DRC Commentary
 

Below is a commentary from Bobby Bennett on Comp. Plus about us crybaby sportsman racers bemoaning the fact that Kurt Busch may get to race the Gators without any grade points.
Well excuse me,as Steve Martin used to say.We only have to travel and pay Tom Compton's salary to earn the "right" to fork over $280 to race national events.


Quote from Bobby Bennett:
The Lucas Oil NHRA Drag Racing Series and Super Gas division in particular, are sitting on a potential media home run.

To hear some of the discussions in drag racing circles, the prospect has flown over the heads of many who profess to be drag racing experts.

This potential media payday is the prospect of NASCAR star Kurt Busch racing Super Gas at the upcoming NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

The possibilities are endless. The media exposure the sport of drag racing and one of its most obscure sportsman divisions could obtain staggers the mind. Kurt Busch gets coverage serving hamburgers in Atlanta while the world of drag racing struggles to get mentions of actual racing events.

While the sport of drag racing community should be licking its chops at the prospect of a bite from NASCAR’s once impenetrable market share [at least for drag racing], you have many message boards and Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com readers demanding this media magnet scratch the notion from his head.

In their eyes, the thought of Busch drag racing isn’t the issue, nor is it his talents as a driver or the neat-looking classic Mopar he plans to drive. Busch dares to want to compete without the necessary grade points required for the average drag racer to gain admission to a national event.

Sometimes I wonder if some can truly see the forest for the trees. In perusing the debates and reading our emails, it has become clear the Average Joe demands the NHRA cut their nose off to spite their face.

So let’s look at why the NHRA adopted their grading point procedure in the first place. The requirement was put in place to ensure the higher funded sportsman teams would visit their divisional events instead of passing them by to run rival sanctions. The best example was when former Comp racer David Nickens passed over several of the NHRA divisional races with his Comp car to partake in the IHRA’s Factory Modified division, a heads-up and no breakout division. The class was billed as a junior Pro Stock division.

The NHRA made it known Nickens, if you want to run the nationals, then you have to run the little races. Thus was born the David Nickens rule, also known as grading points.End quote............................................. .................................................. ...............
How many other so called superstars from other sports have come in and raced in sportsman races,some at divisions included,and in the end haven't done a damn thing to
enlightened the public enough to have them break down the gates to see us race.The
NHRA biggies all got to rub elbows with them and get their 15 minutes of fame.

Re: DRC Commentary
 

Good then I shouldnt have any problems getting in the Gators with no Grade points either.

Im famous right ?

:D:D:D


Ohhhh......Infamous...ok....little different.

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Bobby Bennett has no affiliation with DRC.

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Sorry,should have said Comp Plus site.Still a bull$hit commentary.

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MEDIA PAYDAY my *****.

Don't forget to check all your local newspapers a watch all the tv you can Mr.Bennett Then please post all the coverage you see about this great media blitz.

There will not be one article about this you idiot.

Mr. Bennett will call Wind Tunnel TO tell Dave about it .that might be the only coverage.

MEDIA PAYDAY thats funny

HAMMER

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First off, I have a major problem with the phrase "average drag racer". I wasn't aware that there was a rule book for "average" drag racers, "pretty good drag racers", "professional drag racers", or "famous people who want to be drag racers". I thought there was just a "rule book".

Is it a major media happening? Absolutely. Great, so garner that media attention also at the LODRS events at which you have to earn your grade points, if you're really interested in Super Gas racing.

OR, if it's a one-shot deal and he's not actually interested in Super Gas racing, then let him make exhibition runs. He *is* famous, and it *is* a neat car.

$.02,

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Just for the fun of it, put up the money for a protest. I know in Super Gas the rules are wide open, but there has to be something protest-able.

Boy am I glad I didn't renew this season, the NHRA has gotten stupider and stupider. LOL

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Does this mean we don't have to go by what is written in the rule book.NHRA doesn't go by their own rules that they wrote.
Makes you wonder.
Do you think they would let Greg Anderson or any other nhra star enter a cup race if they just showed up with a car?

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They're looking for big car counts like the old days?? Hell, do away with grade points altogether....If you can pass tech, pay the entry fee, are a licensed driver, come and try to make the field....lets have 300+ stockers and another 300+ superstocks, and another 600 of the other Sportsman class competitors show up for a National event----just like it used to be....WJ;)

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Thanks Ed,I knew I could count on you.

Ed

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Kurt Bush will generate about as much coverage as all of the rest of the B.S. that was supposed to get drag racing huge amounts of media coverage. :rolleyes:

:eek:

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Is Kurt Busch an NHRA member? Does he have a competition #/License? Since this is a 9.90 category, he would have had to have made qualifying runs -- 3 -- and signed off by either an instructor or licensed drivers. Any of you out there sign off for him?

Maybe NHRA is like the government -- make the rules, then break them when it is convenient.

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I don't see a problem with him being allowed to race. I'm sure if any of you were as well known as Busch, then you would be allowed in without a grade point. They'll be plenty of room on the entry quota for him and he is driving a Mopar, don't they sponsor a few races?

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Seems to me I read he attended Hawley's School for his license.. But the grade points are another thing!!!!

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I don't care if he races there.....but I'm concerned about my fellow super gas racers getting into a wreck trying to line up against him 1st round.....lol

Rock

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Let's not all of us fly off the handle !
There are 2 sides to consider before writing your opinions which are viewed by a lot of racers. I for one agree that we have Grade point rules that are required for us to race in national events and I do that every year, 8 divisionals and 12 nationals events.
From an NHRA standpoint we need to consider that this has been the worst recession I've seen in in 40 yrs. and they need to do everything possible to promote these events, even it means bending rules. Car counts are down. Fan attendance is down and Sponsors are down.
I welcome Kurt in Super Gas in Gainesville and I not worried about the rules or all the Rambling BS on here and other forums ! We all need to maintain a level of respect wether we agree or not.
As far as Bobby Bennett is concerned, I've known Him for a number of years and he is a stand up first class act that writes non biased articles that most enjoy.
This is a real Racers opinion.

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Jerry Glanville may have pulled off a similar stunt about ten years ago at Atlanta. He tried to make several Time Trial passes with a 50 Merc. Not sure if he had the grade points to be there.

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Ding, ding, ding! Solution being: Eliminate grade points. (and not for just a handful of celebrities)

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Busch went to Roy Hills school. He was on Pass Time to make a pass at Z-MAX.

Hammer

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Busch spent three or four days in December getting schooled in drag racing in Roy Hill's Pro Stock car with encouragement from his friend Greg Anderson. In January, he got his NHRA S/G license at Roy Hill's school at Charlotte.

I can fully understand the problems some have with his entering a national event without any grade points. Rules are rules, or at least they should be.

I do find it a bit unusual that his entry has far more people upset in Stock and Super Stock than it does those in the .90 classes. The car he'll be racing has a turbo charged hemi under the hood, and is reported to be street legal with no delay box or throttle stop. I can envision a traffic jam in the staging lanes caused by S/G drivers wanting to pair up with Busch in round one eliminations!

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I don't think this is about Kurt racing at the Gator National. The media attention, I don't think is going to happen. There have been several special occasions published and neither tv nor newspapers ever even mentioned any of them.

This is about the rules. He should have license and every thing required by the current rule book. If he had his paperwork up to date, the car passed tech inspection and he had grade points then he goes racing any where he wants to race. I would be the last person to say he should not be allowed to race. I have complained about this grade point system ever since I found out about it two years ago. I started back racing just in time for the Z-Max track to open. Tried to enter the race after being away for 25 years and was told not with out grade points. Who ever made the comment "do away with grade points and let's go racing. See how the car count improves." I agree.

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Michael,
I agree that NHRA needs to review most of their Sportsman policies, and I'm not sure why they haven't, that surely is a question for the Sportsman Reps. Where are they and what are they doing ?

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We're not talking IHRA here. If the NHRA eliminates grade points and no way of policing entrys, then you'll have people sitting at the computer waiting to register at the second the event opens up for entrys. Then it ends up being first come first come for entry to national events. While we're at it, why not suggest NHRA eliminate pre-entry to national events. That's a good way to overcrowd the pits and classes! Someone who is a "name" sports person and has received their license, etc. should be allowed entry to an event now and then. If they decided to race on a more regular schedule, then they should be required to obtain some grade points. Can't see this as a bad thing.

Who wouldn't want race Kurt Busch or some other big name sports person.

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I just looked at the entry list for Gainesville and his name is not on it yet. I would assume that he has until 1 P.M. Pacific time Monday 3-8-10 to get entered. If he gets in after the cut-off time on top of having no grade points, this would be nothing short of a slap in the face of the many sportsman racers that have played by the rules year after year.




Hey Dan Moore, you're #1. :D

RIP Mark Graham

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Bring back Len Imbrogno!

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I wonder where he would get to pit? With all the other sportsman in the grass? Doubtfull.

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it is kinda messed up bc i had to wait a full yr to get enough grade points to even go some one like that is "famous" but still should have grade points i am with you Michael he should go and get grade points like me

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hey, i just got 1 question....who's kurt busch?

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May's son.
Gotta be old to understand that.

I think the grading system is a fair one on the whole.You are rewarded for your participation.Gee isn't that something considering the entitlement world we live in now.
Maybe Mr Busch should go to some divisionals and hone his skills,both from a performance and safe driving perspective.
Practice,practice,practice makes you a better and safer driver.
It will be interesting to see just how active he'll be in NHRA Super Gas competition.

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Why in the world would he want to come back to that mess ...

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We also can't be hypocritical -- Nobody complained about Don Garlits entering in Stock last year at Indy and is now entered at Gators without grade points. I know no one is upset about that. Yet, if rules are rules ...

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Bobby,did you get a poison pen letter from someone claiming to be me?
I'm on Asher's ***** list already,I don't want to add to it.

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You are NOT on Asher's list I promise you that.

You made valid points in your email to us and there's a day coming when we will have no limitations in regards to your request. Once that happens, it will be on like Donkey Kong. But for now, unfortunately we all have to recognize our limitations.

Hey Ed, I'm still wounded from the dismantling of Modified eliminator. The greatest class in drag racing.

If you notice, our Project White Wagon will be an old school SS/E Modified with a stick shift and small block.

Just reiterate -- you aren't on Jon's crap list.

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he is a nascar racer and he does not have any grade points and went to the gator nats u need 5 to go to a nationa event

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BIG got in indy and gainsville under the former world champ rule
i think he was a champ sometime before i was born being i am just 58
jim

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Bobby that is a 30 year old wound you got there..!!!
It was easily the best category ever ......I was right there in the lanes many times as some of the best moved up to make a run.......

Bring back C/SM and make it like 1979......Spectators might even come to watch a show like that.....


Garlits can race anytime, any class, any event........

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C/Super Mod was okay ...

But F/Gas and E/Modified Production -- that was the bomb ...

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thats don garlits lol i mean why did buch got to super gas?? y not like stock or super stock
adam keir A/SA 1470

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He wouldn't, but I believe all sportsman racers were better served when they had Len as the go-to-guy in Glendora. That's a void that needs to be filled.

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I think the real problem would be,,,,, The first person that is told "NO" not without any grade after Kurt has competed at the Gators.

In legal terms it's called " Precedence"
Rick