I need to vent !!!

[boostedf22c]

Originally Posted by Evan Smith

I would rather race someone and lose than single for a trophy.

I agree.

[Joe Schaechter]

I want to race someone in the same class each time I attend Indy but I realize it isn’t always possible – not everyone can have a E/F/G/SA! A few years ago before the combo classes had been created I purposely moved my car a class down so I could race another similarly classed car (J/S back then). While visiting with another stock eliminator racer in the tech line I shared my plans for which class and why I chose it and he couldn't believe I wouldn't just stay in I/S and take a single for the class win. To me it was way more fun to race for class even though I lost that year. I agree with Lew that the current combo class takes some of the fun away but you could argue that we were our own worst enemy when some would go out of their way to find a single versus racing someone. Ultimately I feel fortunate to be able to race in such a challenging class and would like to see NHRA take steps to promote and strengthen it. Manufacturers are interested - just take a look at the A/S -A/SA challenge. It is the bureaucracy of sponsorship programs with NHRA that makes it hard for them to participate in my opinion.

[art leong]

I really don't want to go down this road again. But
For all you guys that don't want a trophy for singling. It's simple just do away with racing for class. Just run the eliminator. If you run someone in your class there is no shoepolish anyway. So that should make you happy. Right? As long as you have the faster car.
I ran another car in my class at E'town in the 90's. He said exactly that. "that he would rather run another car instead of running a single" We staged I ignored the tree and watched his fender. Them he told me I shouldn't have made him look so bad. He could have gone in another class, but I was the bad guy.
If you have a fast car or an oddball combo (or both) it isn't your fault that nobody shows up in your class. And you shouldn't be forced to run other cars with no runout.
That being said I personally like the combo class deal. This year I was snakebit with unusual problems (my time in the barrel). But when I got to use just enough to surprise a $100,000 plus car with my $15,000 Neon. It was great fun even though I almost lifted too early.
I'm looking forward to next year.

[rseibenick]

When I built my car in 95 , there were 7 cars in my class. I lost a few times for the class trophy and then worked harder on my combo so I could beat them. Now there are only a few in my class and they may or may not show at Indy or other National events where they have class. If they show up great , then we will run for the class win. If they don't , I would still feel good about running a single for the class win and the Wally .Then I would run the combo race and try for the contingency $. I then would try to get in the eliminator and try to win rounds and go as far as I can. At least for my $355 plus dollars , I would have a Wally and hopfully win the $ in the combo race. Just my feelings.

[Dave Casey]

I am with Evan and Jim on this one,

have not had the opportunity to run a combo yet, but it sounds like fun to me win or lose.
I have many wins and loses in class, and the most memorable ones are in both the win and loss column, not the single wins

getting beat by Phil Lacy in the old chevy II days
getting beat by Bernie Emling in G/S twice by 3 feet
having the fastest G/S car at the 50th Indy and winning class
A/S last year, 5 cars i was 4th and couldn't run within 2 tenths of Caleb or 4 tenths of Kev

All great memories, they are one of the main reasons why I still do this

As far as the teardown comments re/indy.....
go there assuming you will be torn down, it doesn't matter if you were apart last week, it's INDY, bring your best stuff AND your gaskets.

[Bernie Cunningham]

Art, there ya go big boy!!

Quote from Art: "That being said I personally like the combo class deal."

WOW Art, I like that, I still reckon you have the car to win the championship, go race that turd, LOL

Dave C , Evan (your always right) Carey B, D Johns and Joe S have it right and so do a bunch of us non poster racers thinking the same way.

I reckon the combo deal is really fun to follow and watch on the 'puter. A great deal, that was put together in desperation for a dying campaign and has now held it together in these times, kudo's for the effort, thanks to Charlie N @ NHRA !

[art leong]

Originally Posted by Bernie Cunningham

Art, there ya go big boy!!

Quote from Art: "That being said I personally like the combo class deal."

WOW Art, I like that, I still reckon you have the car to win the championship, go race that turd, LOL

Dave C , Evan (your always right) Carey B, D Johns and Joe S have it right and so do a bunch of us non poster racers thinking the same way.

I reckon the combo deal is really fun to follow and watch on the 'puter. A great deal, that was put together in desperation for a dying campaign and has now held it together in these times, kudo's for the effort, thanks to Charlie N @ NHRA !

Bernie. All the belly aching I did last year was for other people. And for the sport in general. Not for me personally.
This year I had troubles with a new shifter. Then troubles with a balancer gone bad. Then having all my tires worn to the cords.
Now the shifter is fine, I no longer run a balancer, and I located one new set of tires along with a couple of good used ones.
So next year will be a little different.
I still feel someone with a slack HP or index has a big advantage. And in an unpopular class you can control your own destiny. You are a disciple of qualifying. You should realize if you run the fastest (second) car in the first round of class it counts towards your qualifying number (only the fastest of one of all these runs count) Then you might not have to use everything in the next couple of rounds when every run counts.
It's a game I don't really like to play. But then I didn't write the rules.
As far as Charlie N goes I have yet to see the promised increase in class contingency.
All I see is NHRA saving about 8 to 12 class winner trophies per race.
As a bunch of people have said it would have been easy for NHRA to award trophies to singles and still run the combo for the contingencies. The damage has already been done to some extent. I know of at least 3 people that sold their cars and quit because of the combo deal. If you look at the entries at Indy it spells it out. Not only because of the combo. But like I said 8 for this, 6 for that, Etc. Etc.
The next thing will be to combine stock and superstock.

[Bobby Fazio]

Ok but the solution should have been to EITHER take away the single runs OR take away the money. NOT both. NHRA won on both ends of that deal while the racers got screwed on both ends. NHRA puts the blame on the manufacturers pulling out and economic times (all while raising their entry fees?). I guess they feel everyone is hurting but the racers? Heaven forbid they could have stepped up to the plate and tried to help by offering something out of their pocket to class winners. Doug Linke beat the piss out of his race car for four rounds in the combo at Etown for a trophy that said "Topeka" class winner on it and no contingency money. He's a better man than I.

[art leong]

Originally Posted by Bobby Fazio

Ok but the solution should have been to EITHER take away the single runs OR take away the money. NOT both. NHRA won on both ends of that deal while the racers got screwed on both ends. NHRA puts the blame on the manufacturers pulling out and economic times (all while raising their entry fees?). I guess they feel everyone is hurting but the racers? Heaven forbid they could have stepped up to the plate and tried to help by offering something out of their pocket to class winners. Doug Linke beat the piss out of his race car for four rounds in the combo at Etown for a trophy that said "Topeka" class winner on it and no contingency money. He's a better man than I.

This is exactly what I was saying last year. But I was called a crybaby by some on here.
I've already proved I can compete with the CJ's. So I don't think crybaby should have been used to describe me. I wanted (want) to stick in NHRA's eye with my POS Neon beating the BIG Money cars (their backers would not be happy).
Much like we did to the W.R. Grace Cup. It was supposed to be a cash cow for the pro-comp cars. But it was won by a Modified, a Stocker, and a Super Stocker.
I'm not posting anymore on this thread. Last year I almost quit Class Racer because of it.
Whatever NHRA does the sheeple will follow. Except for a few that quit each time something is done. Those can not and will not be replaced.

If anyone wants to contact me about this post PM me. I'm not putting a target on back for the a*******s.