NHRA Positive?
 

Found myself in an awkard situation earlier this week and I thought I would share with you. Built Stocker for 2004 so I could race at Nat'l & Div. events close to home, kind of a dream come true deal. Well,didn't know what to say to family and friends as to why I'm not able to race at Madison in Stock this year!!! HELP!!! It's just hard to stay positive about NHRA anymore, Member since 1982, 2010 will be last. Tony Tosto, #3050 A/S.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

I just spoke to a friend that was collecting parts for a '90's Mustang to run SS/GT. He didn't like the way things looked on the horizon so he just sold all of his parts. He parted it out before they became one with the car.

Another friend has a '70 AMX he was building for D/S. The car is painted, wired, has 4WDB's with dual caliper rear, interior is all complete with roll-bar; everything but the engine and trans. He's just leaving it in the barn as it's not worth what he has in it and he says to race NHRA he might as well throw his money into a fire.

My car's been parked two years now. I'm thankful I paid for the work getting done because it sure wouldn't be in today's budget. I don't feel any real urgent need to get it all done tomorrow.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

Tony and Jeff...well said.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

In the past, it was easy for me to complete a buildup, now, not easy. In fact, to remain upbeat and focused toward completion is a constant struggle. In talking with other racers I find this lack of "excitement" to be common. Bracket racers, class racers, many are struggling. And the struggle is not easily defined. I hear racers saying "I'm just laying out for a while" "maybe I'll run some next season"

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

im sorry with the title of the post i thought someone in glendora had tested positive for mind altering substances :)

the only thing positive i can say about nhra is they are REAL GOOD at screwing us !

captain

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

I would think that in tough times a business would partner up with its customers to determine what is best for its survival. The NHRA seems to turn its back on the customer (sportman wise) and continually do things to turn customers away.
X-NHRA member of 30 plus years.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

The best part of the NHRA events is catching up with friends that, due to distances, you rarely get to see. We are very spoiled up in D1. The guys that work for D1 are a great bunch and we have an awesome group of racers up here. In the end it's not the runs down track, it's the people you meet and come to be friends with that make it fun.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

Its funny you wrote this as my wife brought it up the other day when she was looking at a sportman schedule in a old dragster. I have been busting my *** for the last year building a stocker, spending every extra min in the shop working on it, I have been taking every bit of work in the shop (even the stuff that I would not touch with a 10 foot pole before) so I cold afford the best or what I thought was the best for this car. At this point I am lacking a set of heads (got the heads just need the work done on them), ring and pinion and a converter, nothing that I cant get in a reasonable amount of time. Then all the stuff started over what the specs are going to be for stock head cc's and I slowed up a bit then I found out no stock at gateway (my home track for bracket racing) and it came to almost a complete halt. At this point I am going to wait and see if NHRA makes a decision on the head rule for next year and try and be out late in the year. I dont know if I could have been ready and had the points necessary to get into Gateway but I can assure you if they had stock I would have made a better effort I know NHRA has their reasons for not running all the classes at every race but you would think in toughf times when car counts are down they would change things a little to help their bottom line and keep the guys that are still racing happy. OH wait what am I thinking its NHRA

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

You can always run IHRA. AHRA is coming back too.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

My first effort at a serious class car was a stocker in the early seventies. Before the car could be completed, NHRA did away with the class (as it was) and basically offered a choice of running either pure stock or super stock. I opted for the latter and continued tolerating rule changes after that. (I still have a perfectly good 69 Nova with mini tubs which cannot be used as a stocker). Boy, do I wish I would have never cut on that car!

Thirty some odd years later, I began looking into building another car for stock eliminator (decided it would be more cost effective than trying to un-modify the old car) and actually purchased a car for that purpose. Well, with the current state of affairs, which don't need to be repeated here, and having been awarded horsepower before even getting started, I am very reluctant to continue. It seems some things really do never change. Only the circumstances.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

Many people are way too far from an IHRA track, or at least from several, so that they'd have plenty of IHRA races to go to. And AHRA appears to be bracket only.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

I have considered IHRA (no tracks close),am also considering making plans to race with Jim Schaecter's deal, (could bring 4 stick cars) they seem like very nice people. Econmics is a real concern, but it also makes no sense to have a Nat,l event (NHRA) and lock-out certain classes, seems like pure arrogance and discrimination. My take anyway.Tony Tosto, #3050 A/S.

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

C'mon Captain Jack...I thought you know that "NHRA" and "positive" don't belong in the same sentence:rolleyes:.

For those who have accused me of being a "keyboard racer", although I usually let it run off my back here's a newsflash: my complaints, bitching, griping etc. center ONLY around those golf playing knuckleheads from Glendora. Yes, it's true I've never competed at an NHRA event. And, thanks to those bozos, the possibility of that happening is increasingly becoming impossible. They're too tied up with profit taking to see the fishin' pole that dangles the elusive carrot (gradepoints, rules, "enhancements", and now the economy) has just about made it impossible to "get in". I not only speak for myself, but MANY others who continue the struggle trying to catch up. (Hmmm, that pole kind of reminds me of Tom Compton's nose everytime he spews another "enhancement"). People have said "unless you race more often, pay your dues, your opinion will never count". Well it sure ain't from lack of effort. (See proof below).

HEY NHRA, WOULDN'T YOU PREFER TO EVENTUALLY HAVE ME AS THIS KIND OF CUSTOMER, ALBIET FOR MORE REASONABLE FEES, OR WOULD YOU PREFER TO ADD IT TO THE GROWING LIST OF OTHER CLASS CARS WITH "FOR SALE" SIGNS AND SPEND MY MONEY ELSEWHERE? KEEP UP THE ENHANCEMENTS AND THE LATTER WILL BE THE ONLY CHOICE!!! http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...ry_Kiwanis.jpg:mad::mad::mad:

Re: NHRA Positive?
 

Nhra is running their business into the ground. For the few years they are trying to get away from the sportsman racers at national events and mainly focus on the professional catagories which is who 85% of the spectators come to see. I feel that they are trying to slowly get rid of sportsman racing at national events so they could focas more on the pros. I live in louisiana and recently attended the sportsnationals at no problem raceway which had over 550 cars. These were all sportsman cars. I am a big fan of the sportsman cars as my dad used to run a superstocker in the 70's and a comp eliminator car in the 80's. Nhra in my opinion is trying to get rid of sportsman all together which will hurt their organization more then they think. Baton rouge just converted to ihra and they had their first national event their in more than 20 years and it was great. It was run just like nhra did in the 70's and the 80's which was a lot of fun. I have been around racing all my life and i will keep attending nhra races because that is what i love to do , but nhra for the last 5-10 years has been becoming more of a disapointment for me from a sportsmans point of view.