other sportsman categories purses.