[Joe Schaechter]

I want to race someone in the same class each time I attend Indy but I realize it isn’t always possible – not everyone can have a E/F/G/SA! A few years ago before the combo classes had been created I purposely moved my car a class down so I could race another similarly classed car (J/S back then). While visiting with another stock eliminator racer in the tech line I shared my plans for which class and why I chose it and he couldn't believe I wouldn't just stay in I/S and take a single for the class win. To me it was way more fun to race for class even though I lost that year. I agree with Lew that the current combo class takes some of the fun away but you could argue that we were our own worst enemy when some would go out of their way to find a single versus racing someone. Ultimately I feel fortunate to be able to race in such a challenging class and would like to see NHRA take steps to promote and strengthen it. Manufacturers are interested - just take a look at the A/S -A/SA challenge. It is the bureaucracy of sponsorship programs with NHRA that makes it hard for them to participate in my opinion.