Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

You keep bringing up racers that were at the Nitro Jam but not at he sportsman race. Couple of possibilities why.
1. I do not believe they had Buy backs at the Nitro Jam. (not that I am close or have the car ready) but that would keep me from showing up to a race like this.
2. Maybe they did not like something about the way things went at that race. That is pure speculation on my part but a very real possibility.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Gary?....Gary?....Helloooo! Gary...Where'd you go??

Hey, wake up, its time for another post.

RJ

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Gary, glad your happy with your car and hey if it works for you, the more power to ya...but if you don't mind me asking what were your total expenses to go to San Antonio?

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Maybe it finally sunk in to Gary that there are actually racers who do not want to race at an IHRA event.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Gary,

I have a super comp (quick rod) dragster and drive a stocker for the Marlow family, who were at the event. I run one of the cars at nhra events only because of college commitments. Anyhow, I have an outside shot in super comp to get into the allstars, so I knew we would be coming to belle rose this weekend. We didn't want to endure multiple days of heat for weeks in a row. If I'd had known that it was going to be Saturday only, I would have been there.

It may have been a good paying race, but let's be honest, this sport ain't about money. It's about having fun, and how much fun is two weekends in a row with high heat. So instead, I sat out by the pool and had a great time with family.

And last, you can hate on TEXAS (and them longhorns) all you want, but don't talk bad about my aggies.

Thanks and gig em,
Austin Williams

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Sorry for it taking awhile to get back here, but I don't have personal internet access, so I use either my leasing offices business center, or my local libraries computer. Now as for your post I have to offer one important correction to your first part, since I have no way of knowing about the second part; buy-backs and re-entry are two different things, and here's why:

1. A buy back allows every person who bought back into the race to get into the succeeding elimination rounds, from the one they lost in.

2. Re-entry allowed first round losers to race against other first round losers, and only the winners of that group would advance to succeeding elimination rounds.

3. If each class would've had 64 cars in attendance at the race, then re-entry wouldn't have been an option, so all Stock needed was 54 more cars (which for the largest BY FAR payout a sportsman legal class has ever offered at a track on the west side of the great Mississippi River, I don't understand why it didn't get that), and this wouldn't have been an issue!

Per Frank Kohutek, if there were issues with the track or the race itself, then they need to be addressed to IHRA, and or Frank....you can't fix a problem if the problem isn't made known to those who can fix it, right??? I won't be asking them about anything, because I lowered my tire pressure 2lbs, didn't do a burnout, and still enjoyed similar 60ft times to what I had last year (even in the slightly cooler March temperatures). If someone had an issue, then they should've let Frank know about it. I think it's crazy that this event had the poorest Stock & Super Stock attendance of any race like it, and yet it paid the highest (by far) non-contingency purse any D4-D7 race will have this season...and especially for only a $200 entry fee!!!???

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Please see the note I wrote above your name Austin, I was soo eager to start this that I wrote my reply above your name.... :)

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Gary, I applaud your effort in trying to promote IHRA out west as an alternative.
I'm not a huge fan of The Big "N" anymore.
In fact , I allow IHRA cars to run our combo events and qualify off their indexes, providing the weight breaks are different, and you have the appropriate credentials.

But quit complaining about the NHRA indexes!
The next time you want to travel 2400 miles to race, instead, bring the money to me, and you won't have to worry about running under the index here.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

About **500 to **600 bucks. However, for a race like this it was worth it. You have to even compare it to Marks race, in that his race charged only **100 dollars less, yet the payout was much less than half of this race. Furthermore, this race had world championship possibilities....

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Really Gary?
You went roughly 2400 miles. IF you got 18 miles per gallon that's 133.33 gallons @ **3.75 a gallon is **500.00 just in truck fuel.
Where did you stay?
Where did you eat?

Championship possibilites???? What???? Even if you would have won that race, how would that make you a championship contender????

Mark is right, quit bitching about the NHRA indexs!

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you spent **500 to **600 on your car???? That is **500 to **600 on parts to make it go faster????

Maybe you should find better ways to spend your hard earned money. We all invest in our cars to keep up with the class and the competition. Why shouldn't you have too?

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

OK Gary, heres your chance:
Races will be held this weekend Sat & Sun (June 9-10) at Thundervalley (Marion, SD)
This means TWO races with only ONE tow.

Sat-**1250 to WIN and **600 R/U

Sun-**2500 to WIN and **1000 R/U

The Entree Fee is **85 PER DAY

Time Trials: Sat- 2:30pm, 3:30pm, & 4:30pm First round at 5:30pm
Sun: 9:30am & 10:30am (2 only) First round at 11:30am

First round winners get **75
Scales will be open for BOTH days

NO bitching about high entry fees at this track. NO bitching about supporting an NHRA track, it's IHRA. NO bitching about NHRA indexs, were using IHRA. NO bitching about poor payout......3750.00 dollars if you can win both days. Hell, even if you don't make it past 2nd round, you'll almost get your entry fee back.

And it's only about 2800 miles round trip.

SEE YA SATURDAY ??

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Just my opinion.
All you guys fuss about payouts and here is a race that pays just about as much to win as the entire division 4 schedule and you stil won't show.
If you don't want to come so be it, but quit fussing about payouts.
I bet if NHRA put this same race on there would be 200 s/ss cars show
Chip

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

And that right there about sums it up Chip.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

IHRA's Tournament of Champions concept has been going on since 2009. National event winners qualify for the TOC, and San Antonio was a TOC qualifier event. The TOC winner is crowned the World Champion and wins **10K, Ironman, Gold Card, etc. Although its been marketed for years and discussed on this forum, evidently the message has not been received.

I missed that requirement in the country club membership. :rolleyes:

Mostly agree, although with NHRA it'd be a **400 entry with **90 insurance, **42 fire safety fee, **10 trash disposal fee, **10 pit vehicle fee, etc, etc... ;)


Wonder why dollar signs are now showing up as **? Here I thought Gary was just being weird! LOL

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Michael, as you know there isn't much IHRA activity in my area so to answer your question, no I did not know that winning one race would make you a "World Champion".



Are you saying you don't invest money into your cars performance, whether it be big or small?
Or perhaps a better question to ask would be if you knew you couldn't perform at a level equal to your competitors or even run the index, which area would you look to change: The sanctioning body or your own program?

Not looking to start a fight here but I met Gary about 7 years ago. When the rule got changed to having to run .45 under on a single to get the Wally, he was mad. When the rule got changed to no more singles but a combo instead, he was mad. When the indexs got lowered, he was mad. It's always NHRA's fault with Gary.

This is the way I see it. For many of us, NHRA is where we choose to play. If you don't like it, so be it. But don't constantly tell me how bad NHRA is and how I need to switch to IHRA. I certainly don't and wouldn't say that to you about IHRA.

To say that Mark's races are unworthy of his presence is an insult. Mark works hard to put on these races as do all promoters. If he doesn't want to go, that's fine. My guess is he most likely won't be welcome.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Two. ;-) One to qualify, another one to win. (The merits of which have been debated... I've won with the old points system, and under the TOC format. They're both hard, just different. Easier to "qualify" and have a shot at it, but it's a big All Star race full of assassins when you get there.)

Not at all. I've spent a *lot* of money not only making my Volare into a NHRA-legal Super Stocker, but also put a lot of money into my Turismo stocker as well. I wasn't debating the merits of "should" or "would" someone spend money, but rather the perceived *requirement* of spending money to be "accepted".

Although I agree that 7 years is a substantial amount of time to either step up or choose to race elsewhere (the latter of which he has done), that doesn't necessarily automagically validate all of the decisions that NHRA has made. Most people don't give a hoot about the FWD classes because they don't have one themselves. The class structure and indexes *are* screwed up. As I've mentioned before, if "big car" drivers were faced with similar circumstances, there would be torches and pitchforks, and even online polling. :p LOL!


Didn't mean to get the topic off-track, and I don't take issue with you personally at all. I understand what you were getting at.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Jason, I wasn't here to talk squarely at the anti-IHRA people, I was (as you should've recalled in my first post), looking at the (example) 14 racers who were at the March Nitro Jam race, but weren't at this one (when it paid 5x's as much and for only **200 dollars! To those of you who like paying **305 dollars to race for only **1,500 (at best) per national event, more power to you. However, IHRA is trying to give us options for our racing dollars without gouging our bank accounts to do it, and I'm all for it. I want the most bang for my buck, which is also why I don't go to my local tracks with my stocker. Sorry Gary H, and Mark Y., it makes more sense to me to go to a race or two like this than many like that, when I wear my car out less, and race for more money....

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

Well now i'm not sure about your math, 500. or 600. hundred dollars for a 2000, plus round trip with entry, fuel, lodging, food, So i guess you drove the car you raced there, slep in it, picked up pop cans during your trip to help with entry fee's and dug though garbage cans for food, stoled your race fuel from somebody when they wheren't looken, who am i doing so far, I know not so good but let's face it it cost alot more than that!!!!!

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

So what you are saying is you race for money and not so much the enjoyment of the racing experience? I prefer to race, I could care less about the payout. It's not about the payout. When I have to worry about the payout I will find another hobby. My first social security check will be here in two weeks then look out.

Re: Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???
 

I may have replied to your message before, but I have to congratulate you on being close to being an allstar contestant (I hope you made it in...I haven't checked it out yet so I don't know). As far as this race being a good paying race, I'll say that most NHRA/IHRA national/divisional events are "good" paying races. However, for this payout (sans contingency postings), this was a great paying race, and given that most divisionals only pay stockers **1,000 per race, and charge anywhere from **135 (IHRA only), to **170-175 D1 NHRA, you were able to enjoy one race for the cost of two, but with the payout of FIVE!!! With all due respect to your racing more for fun than money...if I felt that way, then I'd race my car as a No-box or Sportsman bracket racer. However, it isn't just for the fun factor that I do this, and thus why I don't get caught up in local races like Gary Hansen suggested. Furthermore, I would prefer my participation go to races with more bang for the buck (which is why I chose this race over the races that Mark Y. puts together...other than burnout issues I've had there at Speedworld).

My whole point of this thread was about you D4 racers who were hounding IHRA to host such an event, and when you got it...didn't show up for it. It was a toss up between Texas and North Carolina (per Skooter Peaco), and you all won out based on all of the requests for such an event. However, after this (exceptionally) meager showing here at the event, that's the only reason I spoke of the Tarheel state being the future benefactors of this race over you all here in Texas. It was worth the investment to try and not only earn **5k, plus have a shot at the IHRA World Championship, but get an Iron Man Trophy, and bragging rights to being the first Stock Eliminator Champion at the (now 1st and only) San Antonio Raceway "Summit Sportsman Spectactular....but thanks to that pretty sad turnout, there won't be another one. My love of good racing for a decent dollar is worth more than the funds I spent to go there....besides it may have been 3x's as far as 'Vegas, but spending **305 dollars for a national event, plus **180 for towing fuel (round trip), plus hotel accomodations of likely **150-**300 (I had friends to stay with in San Antonio, just to race for a posted purse (non-contingency) of **1,200-**1,500? I think I had much better odds participating in the race I went to, and just missed the good money (GUARANTEED!!!), by two rounds? I feel I made the better choice, and would do it again if I could. However, now I have to hope that Utah will woo IHRA, since Texas dropped the ball....