[Jason Oldfield]

The Gold Card certainly is a nice perk, but if you think about it, it's really not worth ALL that much money. If you were to go to 10 National & 12 Division / Opens, that only equates to about $4,500 in entry fees. There aren't that many sportsman racers in the country that go to that many races.

In contrast, the fuel cost to go to 10 National & 12 Division / Opens would be far greater (at least double). So, if you win a Gold Card you're caught between a rock and a hard place. You want to use it because you have it, but you have to spend more money in gas to get to the race and back than it would have cost you to pay for car and driver entry.

Now, don't get me wrong. I certainly won't turn down the Gold Card if and when it is ever offered to me. But IMHO it is silly to chase points simply to get yourself a Gold Card.

I would MUCH rather see the payout increased for sportsman racers across the board. I know I can't be the only one that's lost in the Semis and felt like I was kicked in the nuts (and that's not unique to NHRA either, as IHRA is the same way).