Read this

[Bobby Fazio]

http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCSt...UMMIT#indextop

Some of the points discussed:
-Talks about making participation easier for Lucas Oil Competitors by easing up on the requirements?
-No plans to increase any purses, only to help Pros find more sponsors.
-In house TV coverage and more media coverage coming but no increased coverage for sportsman.
-Plans to improve Pro Stock
-No plans to elevate factory stock yet
-Every question seems to be answered with "Exciting announcements on this coming shortly, stay tuned!"

What are your thoughts?

[Todd Hoven]

How can they make it easier for sportsman to participate? Pro and Super ET at our races? No heads up? Reducing rules? Maybe do away with us? Hope we are as excited as they are about the answers that are coming. We shall see.

[Chris1529]

realistically, whether you race NHRA or IHRA or mud race, or whatever,
when the vast majority of sportsman have north of $125,000-$150,000+ in truck, trailer, motorhomes, cars, pit bikes, generators, etc, and the purse is $1000-$1500, the sanctioning bodies obviously see no reason to increase purses....or decrease entry fees for that matter.

....think about it.

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by Chris1529

realistically, whether you race NHRA or IHRA or mud race, or whatever,
when the vast majority of sportsman have north of $125,000-$150,000+ in truck, trailer, motorhomes, cars, pit bikes, generators, etc, and the purse is $1000-$1500, the sanctioning bodies obviously see no reason to increase purses....or decrease entry fees for that matter.

....think about it.

^^ good point.
Never thought of the subject from that angle.

[Randall Klein]

I think the powers that be take note of sportsman racers "in-line" 2-3 days early to get a good pit spot.

They could double the purse and its still a drop in the bucket, or they could cut it in half and not lose many entries

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Chris1529

realistically, whether you race NHRA or IHRA or mud race, or whatever,
when the vast majority of sportsman have north of $125,000-$150,000+ in truck, trailer, motorhomes, cars, pit bikes, generators, etc, and the purse is $1000-$1500, the sanctioning bodies obviously see no reason to increase purses....or decrease entry fees for that matter.

....think about it.

I was in the tower with a Division Director some years ago just basically bi**hing about my inability to make any money at his races anymore. He pointed out the window into the pits and told me "Billy, looking out this window at all of those $X00,000 coaches and trailers, they don't seem to have a problem"! "You've got to understand, I don't sanction drag races anymore, I sanction alternative lifestyle weekends"!

....think about that.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

I was in the tower with a Division Director some years ago just basically bi**hing about my inability to make any money at his races anymore. He pointed out the window into the pits and told me "Billy, looking out this window at all of those $X00,000 coaches and trailers, they don't seem to have a problem"! "You've got to understand, I don't sanction drag races anymore, I sanction alternative lifestyle weekends"!

....think about that.

That Division Director needs to look at his business model. Customers with disposable income are good for business. I seriously doubt any of his customers paid for their rigs with purse or contingencies from his races.


It's a really big problem when small time guys like Michael Beard (not a knock at Michael at all, and he knows it) can promote a race, pay good money, and make money, but NHRA can't seem to make it happen at their races. Someone is doing something really wrong, and it sure ain't Michael.

[Bill Diehl]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

That Division Director needs to look at his business model. Customers with disposable income are good for business. I seriously doubt any of his customers paid for their rigs with purse or contingencies from his races.


It's a really big problem when small time guys like Michael Beard (not a knock at Michael at all, and he knows it) can promote a race, pay good money, and make money, but NHRA can't seem to make it happen at their races. Someone is doing something really wrong, and it sure ain't Michael.

That pic in my avatar was taken at union grove Wisconsin 35 years ago,...at that time the closest other track, Byron was paying 1000 to win per week and held the first 10,000 to win cash nationals. George Rupert won that first race. That car to the left was built with an investment of around 10,000 dollars, today those same parts cost nearly 100,000...granted some parts today are better and hence the pricetag


The bottom line is....the payouts or "purse" of today is pitfull, compared to what the return on investment was years ago.


The mindset of "just give everybody a trophy" just does not cut it in the real world...to prove that point, there is less people in the "game" today than there was 35 years ago.


I was watching ESPN several hrs ago and scrolling across the bottom of the screen was all the new "contracts" that basketball stars were signing 15,40 25 30, 12 MILLION dollars for 1,2 and 3 year contracts.


folks....its all about the money period! don't let anybody BS you into otherwise. on that note, I will say that I could care less what anybody else spends on there stuff...but I do care what I can get out my investment as do others ... we can probably fill the next 10 pages with guys that gave parked there stuff because of it


carry on

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

I was in the tower with a Division Director some years ago just basically bi**hing about my inability to make any money at his races anymore. He pointed out the window into the pits and told me "Billy, looking out this window at all of those $X00,000 coaches and trailers, they don't seem to have a problem"! "You've got to understand, I don't sanction drag races anymore, I sanction alternative lifestyle weekends"!

If it is the same conversation I am thinking of, I was sitting right there. The same Division Director also asked the group of racers whether most racers were there to race or for a social event with some racing thrown in. The answer was that for most, it was a social event with some racing thrown in.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

If it is the same conversation I am thinking of, I was sitting right there. The same Division Director also asked the group of racers whether most racers were there to race or for a social event with some racing thrown in. The answer was that for most, it was a social event with some racing thrown in.

Yeah, we have a good time at the races. For us, we get up in the morning, and we flip the "race mode" switch on, and it stays on until we're done for the day. Then the "fun mode" switch gets flipped on, and we get out and enjoy some time away from the rest of the world with our friends. For racers, at least most of us who have a "day job" and/or a business, going races is a much needed vacation, and a chance to compete, something that we're fortunate to enjoy.

When the Nitroplate racer appreciation deal went on at Bristol, we had a lot of the professionals down there having fun, too. Does that make them any less professional? Or any less a racer?

Again, I fail to see how the cost of some racer's rigs, and the fact that we are enjoying ourselves, has anything to do with how poor a business model NHRA follows.