Live from Maple Grove - NHRA DIV 1 LUCAS OIL SERIES #2

[1320racer]

IF the NHRA has a future it through the junior dragster program!

Don't fret about it though MoJo, you'll be dead!

[Steve Stasko]

Originally Posted by kjclark887

Quick recap of the day: 8.50 index had 2 qualifying runs and round 1 today.
Super stock had 1 qualifying run at 11am

8.50 index also had a lot of prime parking real estate plugged up.

[Pistol Pete]

Stock Elim. Winner: Cliff Hynson
R U: Lynda Preiser


Super Stock Winner: Bill Kennedy
R U: Justin Picillo

Congratulations to all.

Remembering our Veterans on Memorial Day.

[tpoh815]

Maybe their "Jr" dragsters identify as "Top" dragsters?

[Jack Matyas]

OK - yep ,I ditched you guys after a nice but very busy couple of days where I ended up with a great qualifying effort but a very emotional second round red lite .I did everything I could for that not to happen but it still did - me ?? I don't know .Anyway a very nice race at Maple Grove but I really needed to get home and deal with the damage done by Friday nights storm .Had tree limbs everywhere but some friends moved stuff out of my driveway so I could at least park when I got home .Plenty of loading and chainsaw work - but was lucky that only limbs came down and not entire trees .

Congrats to Cliff and Bill - see you later in the week hopefully .

[tommy d]

Originally Posted by James Perrone

Question why do you idiots start you fukin jr dragster at 730 am
They run on alcohol reving it to 8000 rpm
It will be cold when you get to the lanes
I hate jr dragsters

Did you tell them to "Get off my lawn"? Sheesh!

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by tommy d

Did you tell them to "Get off my lawn"? Sheesh!

That one statement sums up a big chunk of the "Old Timers" on here!

[Kevin Panzino]

FWIW, I have zero problem with the Jr's. I think its a fabulous program. It encourages family time with a common passion, and gives the kiddo's something far more rewarding than twitter, communist China-run Tik-Tok, and gory video games. As well as helping to introduce the next generation into our sport.
I was however not thrilled at seeing, when it was all said and done, probably at least 6 hours of the program time spent on that 8.5 index class.
No disrespect to those guys, but I really get frustrated with the non-nhra classes that are continuing to being added to our races. A divisional in 1 is now $230. Did those 8.50 index folks pay that entry? They also got the finest pit spots on-site. And it now seems like every event we struggle to get a points race done in 3 days...


Its even more of a craw in my jaw when I see the non-nhra classes at a national event... With quotas so low for all of us, its hard to swallow the inclusion of the small tire, big tire, local bracket hero crap to a national event thats become very difficult for the core classes to even attend.


Im not a NHRA basher, I almost always stick up for them, but these non-nhra class additions to the schedules are not very easy to swallow.





Kp

[BKSG1198]

Originally Posted by Kevin Panzino

FWIW, I have zero problem with the Jr's. I think its a fabulous program. It encourages family time with a common passion, and gives the kiddo's something far more rewarding than twitter, communist China-run Tik-Tok, and gory video games. As well as helping to introduce the next generation into our sport.
I was however not thrilled at seeing, when it was all said and done, probably at least 6 hours of the program time spent on that 8.5 index class.
No disrespect to those guys, but I really get frustrated with the non-nhra classes that are continuing to being added to our races. A divisional in 1 is now $230. Did those 8.50 index folks pay that entry? They also got the finest pit spots on-site. And it now seems like every event we struggle to get a points race done in 3 days...


Its even more of a craw in my jaw when I see the non-nhra classes at a national event... With quotas so low for all of us, its hard to swallow the inclusion of the small tire, big tire, local bracket hero crap to a national event thats become very difficult for the core classes to even attend.


Im not a NHRA basher, I almost always stick up for them, but these non-nhra class additions to the schedules are not very easy to swallow.





Kp

So the unfortunate part is these tracks need to make money to survive, as someone who is a promoter, deals with a lot of tracks in the Northeast, I’ve had to add classes to my series just to even get dates. Trust me I hear it from my .90 guys, why did you add Juniors, Why Top & Top, why this and that because banking on 60 .90 cars showing up at $50 a car or having a T&T with 300 cars at $100 a pop is way more appealing.

The days of “hey I’m bringing 50 stock / SS” cars to the track can you give me a full weekend are over, you better well be bringing at least 200-250 cars with you to get a weekend at the track or renting the track for $20k a day or most tracks won’t even answer your phone call. The reality is tracks don’t want Lucas Races for the most part, it’s now why D1 is $225 to get in, the track owners asked for a raise in the entry with the additional $25 to go to them, it was dam near $50 but the vote was turned down. MG had 581 total cars, probably a great $$ weekend for them, had a decent crowd for the “Night of Chaos” and the concession stand and souvenir stand were somewhat packed but, how much advertising did they have to do to get about 1,000 people? Also you had it start at 3pm just as the sky’s were starting to look blah, so I’m sure some stayed home and it started pouring at 7 - 7:15pm.

The thing is they added the 8.50 index deal back in January / February and we know Memorial Day weekend at MG can be a crap shoot for car counts, so your not sure how many cars will show, I think the counts were great because some were going straight to Epping or Norwalk, some missed Cecil and the Association race was rained out last week at Cecil and they just want to go racing. look at Cecil was with the weather, from what I heard at Cecil they had over 75 tech cards abandoned that were filled out online but because of the weather they didn’t show, so that about $17,000 there of lost income but the track is committed to running the event. It's the one bad part of preregistration without payment, you wake up the weekend looks blah….ehhh I’m staying home, the track has your tech card but not that $225.

I think the 8.50 guys paid $150 and it was $3k to win but they also bring sponsors, they have a big fishing pole company that backs them and puts up alot of money. I’ve told guys before we want more money we need to start looking at having our own sponsors support the classes.

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by Kevin Panzino

I was however not thrilled at seeing, when it was all said and done, probably at least 6 hours of the program time spent on that 8.5 index class.
No disrespect to those guys, but I really get frustrated with the non-nhra classes that are continuing to being added to our races.

Newsflash, they are not your races, never were!

More important, the 8.50 index class actually brings in fans, assess in the stands, which stock and super stock does not!