CLASS RACER FORUM - Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat event

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Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Kennedy (Post 529605)

Alan : not sure your assessment of NHRA is really accurate > If I were a bean counter and I did not know about Drag racing and I figured out that the sportsman racer brings in appx 3 to 4 million dollars a year or more it would be hard as a bean counter to not see the value of that money coming in especially if it goes away

The problem is that it appears the money brought in by Sportsman drag racing is the ONLY reason NHRA has any regard for it.

Nothing they do impacts the car counts in a meaningful way, so everything must be good, right?

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lenny5160 (Post 529612)

One way to look at the
issues is NHRA is a Business, and most of the time to a drag racer our racing is a Hobby, there has to be a fine line that all can live with and succeed. this is hard to do in some instances.

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Kennedy (Post 529592)

I have been Drag racing since 1963 and in my opinion that the sportsman racer is the minor leagues so to speak .now after stating that I feel the NHRA along with Alan Reinhardt Mike English and Bob Unkerfer, Johnny Moto and other veteran announcers can and should promote the Sportsman racers .These announcers have a Huge following as well as great personality’s and they have the knowledge to talk about the sportsman racers and they also need information to talk about at the event they are the best. NHRA just needs to unleash the criteria with them these announcers can and will make a difference with fans and now talking about the racers . The announcers are kind of doing this now and are gradually going towards the promotion of sportsman racing The fans I talk to are interested in all aspects of racing .They just need to be educated towards the sportsman type of racing . There are many ways to educate the fans and it starts with NHRA . there are literally thousands of stories about sportsman racer that could be told by NHRA . The Dwindling Pros stories have been told hundreds of times and most of the fans have heard them way to many times .The Sportsman racers have better stories as well as the ability to create a huge fan base by NHRA as well as by the racers them selves . There are a huge amount of untold stories about the racers out there and that is one way to get fans in the stands to watch the sportsman racers ,The fans are there to watch racing and just need to educated about us.. I just fell off my soapbox .LOL stay tune I can and will get back on my soap box .:D

you forgot about Brian Lohnes

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Don, I have considerable respect for your opinion, and admire your optimism a great deal.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm still on the path to building or buying a stocker, I'm still working on stuff for my best friend and partner, as well as other people. I have no desire to see the sport I love dearly continue to circle the drain. My goal in life, at 53, is to be like my hero, Jimmy Bridges, and be doing this when I'm well into my seventies and beyond.

That being said, I've crunched the numbers myself, and while we do spend a ton of money with NHRA, I also realize that reality and the long term view often have very little bearing on the modern business plan in America, which is most often based on short term short sighted goals and gains, regardless of the long term.

Even with my love of the sport, and my decision to make every effort to continue, I will not fool myself into believing that NHRA wants us, likes us, and cares about us. To be honest, we're a lot like an abused spouse. We want to believe things will get better, but most often it ends badly.

I do this because I love it. I love my friends, who are family to me, the racers like the Hills, the Welfels, the Walther, the Maggarts, the Tuetons, the Helms family, the Mattinglys, and dozens of others, the staff, Travis Miller, Dave Ley, Bill Floyd, and a dozen others. I plan to keep doing it. I may not keep doing it with NHRA. I plan to build a cool car that I love, a traditional stocker, that will be competitive, even without a soft factor, so whether or not NHRA tanks, or gets rid of us, I'll have a keeper that I'll enjoy.

The flip side is that NHRA has had ample opportunities over the years to improve the lot of the racers. They have chosen to do otherwise every single time. Higher entry fees, more fees, more hassles, worse treatment, they're run off the sponsors. The purse has effectively dropped 75% when you look at contingency payout too.

And if you think they're not inviting these other classes as a way of shopping for a replacement for our classes, you need to take off your rose colored glasses.

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by HR9121 (Post 529575)

It's bad to say but we Stock racers look like our own worst enemy right now talking about quotas. We cried like a bunch of college girls after the election over Gainesville and in the end didn't fill the quota they gave us. I doubt they will want to listen to a whole lot more......

James

It's pretty much the norm to have 10% of the field drop out as the race gets close either due to the car breaking. Car not ready in time or personal issues that may come into play. This year Stock closed at the gators with 5 grade. SS closed at 4. This means the fields were closed at least a month prior to the race. Stock is still over quota at the gators when you count the shoot out cars that were removed from the quota. There was a mad scramble by several racers to get in SS at the last minute. The quota should be adjusted to reflect the average drop out amount.

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Mike I am aware that there normally are a few that drop out but I thought we looked a bit foolish this year after all the stink over the shootout cars taking up quota and then at the end there was not enough to fill the spots vacated. Turns out I would've taken a spot had I not had problems myself at the points race. And yes if we hadn't gotten the shootout cars out there would've been some left out, I just thought myself it would've looked better if all 70 of those spots would've been filled in the end to those that made the decision to pull the shootout cars out in the first place.

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by dartman (Post 529615)

you forgot about Brian Lohnes

Opps he will never forgive me he is ranked right up their.with the best.darn I missed him sorry about that

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Alan, two main points in your post are so damn true;
Like an abused spouse
They're shopping for a replacement.

Spouse abuses the other and no matter what is done they continually keep coming back, now the spouse is seeing someone else in front of them and they're STILL in denial that there is something wrong.
I guess I'm ok with sharing them...wtf??? Maybe it'll get better, wtf???

Local or ihra is the only thing they will understand. Let your feet do the talking, it's obvious there are places that will welcome you outside this "marriage".

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

If everyone banded togeather and boycotted a race, Like Indy, it might open the eyes and minds. If most of the Sportsman racers pulled out and didnt show up? A shot heard around the world.WOW

Re: Nhra strikes again - must read for stk/ss at ned nat eve

Alan You have hit the nail right on the head !!! It's one of the few businesses that I know where you can treat your customers like ##it and they keep comming back for more. It's only for the love of the sport by all us racers pros and sportman that we are still there. Sad they have chased off so many sponsers too. Now if they were making a ton of money I quess we would have a hard time arguing with their logic. But with them loosing money year after year what can they be possible be thinking. We can only hope that they loose enough that they are forced to sell. BP

Alan what combo are you thinking about building? I to have been thinking about jumping back in. I have been looking at the 1970 camaro 402/405 hp or a 1971 corvette either the 454/420 hp or the 350/270 hp. I think I could get either of them to run the index.