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Originally Posted by Jason Oldfield
Though that is true Michael, Norwalk was also the cream of the crop of IHRA tracks at the time. I'm not sure any other IHRA track at the time could have handled THAT many cars.
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The question was asked, I answered. -=shrug=- Rockingham had 506 Sportsman cars that year as well, no problem. And they had more Qualifying runs back then, too.
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IHRA's tracks are generally not up to the same standards as the NHRA tracks (particularly the pit areas). Not that all NHRA tracks are the Taj Mahal (Maple Grove's pits can be horrendous when it rains), but the last thing I want to do is to be cleaning mud off of my car or out of my trailer or motorhome.
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Uh, what tracks and what standards are we talking about?
I remember a guy telling me what a hole Tulsa was and that he'd never go back (They'd had 19" of rain leading up to the event)... all the while standing beside his toterhome and stacker that was pitted on grass at an NHRA facility. I'm sure 19" of rain would effect ground differently if it was under a different sanction.
For the record, I think Tulsa was an outstanding facility. Not every track is Englishtown or Norwalk. (Maybe you missed the photos of Sheehan pulling the engine in his dirt pits at a certain 4-Star Luxury track)
There aren't too many tracks that can withstand that kind of rain without issues.
I've been to over 60 tracks. Some are fancier than others, but the era of considering IHRA tracks as a whole second rate is LONG gone. In fact, I've been to some NHRA tracks that racers fawn over, and seen bald spots, built-up rubber and other traction issues (something I VERY rarely see or here about at IHRA events). One in particular was disorganized, had a PA system that you couldn't hear, and a garbled radio broadcast on top of that. When to a hole-in-the-wall track the very next day that featured super friendly, informative staff, clear PA and radio broadcast, and killer traction. That being said, I don't think any one track is a reflection upon an entire sanctioning body, on one side or the other. You have to take them case by case.
$.02,