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Originally Posted by SS/1230

If you look around the track in any division, how many young new faces are there that ARE NOT second generation drivers that either race on the 1st generations budget, or race the family's car? Its too expensive to just start racing on your own and NHRA doesn't help. I've been racing 13 years with my Chevelle in Super Stock that was once my fathers, and he covers all fuel and entries. If it wasn't for him, my car would be parked in the garage. I can see the progression of where NHRA is going over my tenure and its literally gotten worse every year with how they treat the sportsman racers. Rampy nailed it when he said "“I’ve raced in the best of times; I truly have.” The days he speaks of, was like when my dad used to race and sportsman racing was respected and appreciated (20 years ago). Now it costs $340 to enter a national and NHRA could care less if we're even there or not. Not to mention trying to wrangle up contingency payments if you win a race. I raced the Keystone nationals in October and after raining all week, I started to think that maybe NHRA forgot we were even there. 1 time-shot and 1st round on Monday morning. I was there 7 days, made one time run, and lost 3rd round, and I couldn't honestly say that I enjoyed myself. I had more fun going out to dinner every night just to get out of the track (which I can do at home). I digress..... this is just years of frustration I'm expressing for my generation of racers. We didn't exist in the "glory years of NHRA.." All I've seen is the decline of car counts and the increase in racers frustration. The most frustrating part is NHRA isn't going to change for the better. They've proven that. These full time Sportsman racers like Rampy and Tommy Phillips, there is a reason that they are deciding whether or not to race full time anymore. Both saying that they're going to race full time one more year? Seems to me that they see where things are going.

- JF
SS/STK 1230

I'm pretty much in the same boat as well. Me and my brother are second generation bracket racers and if not for my dad teaching us we would not be racing. We are lucky enough to be able to afford it and we love it. I know we will expose as many people as we can to the sport but the only way I see this thing being accessible to people going forward is shelving your pride to team up with someone. Otherwise, the disposable income probably isn't there.