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63corvette · 04-18-2016, 06:09 PM

I attended Peter Cliffords presentation on Wednesday at the Pomona race in February.
As we walked out of the tent where it was held I told the racers around me another fee increase was coming as reading in between the lines of his presentation you could see it coming. It is all about the money as is the oil down fees are just that. About the money. I just thought it would be at years end.

I was very surprised at Pomona and at Phoneix two weeks later how much time was wasted on Sunday with no cars going down the track. On both Saturday and again really on Sunday due to the smaller car counts. While going rounds the racers were told by the staging officials to slow it down due to the timing for the TV show. That was the first time in 40 plus years of racing I have ever been told to slow the pace down at a race.

As things are going now I do not see a sustainable business model for the Sportsman racer. I know I do not do it for the money but there comes a point where the fun is gone along with the increasing costs. Being retired I do have a break point and if fuel was not the price it is today I would have already hit that break point.

It is just so sad for me to watch the sport I love being destroyed right in front of my old eyes. There are not enough young people to replace most of the racers my age and I just see the Sportsman racing going completely away with NHRA at some some point in the not to distant future. NHRA just keeps trying to run all of us off however, most of us just keep coming back. We just like the punishment I guess.

Today being Tax day is a sad day for most of us and this just adds to it.
My 2 Cents
Rick Cates
Canyon, TX

By the way a little known fact is the insurance fees the Sportsman categories pay funds the entire event insurance for everyone who comes through the gate. Everyone....

04-18-2016, 06:09 PM	#6
63corvette Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon, Tx Posts: 552 Likes: 128 Liked 359 Times in 103 Posts	Re: Another National Event price increase I attended Peter Cliffords presentation on Wednesday at the Pomona race in February. As we walked out of the tent where it was held I told the racers around me another fee increase was coming as reading in between the lines of his presentation you could see it coming. It is all about the money as is the oil down fees are just that. About the money. I just thought it would be at years end. I was very surprised at Pomona and at Phoneix two weeks later how much time was wasted on Sunday with no cars going down the track. On both Saturday and again really on Sunday due to the smaller car counts. While going rounds the racers were told by the staging officials to slow it down due to the timing for the TV show. That was the first time in 40 plus years of racing I have ever been told to slow the pace down at a race. As things are going now I do not see a sustainable business model for the Sportsman racer. I know I do not do it for the money but there comes a point where the fun is gone along with the increasing costs. Being retired I do have a break point and if fuel was not the price it is today I would have already hit that break point. It is just so sad for me to watch the sport I love being destroyed right in front of my old eyes. There are not enough young people to replace most of the racers my age and I just see the Sportsman racing going completely away with NHRA at some some point in the not to distant future. NHRA just keeps trying to run all of us off however, most of us just keep coming back. We just like the punishment I guess. Today being Tax day is a sad day for most of us and this just adds to it. My 2 Cents Rick Cates Canyon, TX By the way a little known fact is the insurance fees the Sportsman categories pay funds the entire event insurance for everyone who comes through the gate. Everyone....