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Sent the following letter tonight.

I'm writing in response to the letter by Tom Compton.My name is Ed Fernandez membership #16737.I'm an NHRA member for 32 years and have been a sportsman racer for the same amount of years,a bracket racer from 1977 to 1999 and a Stock Eliminator racer from 1999 to the present.
I find the letter by Mr Compton an insult to every sportsman racer past and present.He addressed the hardships faced by fans,sponsors and plainly evident pro catagory racers and the need to provide relief in these hard times.Sportsman racers
got no mention.We in fact provide a significant monetary contribution to the NHRA in membership and entry fees.In return
I have noticed in my 10 years in class racing that since NHRA has started imposing "enhancements",in the form of higher
entry fees,what I see as unnecessarily high insurance fees for national events,proof of insurance for pit vehicles,long lead tiime for national event entry fees,the inability of the Technical Dept. police rules fairly across the divisions.I could go on but these are just some of the issues facing NHRA Sportsman racers.
A Sportsman Racers group was formed,by NHRA,to work on the betterment of the sport in 2007.Suggestions were made by the members after discussions with racers throughout the country.Our reps cme back with the news that no actions were ever taken.Some of the members,long time and well respected racers,resigned in disgust.
We pay dues,high entry fees and in return we get low paybacks,sponsors who either make you wait months for a check.Some dont pay at all after posting.And most important we get no say in matters that affect our participation in
NHRA racing.
This coming season will be a learning experience for everyone racers,fans,sponsors and NHRA management.We can all go forward or our sport will fade away into obscurity.Sportsman racers have done their part,supporting the NHRA,lets see if Mr Compton and Co will do the same in 2009.

Ed Fernandez
American Graffiti Racing
1945 T/SA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland (Post 100376)

Great letter Ed!

Watta ya think Bruce?Letter on Thursday,teardown at my first race this year?

Ed

and you think you will get a respones from Tom Compton....Silly boy!! :D

Well written Ed. Very well written.

great letter!!!! i have been racing for 20 years (not professionaly ,mostly local stuff) i am planning to race stock elimanator for 2009 and have been going thru the political bull of putting together a legal engine and i have to tell you i am having second thoughts of even entering my first race just from the talk of what's going on,my engine machinist is still waiting clearfication on the heads that he had emailed the nhra technical group two weeks ago(to many grey areas to bounce you from an event ,i had started this quest for the few reasons that i want to be part of a sport that it takes craftyness and inginuty to make these cars go the numbers that they go,there are people who have the money to pay for the best and there are people who dont have have the money but have the" mechanical common sense" to put it all together a combo from the resources that they have and those are the guys/gals that get the most satisfaction out of racing and will beat some of the high dollar racers ,i always say to my self if i had money i would be dangerous, but like most of us we have a real life (house,car loans,kids,payments),i would like to attend a few divisionals and may be get enough credits to race in a national event,just to be a part of it,but i have to tell you,it sounds like gloom and doom,i have attended several national events as a spectator and i have to admit that from what i saw, sportsman racing is a huge part of the show,the pro class is just cubic money that is not obtainable from the average joe,maybe the 2009 season is the year that a sanctioning body will come to grips and say "we need the sportsman racer" but just like wall street and the housing industry it will be to late and it will crash ""greed takes away from the fun"" just from my side of the fence gmonde

I read that letter (Not Ed's) about three times and came away with this thought.
Even though the NHRA is a "non profit",can it file for bankruptcy?
Maybe I'm reading too much into it,but there seems to be quite a bit of doom and gloom if you read between the lines.Maybe they are getting ready to ask the government for a bailout.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland (Post 100395)

Ed, you'll be fine.

Yeah, they'll pick on his adopted son instead since he's already been apart in the last 2 years!

Great letter Ed, however I certainly don't have any faith in the NHRA actually addressing any of your very legitimate concerns. It is my belief that the NHRA's attitude toward Sportsman racers was clearly demonstrated by their disgraceful treatment of the SRAC.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superfan1 (Post 100527)

Great letter Ed, however I certainly don't have any faith in the NHRA actually addressing any of your very legitimate concerns. It is my belief that the NHRA's attitude toward Sportsman racers was clearly demonstarated by their disgraceful treatment of the SRAC.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1

I dont expect to get an answer or a positive move on the points I've made.I just hope a bunh of others would send a notr to NHRA@NHRA.COM to let these know just how we feel about the way they are
running our sport into the toilet.

Ed

The letter is very thoughtful and professional, unfortunately it will fall on deaf ears. I work with corp. america
in NYC everyday, and one thing I have learned is action is the only thing that brings change. If most racers did not attend National/divisional events for even a half a season it would send notice to the NHRA.
Of course this cannot happen because some racers do this for a living and most racers will complain and still pre enter events. IHRA may be small compared to NHRA but if racers want to race (we all love racing),
then race locally or race only IHRA for half a season and see the results.

SS/EM 161
QUICKROD 161

Great letter Ed. I too was concerned about the lack of mention of sportsman racers. Unfortunately that's the world we live in. The little guys always seem to get shorted. It's not right and I don't like to accept it, but... However, I don't agree with you about the lack of anything being done with racer input. There were changes made with input from the SRAC. I have to agree that not everything was accepted, but some is better than nothing. I also have to agree that the role of the SRAC has somewhat diminished over the year, but I'm not sure we need to give up.

John, It sounds like it's time for you to do another meeting and follow-up article with NHRA officials and selected racers and sponsors as you have done in the past. Your articles were a great tool in facing off with NHRA, in a publicized format, on important issues and keeping the challenges involved in sportsman drag racing in the public eye

These last two posts come from two good men with some insightful thoughts. Just wish they could do more......

hey ed,

did you really write that letter?? it made way too much sense...call me so we can go see tommy.

joe