Fix NHRA
 

Or is it TOO LATE.

I have read MANY complaints on this Forum about the problems with NHRA Class Racing as it exists today. The cheating, the fines and the punishments. Is there an answer to make the situation better for the racers???????

There is a Sportsman Racer Advisory Council, correct. Get them more active, if they are not already involved. Have racers from each division write letters to the council and have them presented to the NHRA - Or is it TOO LATE.

I am sure that there is NO easy way to fix this problem, but if you all work together maybe, just maybe things might get better. I know that it is their Bat, Ball and Glove but if you don't try then it just might go away completely.

I may not have a racecar, but I do have a very real interest in class racing. If things don't start changing then that form of racing will go away for all of you. Maybe just association racing and local events instead of Divisionals and Nationals.

I, truly hope all of you band together and save yourselves from extinction -or is it TOO LATE.- - - - I HOPE NOT.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Ron,
Your points are well spoken.
As you and I have yet to be acquainted, I respectfully don't know your age or experience with class racing.
I will tell you this, I started to become passionate of class racing in 1968 and there was plenty of cheating but of a different kind.
There were many savvy technical inspectors but with today's technology and the added element of electronics and also with social media it's a whole different game. It used to be done quietly (for the most part) with fear that the first party who alleges the second party might not be legal may eventually become the accused as well.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Tonight ClassRacer.com is like Animal House! Holy ****!

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Frank, I have been around the sport since 1970. I am 71 years young and enjoy each day the best I can.

I had a stock eliminator car for awhile in the mid 70's. A 71 Torino 302 in O/SA

My main exposure to Class racing came when I had the chance to help with combo races at my local track (Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wa). That lasted about 5 or 6 years and they don't have them anymore. I got a real education about what Stock and S/S was all about. Learned a lot and met MANY really dedicated racers. Racers from Div 5, 6 and 7.

I had loved stock and super stock before, but now LOVE IT.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Mr Ron with all due respect NHRA isn't broken. It sure isn't what it once was but it's still everyone's preferred place to race. From time to time they do some things that make you scratch your head and often do things I disagree with but when it's all said and done I can't wait to get to the next race. Alot of people get up here and gripe about one thing or another but they never stay home, they're busting down the gate to get the best pit parking at the next race.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

From what I’ve seen the SRAC for S/SS all work at doing the best job they can, it’s the deaf ear of NHRA that is problematic.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Then maybe it is time to put a hearing aid in those deaf ears.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

The problem has nothing to do with Class racing or Class racers. The issue is that the sanctioning organization does not see the value in S/SS or even PRO/SM racers. NHRA is focused on competing with NASCAR and producing a televised spectacle to draw viewership and sponsorship cash. If NHRA could put on a National event exclusively consisting of Nitro classes they would. The only reason Sportsman cars still run the Nationals is to fill time between rounds on the weekend. NASCAR has bumped the slower cars out to ARCA and the dirt tracks. A weekend of round racing consists of trucks on Friday, The Kids on Saturday and the Pros on Sunday. Each race pretty much looks like the other. Only the faces are different. NHRA is trying to match this with side by side 3 second races and it's not working out well. It's much more interest to watch Tanner Gray battle Haley Deegan in a Camping World truck than Tanner and Erica on the drag strip for 6 sec.



Wally Parks established the sport traveling the country showing people how to run a drag race. Maybe if NHRA put together a traveling film crew that produced edited shows from Sportsman tracks people would see the interest in the sport again and show up.


Sorry for running off like that...

Re: Fix NHRA
 

The Baby gators had 200 plus stk/ss entry's that paid $182 each to race that's $36400 on the low end in entry fee's alone (not counting the 150 plus crew pass sold at $70 each that stk/ss brought in). The payout was somewhere around maybe $12000 total for both if you count all the round money. Until we stop going nothing is going to change and secondly why would NHRA change if we keep showing up? Unfortunately most of us love going to these races to hang out with people we have meet over the past 40 plus years, because these type of events bring us all together. Hopefully Stk/SS races like the southern showdown and Tyler B race in St Louis will help pull us racer's out the NHRA death grip we have all been under for years.

Re: Fix NHRA
 

Dale good post but we are actually more than filler, we are the ones footing the bill. One of the main beefs I think anyone of us has is lack of payout but as long as they can get us to show up why would they increase the purse. Look inside the numbers that Charley posted, that's a really nice profit margin to help pay the pro purse with not to mention all the sponsor money. Point is like Charley also stated as long as we show up nothing will change. One thing we shouldn't do in my opinion is chew each other up like has happened the last couple of weeks. I understand people want the rules applied fairly and that's certainly a good argument but at this point I'm just happy they're are enforcing anything. Opinions will vary I know but I have the up most respect for every racer I've encountered through the years especially the ones involved on this site.