[Alan Roehrich]

Sadly, it appears that many sanctioning bodies, and quite a few race tracks, are operating under the theory that charging as much as the market will possibly bear is the best way to have a good bottom line. Sort of the same way many politicians figure the best way to maximize revenue is to maximize the tax rates.


It simply doesn't work. High entry fees combined with stagnant purses and rapidly dwindling contingency payouts are causing car counts to shrink. Low car counts are providing poor shows, and low entertainment value, that, combined with high ticker prices creates empty stands, and poor TV ratings. Empty stands and poor TV ratings turn off potential sponsors. Stack all of this on a weak economy, with high unemployment and higher fuel prices, and you have a good reason for tracks closing, and race cars being parked, or turned into street cars.


You have the same chance at the same money (at least for the winner and runner up) if you tow to Bowling Green for a combo race as you do if you tow to Georgia or Florida for a LODRS race. The entry fee for the Bowling Green race is $50 for the car and driver. The "glory" of a win at a "sanctioned event" will cost you about an extra $600.

NHRA needs to come up with something different. Their current system "punishes" racers if they don't run LODRS races by preventing them from running national events due to a lack of grade points. Honestly, "punishing" potential customers is the wrong approach. They need to be rewarding races for attending LODRS events by treating them better and paying them more. It's a slap in the face to the sportsman racers that "Top Alcohol" is payed more than double for a win and 3 times as much for a runner up finish.


Racers and spectators are customers. They should be treated as such. As opposed to being treated as a cash cow or a sheep to be fleeced.