A question for the IHRA guys
 

OK, so I always hear about all the IHRA guys claiming that "a lot of people never give IHRA a chance, come to a race".

I was sincerely planning on doing that next year with the I/SA car, then I looked at the schedule.

Baton Rouge Nitro Jam is the same weekend as the NHRA D4 race in Houston, and the D2 race in Valdosta.

Baton Rouge Pro-Am is the same weekend as the Belle Rose Divisional (50 miles apart no less).

And so far Montgomery is not on the schedule.

I don't want this to turn into a debate over who wrote their schedule when (I know they moved the Belle Rose points race). My point is that IHRA, as the smaller of the organizations, should do everything in its power to avoid schedule conflicts. I'm sure there is a lot of ego involved in not wanting to move a date, and i know its not always easy to do, but if I were running a race series I would make sure that within x number of miles, on the weekend I choose, that I would be the race that people wanted to attend. I would also do everything in my power to make sure that races like Montgomery stayed on the schedule. IHRA D2 seems to have the same problem as NHRA D2, they have forgotten they have members/racers in the Central time zone. If anything I would think the IHRA would try to capitalize on the weak NHRA D2 schedule and get some races in TN, AL, MS, etc. At least they ventured north to the Carolinas.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

I believe nhra dose it on purpose to keep you from running anyplace else. At least you could even run your vette at ihra and not have to run the new cars headsup. If ihra continues on they offer a better option for some. I have been to some of their races and you will run some very sharp racers including some nhra regulars.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

From what I understand, it's not always up to IHRA when to schedule a divisional race because individual tracks have their own schedules and reasons. It's up to the tracks to accept or pass on divisional events also. Don't know what goes on at the negotiating table.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Well it seems that someone is NOT doing thier homework or its done on purpose !

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Chad I agree I think this schedule makes no sense at all. They fuss about car counts then do this. I don't understand.
Chip

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

I may go to the NitroJam race in Baton Rouge as its a few hours closer than any of the others, but I will not miss a division race at No Problem. I was also hoping to go to montgomery.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

I asked here at Tulsa why they (IHRA) scheduled a race the same weekend as Topeka. The answer was "We posted our's first." It was the week before Indy, always that weekend. Texas cars, of course, drove right by on their way to Topeka, then Indy. That was before so many began to go to Bowling Green. They did not seem to grasp they need to accept they are the "Jr Tour", and to draw cars they need to pick weekends NHRA is not racing near by. If the tracks want to draw cars they need to think the same way also. Some guys will go if they don't have an NHRA points or national event they need to attend. Of course, some won't go anyway. Not sure why on that last one.

Probably hard to accept you need to schedule around the "big guys", but sometimes that's life.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Ed,
Jr. TOUR. Come on thats a little harsh would'nt you think. Lot of drivers in IHRA go to NHRA races and do rather well.
Chip Johnson

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Call it what you want, but that is what they need to do if they want to draw more cars.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Chip, I don't think Ed meant any disrespect. I think he was just trying to give a little prespective. Its not a knock against any of the racers that run there, or their talents. Its just a fact, that IHRA is a smaller organization, and less prestigious to many. So a little humility, and attempting to schedule AROUND the NHRA races in the area would go a long way. Thumping their chests and saying "we had our date first" will get you nowhere.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Keep an eye on the baton rouge schedule it may change.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Just my opinion.......they don't expect traditional stockers and super stockers to attend. They are content with production super stockers and crate motor stockers. The advantage in qualifying is a little ridiculous from the crate motor indexes to traditional stocker indexes. Again, just my opinion, and I have raced several races with them in the last ten years.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

That's silly, in my opinion. Why would they NOT want any particular kind of car to show up? :confused: More cars the better, regardless of type.

There are some combinations that could use some HP, but fast "NHRA" cars typically outqualify crate motor cars. If they whacked the crate motor indexes .50, how many more NHRA would show up that wouldn't normally? :rolleyes: They're nothing compared to the CJ's and DP's! LOL I really like the one that's rated 50 HP less than my motor, and runs on a softer index, even after NHRA hit indexes .30! :eek: That's AWESOME. I'm not writing letters to the Tech Dept, I'm writing letters to SANTA! :p

$.02,

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

No problem for SS cars. Div 4 SS is pretty much all NHRA cars anyway. Just not near all of them. I really enjoyed running IHRA last year. Great bunch of guys. Not one problem. Well, I still had to run Slate. :D
Hope everything goes OK so I can run with them some next year.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Some recent sample Nitro Jam qualifying sheets.

Dinwiddie, Virginia-
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...=0#Post6331304

Epping, NH-
http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCSt...r2010#indextop

Budds Creek, MD-
http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCSt...r2010#indextop

Martin, MI-
http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCSt...r2010#indextop

There is no dominance of crate motor cars at a national level. There are more at the top on a divisional level and the region does have a lot to do with it. But it still boils down to "racing" and the regular Stockers don't have to worry about heads-up with the crates anyway. (Unlike the new cars, like Mike mentioned.) There are only so many cars that are fast enough to be #1 and it's not usually a crate.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

If IHRA increased their purse to $5,000K/Win and $2,500/RU and $750 semis, would they draw enough cars to cover the extra purse? Not just NHRA regulars in the region, but obviously local bracket racers could find a class to race. Don't they bring a crew in with them? If there are more people, then likely there will be more sponsors. Am I thinking to much?

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Hagen,

It's like the "what came first, chicken or the egg". You can't have one without the other.
IHRA can't raise purses more because they would be in the red if not enough cars show up and it's difficult to attract contingency sponsors with lower car counts. But not enough cars attend partially because the purse and contingency isn't high enough to attract more.

IHRA did raise Stock winner's purse and round money last year along along with the rest of the classes.

But it's still good, competitive racing that takes less travel time and money to participate in. If more cars would show up, payouts and contingency could grow too.

As for local bracket racers, they normally wouldn't have a Stock/SS class to race in unless the event included a bracket program, they built a class-specific car, or were legal for Top Sportsman, Top Dragster or a .90 class as-is.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Obviously you will never change everyone's mind to just start showing up at IHRA races. What you can do is make racing the IHRA event potentialy more profitable. If it makes more sense for me to run the IHRA race, then that is where I'm going. As it stands right now. No way am I towing to Dallas, even with a open trailer for the current payout. I don't care if 3 cars show up again. With the money most people have in this, we should be racing for more profit.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

An extra 40 cars per class? An extra $50K is a big nut to crack on a hope. Heck, there were people that had a FREE entry to the $10,000 to win (plus contingency) Tournament of Champions that didn't come.

It's a sad state of affairs, but every time IHRA has addressed something that somebody said, "If you'd only...", they still don't show up. Eliminate one excuse, and they come up with another. I wish I knew the answer.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Having never been to an IHRA track I'm not sure how the class cars compare with the NHRA cars? Doesn't the IHRA allow wider tires and deep pans in stock? Maybe the NHRA racers feel they are at a disadvantage and not willing to change their cars to make use of the rules.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

That excuse is B.S. The 10.5 tire is slower by approx .05. That rule was put in many years ago when IHRA had the AA/S class before NHRA ever thought about it and the points race tracks were not what some would call first rate for safety reasons. The tracks are MUCh better today so its a wash. The 9 inch radial will always be quicker unless they are worn out. The extra capacity pan allows someone to run fast WITHOUT trying to run with 3 QTs of oil in a stock pan. Better engine life. How many NHRA guys see zero oil pressure after the finish line when doing this trick ! It kind of helps keep the rods inside the engine where they belong.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Crate Motor cars are allowed up to 10.5" measured slicks, but most stay with 9". "Regular" deeper pans (no pan rail kick-outs or steering through sump) are also allowed in CM but not "regular" Stock. Roller rockers have been made legal for all stockers except Pure Stock for reliability. Blueprint specs are in affect for all combos. NHRA stockers don't need to change anything. Since there is no heads-up between regular Stock and CM and the Nitro Jam qualifying sheets show a wide variety of class diversity, I can't see any disadvantage.

It may be easier and less expensive to put a CM combo together, but that was the whole idea behind the concept, which attracted a lot of racers. Nontheless, it is not "easy" as the same basic rules apply, there are indexes and one still has to drive competively. The new factory cars negate the soft index or HP arguments.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

"That's silly, in my opinion. Why would they NOT want any particular kind of car to show up? More cars the better, regardless of type.

There are some combinations that could use some HP, but fast "NHRA" cars typically outqualify crate motor cars. If they whacked the crate motor indexes .50, how many more NHRA would show up that wouldn't normally? They're nothing compared to the CJ's and DP's! LOL I really like the one that's rated 50 HP less than my motor, and runs on a softer index, even after NHRA hit indexes .30! That's AWESOME. I'm not writing letters to the Tech Dept, I'm writing letters to SANTA! "

$.02,
__________________
Michael Beard - IHRA 3 STK - NHRA 216
Staging Light Graphics
Graphic Design & Full-Color Printing


Michael, with all due respect,
I didn't say they didn't want them, I said they didn't expect them to come. That's why they don't care when Nhra has a race in their neighborhood. If they expected the Nhra cars to come, they would try to work with Nhra, as hard as that might be.

As far as the crate motors indexes, start at the 8# class, A/S versus E/CM and check the indexes all the way down. The crate motors can run any intake plus a 750 Holley on small blocks and an 850 on big blocks. Otherwise, the rules are the same for traditional and cm stockers. Why should the cm stockers have that advantage? You guys would be crying if someone that likes to go fast built a car to run in your class. Then you might know what traditional stockers now face with Nhra. BTW, Ihra did a great job by putting the bogus hp new cars where they can run each other and not get a free ride against the 'old cars'.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Arnold,

The concept of crate motors is to allow more people to get involved. It saved IHRA Stock. However, like the new cars you mentioned, CM cars are also in their own classes, not directly affecting NHRA style cars. You are correct when you say that someone can build a CM car and pick up a lot over the average version. There are a few out there, including some that may be faster than me in J/CM. But even if I had an NHRA car, I would be doing the same thing - trying to find a less populated class because, like many NHRA regulars, I don't have the budget to be a top qualifier or be the fastest in the more popular classes. Nonetheless, I do make the car as fast as I can within my budget as well as the rules and my tuning abilities because I expect to have a heads-up run once in a while. It's an adrenaline rush and a challenge. But I have to focus on how to get the best return on my "investment", otherwise I couldn't race at all.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

If THAT'S the case, then they would be idiots.

Yes, the indexes are soft by comparison, and could use more adjustment, as could some HP factors. (Something some others don't have the integrity to admit...) Be that as it may, it's bracket racing in eliminations, and they only run other crate motor cars heads-up, so the only issue is qualifying... and again, if the "fast NHRA" guys chose to run IHRA events, they would outqualify the crate motor cars. Kind of a moot point. In fact, all of the IHRA 1/4 mile Nitro Joe's Top Guns are NHRA-legal cars. The crate motor cars only "make the cut" in the 1/8th mile Top Guns... so maybe it has to do with 1/8 vs 1/4 mile.

There's always someone ahead of the curve. Now, if someone gets performance-enhancing concessions and are not factored accordingly, then obviously I would have a problem with that, just as I would in NHRA. As long as everyone is building within the rules and factored properly, then that's more than in their rights. What's the problem?

I'm sure I could go stupid fast for another $20K, but what's the point?

I'm well aware of what traditional stockers face in NHRA.

Agreed.

Really, the only way to know why NHRA guys don't come to IHRA races is to specifically ask each and every one personally. I don't think there's a silver bullet that's going to change things. Does anybody really think that the car count would triple if IHRA adopted all of NHRA's rules, policies, entries, grade points, payouts, contingency, schedule, etc?

Other than the drop in contingency-participating sponsors (which has effected everyone) and some nitpick things, I think we have it pretty d*mn good in IHRA. Quite frankly, it's changed my life.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

If you stop and think about it, scheduling conflicts and access to your customer ( event location), should be priority #1 to increase car counts. If a racer has to drive 8-9 hours with todays price of fuel, and possibly miss an NHRA national or divisional to go "try out" an IHRA race, then it may not look very appealing. IHRA needs to think in terms of AND, and never in EITHER/OR when it comes to NHRA.

It needs to be "well we can run these NHRA races AND we can run these IHRA races", not "Should I EITHER go to the NHRA divisional, OR should I go to the IHRA national". Once you get some of these guy to come AND race, they may be tempted to race more of them. But you will be hard pressed to get many to forgo an NHRA race in favor of the IHRA race, unless it is literally in their back yard. And that may be a challenge.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Good points Chad.

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

IHRA could NOT get the NHRA guys to come and race when the race was in thier back yard with NOTHING going on within several hundred miles and the payouts were on par with NHRA years ago back in the early 1990's. Budds Creek Md. for example and not one Div. 1 car showed up. Zip, zero, nadda ! That was before the crate motored class even existed and we did tear downs at every race. What was the excuse back then when the economy was alive and strong?

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Terry, that's back before I had a driver's license, so I don't know what to tell you right now. But i do know that NHRA has a quite a few disgruntled customers, and IHRA could really capitalize on that. Having scheduling conflicts and letting race tracks fall off the schedule is not the way to do it

Re: A question for the IHRA guys
 

Im just trying to point out tha its was and sometimes today an ego thing. Today I understand why with the economy, losing tracks, lack of sponsors, etc. The other point is nothing ever seems to change. The scheduling leaves a lot to be desired and one or the other if not both associations should consider thier customer base. Gezzz....now you made me feel even older.....LOL.