Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Good morning members and guests - the big word today is short -FOG - and plenty of it.One can see about a few hundred feet at best as today was to be test n tune but maybe just maybe it will clear up as we get nearer to start time .

Speaking of t n t here's one I didn't see coming - came in last night around 6 or so - ticket girl asks if I going to run the t n t and I said maybe because the weather tomorrow doesn't look great ( calling for showers ) - I'll sign up tomorrow if the weather is ok - then she says you'll have to pay a spectator fee if you don't - I say I just gave you my $225 entry fee for the Lucas race - she says she needs another $15 a head to go in tonight - I gave up and paid - is this another profit source? Inflation is everywhere ........

Later ...........maybe as the Internet here is as it always is - terrible at best.One would say i'm being negative - here is a positive - tomorrow is to be sunny and brite with temps in the low eighties .

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

would you have felt better if she said it's an early pitting fee?:D

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Jack is this a 2 day race with Sunday as rain date?

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Yes James

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Long range forecast rain Sunday
they changed it, no rain in pm

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

That's exactly what it is .....and no not a bit better.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

of course that is what it is.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

We all must remember the T&T are TRACK OPERATED, they have nothing to do with NHRA D1, I can say most of the staff working the event left this morning, it's a little extra source for the track to recover from the rental fees to host a divisional. You also have to remember, if you roll in Wednesday Night, girl asks you if you are T&T or going to the beach, going to fly an airplane, etc. What's saying, "Nah I'm not going to T&T" and you have a MH full of 10 people or you're not even racing but brought the MH & Trailer (Ive seen people tow an empty trailer) and tell her you'll be back tomorrow, and you never go back to pay. It simply amazes me that we have these multimillion dollar rigs, nice cars and we gripe over $10 or $15 the track gets us for at the gate.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

No kidding. Not to mention these same guys will burn 2-3x more money in generator gas just sitting around waiting for the race to start.

I got absolutely no beef if you wanna go early, more power to ya, but being up in arms over $15 seems silly.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Gosh Jack see what you started!! As we sit in a thunderstorm here at New England Dragway. We are lucky they don't charge us $10 a day to stack and if you're here and pitted a day or two before the race starts,,$15 for camping per day!!

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

So at SGMP this year we all had to park in a damp field outside the gate on Wednesday as we were told they don't have overnight security. It was suggested to charge us a lil something extra to cover a security guard and the track could make a few bucks extra by charging for an extra day of power on those spots where available. At Reynolds, they charged $25 per rig to park early. I would gladly pay that to avoid the hassles of stacking.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Some forget the days of US 13 in Delmar, De at the D1 race we had to leave each night?.no that?s not a typo?.every rig had to leave the property and re-park each day of the D1 or Open race, now most had open trailer and suburbans but that would be very funny to see now a days with the rigs we have.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Spoken like a true race promoter- except some of your talking points aren't true- I was at the gate to give them my money so I was there to make them money and didn't have ten secret people in my vehicle - I was planning on doing the TNT but the weatherman said rain ( can't believe he was right) - next I don't have a multimillion rig and most don't- this was a track operated TNT so NHRA had no one working - yes , the track had an employee at the gate but had to be there anyway to collect the Lucas Oil money - and I didn't see the notice on Facebook so I got blindsided .Lastly since Stock is almost always out first how much time would I have to get ready if I came thru the gate early Friday morning .Oh BTW $15 isn't the issue - they just found a new way to get it from us .PS- you would be amazed at how many people that move pissed off .

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Good morning racers - today will be a mixed bag as the weather is the big story once again - no Sun at this hour along with temps in the mid-sixties and some fog showing here @ New England but should clear with temps rising to high seventies .

Plenty of pit space left for those showing up this AM and all of us should receive our three Q runs today baring any unforseen incidents.

With the storm that passed thru yesterday afternoon the track did issue some refunds to the racers who paid although I can't tell you if it was a full or partial payment - but nice on their part .It was paid out at the gate so if you didn't get yours start there.

Stock out first @ 9 am ..........

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Not saying you were Jack, just saying I've seen people sneak people in trailers, in bathrooms, etc to save a few bucks and I've also seen where a track allows the racers to come in and park and have the honor system to come back and pay the next day and either they don't or only pay for themselves. It's just the point of the matter that we're seeing more and more tracks disappear (Just saw Skyview in NY is for Sale after re-opening this year) and you have to think the expenses to run these events are becoming insane. I got the P&L from my event at a track last year and it shocked me the amount of crew / spectator passes that were sold; I said this has to be a mistake, there was way more then 275 people as crew / spectators. I asked a few racers where their bands were.....Oh we don't pay, nobody checks anyways.... guess where that cost goes, to the promoter or to future events. I think the last real person who checked wristbands at a Lucas Race was at Maple Grove a few years back.

I do agree, a little communication goes a long way and sometimes that's the weak point of some organizations, I completely agree saying "Gates open at 5pm to 7pm but there is a $15 parking charge" would have changed some people's minds as to when they leave / arrive but, also in today's world you post that on Social Media and you have every Keyboard Cowboy form here to Sweden giving their input. I get yelled at all the time that I post too much for my series but, racers are informed, the less questions rolling into an event, I think it runs 10x more efficient. I look at is as everyone is a customer, and I am here to give them a good experience for thier money.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

We could go on and on about having racers sneak in or others just not pay isn't the reason we are losing tracks - it's because their land as a race track is not it's best use-that is one of the first lessons I learned in my Real Estate career.As for the $15 new fee what you're not addressing is the fact that once it catches on that number will surely change - soon it will be $25 then $35 and God knows how high it will get in the future- all that plus soon we'll have special RV parking fees .That money will not save race tracks .

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

The land and trying to find people who want to keep the tracks running, I travel Route 40 near Cowtown on the way to Cecil, what used to be all farmland for the longest time with roadside stands is now all becoming warehouses, the older generation is cashing out or the younger generation is getting rid of what their parents worked on for so long because someone rolls up and throws a million dollar check in their face....it's a shame.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

We came through there too late July and we always stop at Grahams Jersey Fruit Market on the way to OCNJ for Beach vacation. I was shocked.

I wish there was a better way to protect farmland. What is happening right there is a shame. If I had a farm like that, I would try to get it put in a trust, or wording put in the deed that it can't be used for anything other than farmland, and if my kids weren't interested in farming, I would sell it to a farming familty that will farm it.

That being said, these tracks are likely all going to start doing these extra fees. Even with no prep and only 1/8 mile racing, many local tracks seem to be struggling way more than they should. From their perspective, its hard for someone with a $150+K race car and a $ 300,000 rig that to say they can't afford $15 to camp. Its $110-$170 per night at Disney Fort Wilderness.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

On Long Island the County will buy the development rights to the farm land and the land will then be restricted to farming and what structures can be built on it.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

The Chevy Twice guys were out yesterday in SuperStock

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Good morning and welcome to race day here at New England Dragway - today was to be a 10 o'clock start but at this hour the fog is still settled in so it's doubtful but a lot can happen in two hours .

Yesterday most of us got two Q runs in and because of incidents on track we got bumped from our promised third shot - no bid deal for most as the track was in good shape most of the day .This morning when we do get started juniors will come out first followed by Stock .

For those of you that thought they saw a ghost yesterday it really wasn't ---- It was former Division 1 certification member Jim Bowen that came out of retirement to help out a short staffed team - thanks from all of us Jim .

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

So are they going to finish racing tomorrow? They never finished comp eliminator.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Forecast for precip tomorrow? Possibly finish at Maple Grove Nat or the Dutch?

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

They were in the middle of super comp and the dew came in and some cars got loose. Finish tomorrow. 3 left in SS LaBrecque, Williams , and Scardelli 5 in Stock, Smyth , Mirza , Oaks , Boucher and Hahl

Williams has single in SS

Steve Smyth has single in Stock

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Sunday was the scheduled rain date, but it rained out Sunday. Heard it is going to get finished at Virginia possibly. It stinks for the racers still in that are from the New England Dragway area. The most northern LODRS race getting finished at the most Southern LODRS race in D1 hurts, blame it on mother nature.

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

no victims, only willing participants!

Re: Live from New England Dragway- Lucas Oil Series
 

Just another part of the game some of us choose to play!