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

Don't mess with Gary...he'll put you on the trailer! :D

http://static.dragracecentral.com/st..._12/sant16.jpg

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

Well someone finally came out and said it. That is why many NHRA racers do not attend IHRA races...they just do not want to be there!!!!!!

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

I'd prefer it be in Texas, so I wouldn't have to travel 2,000 miles to participate in it (1,000 miles was hard enough...ONE WAY), but thanks to the state/div. that begged IHRA for this race, and then didn't support it, well I guess I'll have to hope that Salt Lake City will get one (if IHRA chooses to create a forth race like this), and I'm certain that Divisions 5, 6, & even 7 will support it better than those of you who ran the Nitro Jam race, but chose to stay home for this one did!!! :(

Ed Carpenter, I'm sorry to hear about your engine, and thus you have a more than credible reason for not being there. The weather wasn't that bad, and it was cool compared to my cities weather today, and I'm sure there racing at all of the Az. tracks tonight, and the coolest of them is Tucson (only because they're more than 2,000ft elevation), but it's hotter here in Phoenix now (7:50pm pst), than it was at 1pm cst there last Saturday...just saying....

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

I would double your bet, especially in North Carolina!!!

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

I don't whine and cry Harry, I just don't accept the status quo when it screws with the racing I care about most (especially when those who get to enter races for free, get most of the tv coverage, color photos in dragster, and get the best pit spaces anywhere they go...go enter the Mopar Mile High Nationals, and I hope they place your rump in the North 40, and then you let me know how you liked being somewhere isolated from most of the fans, the track, and most all of the action there)!

This wasn't any old race...it was the highest paying race west of the Mississippi, and we had a great chance to support it, and it wasn't!!!

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

Gary, my friend, I believe you towed about 2,400 miles for the IHRA race. You seem to be upset with NHRA for the payout and entry costs?????? Gary, you are making no sense, you could go to Speed World (here in Phoenix and 10 miles from me) and bracket race and make more money. How much did you win by making your trek to San Antonio???? You do what you want, its your money....it just doesn't make sense to me (but I'm none to smart).

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

Harry, you're starting to remind me of someone back east who's retiring from our sport? I surely hope not....fyi, this is only my third race so far of the year, and my first Stock Eliminator type of race. I work my butt off during the non-racing weeks, so as to build up the funds for a race like this.....I put so much effort into this race, because I want IHRA to establish itself here in the west as they have in the east for so long. Obviously there are those here who scoff at what the IHRA doesn't do right, and to them let me ask, what about what the NHRA doesn't do right? Was it right for them to raise our entry fees in the mid-'00's when our economy was going down? NO! Was it right for them to raise our competition number, license, and membership fees during the same time, and reason? NO!! Was it right for them to lower our indexes by .30 seconds, and change our altitude correction factors to Super Class levels (now making it impossible for once competitive lower budget cars like mine, to now not be able to even run the index anymore)? HELL NO!!!

It may not keep people like you from patronizing them, but now that I have an option for my meager racing dollar, I'm trying to make the most of it, and I thank Frank Kohutek, Scooter Peaco, and all of IHRA for there even wanting to break the NHRA monopoly out west. You've got a bit of nerve telling me that I whine and cry...that's what some of you did to convince IHRA to bring this race here to your state, and why? So they could take a high dollar bath? How would you like it if you have a business and some of your customers did to you what those of you who raced S.A.R. in March, but wouldn't (if your cars were intact and race ready), and didn't (without credible reasons, like family matters, or work committments), attend the biggest paying race your state will have for seven different categories this year? I wanted your Texas race to thrive, and especially a race of this magnatude, but who the hell am I? I'm just a racer who gives a damn about a special race at a great price....far more than I can say for NHRA!!!

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

Not just that Gary, how easily you forget that NHRA:

1. Lowered our indexes by .3 seconds...not very good for meager budget racers like myself, who had competitive race cars, but now not so much...especially at altitude tracks.

2. Speaking of altitude tracks, changing our correction factors to Super Class figures, instead of our own traditional factors that were more fair and jest for the higher up tracks like 'Vegas, and Bandimere Speedway.

3. Not just the entry costs, and payouts, but the competition and membership costs, they didn't have to raise them, but thanks to the former "Governator", he's why they did!

I've always had an issue with Speedworld and their too long burnout patches. They always want you to pull forward of the water, but since my car is fwd and I need my rear tires to be on dry ground so my parking brake can do for me what your line lock does for your car, I need to be back there, and they won't let me...nor will they shorten their burnout patches, so no me! Their entry fee for Sportsman is 1/4th of what this race cost me, yet their winners purse was/is no more than $400-$500 bucks, while I could race for much more money at that event....but not anymore thanks to D4 and Texas' racers!

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

If you attended the Nitro Jam race, and didn't go to this one, then I'm the least of your concerns....as Alan showed, all of you who attended that race, but didn't attend this one will be asked why you didn't show up for it, by them??? Don't worry I'll quit messing with TEXAS, but I'm going to shake my head in dismay because you all asked for this race, got it, but didn't support it even to the level that your Nitro Jam race was supported. I thus have no problem blessing the North Carolinians who're going to get this race next year, to start getting ready for it. Now that I know how well you TEXAN'S gave a damn about this race, I wish they would've gotten it this year...it would've given me more funds for the Salt Lake City race coming up the end of this month! Heck, I'll bet the turnout will be better for that race, than San Antonio had to endure for their race. I tell you one thing, should IHRA try this again, I hope they send it to Salt Lake City, because I'll bet they get more cars there, for it than this race received....Frank, what do you think about a "Rocky Mountain Raceway" "Summit Sportsman Spectacular"???? I like the idea!!!!! :)

On the behalf of Scooter Peaco, Frank Kohutek, and especially the San Antonio promoter "Freddie Cruz", I'm disheartened, to see that the second largest state and division of eligible racers, produced the weakest turnout of semi-pro class racers to any big-time event ever held, in recent history of any HRA!!!!

As I said before, enjoy it North Carolina, because it's coming to your track, and although you're too far for me to enjoy racing with you all, I'll surely be on Drag Race Central, and looking forward to my Drag Review magazine to read up on the results....I guess Tar Heels are more worthy than Longhorns afterall! I didn't want to believe that, but after last weekend, I don't have a choice, and next year when they get this race, that statement will be proven.

Big 12 states, you could've helped them out, I'm from a Pac 12 state, and I reduced my quantity of racing events, so I could support your effort to show yourselves worthy of this special race. Terry Emmons even told Jerry he should've brought his car there, but that's just one more entrant, this race deserved a full pit area, and barely filled half of it, and that's mainly due to the Box, No Box, and Junior Dragster racers who showed up to make the race look better....... :(

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

That's a nice picture, I hope I can add it to my profile, because the 2nd round was the quarter finals, so I won my entry fee back, and I avenged my loss last year to George McMillen, this time he endured the thousandts of a sec. loss like I did then. Hemi Moose, I like the Hemi part of your nickname, because if money were no object, I'd be racing an old school hemi in either a Dart, Savoy, or Coronet!!! However, I believe in this car and know what it's capable of when the owner/driver/tuner gets his stuff together, and I won my first race this year against some imports to prove it!!!