[Alan Roehrich]

Myron,
I really want to know how many people are truly considering quitting ONLY because they can't run very far under the index.


And out of those, how many are REALLY dedicating serious effort to going faster?


Those are serious questions.


Because often, the reality is people really aren't trying. And they're really just looking for a reason to quit.


Let's just be brutally honest here. If you REALLY want to go fast, you can get help, if you're actually trying. Hell, even the vast majority of the truly fast racers will go out of their way to help a slow guy pick up. But you have to WANT to go faster, you have to be willing to at least work, and bring your stuff to the track, and then all you have to do is ask for help.


Sorry, but when I first started working on Kevin's car, I really didn't have to ask for help. I asked 2-3 questions, and next thing I knew, more than half a dozen really fast racers, and top flight engine builders, were burning up my phone and my email offering help. And I mean bending over backwards, and pretty much taking money out of their own pockets.


Barry Parker was one of them, with tuning advice, and offering to loan me a carburetor. Keith Lynch not only sold me a carburetor core for 1/3 of what it was worth, but he gave me his place in line at Clark Holroyd's, and Clark stepped up, too, never mind tuning advice from both over the years. Barry Polley helped me when we killed the first engine due to a broken rocker stud. When a bad camshaft hurt one of our engines, Darrell Wikle sold me a new cam, at cost, as well as a brand new set of pistons, pins, and rings, then spent 3-4 hours on the phone with me. Arnold Greene helped me, not only with our stuff, but with stuff for others. Steve Calabro and Joe Fasano helped, too. Even Bobby DeArmond helped me. And Hell, Jimmy Bridges has helped me out more times than I can count. The list goes on, it would probably be a shorter list of who hasn't helped.



And then I've done my best to pay it forward, helping pretty much anyone who asks, and if I can't help, I can usually find someone who can, and I've rarely sent anyone anywhere for help that they didn't get it.


We keep hearing about all of these people who "can't go fast", and "wants to quit", but seriously, how many of them are really working on their car and can't make progress and can't get help. Because honestly, if you're a class racer and you want help, but can't get it, you probably ought to ask yourself what you're doing that makes people avoid helping you, because class racers just ain't that way.


Here's the deal. If you're not going fast, get some help, go to the track, and work on your stuff. If money is a problem, then maybe you need to do what Gary Parker said he did in this thread, park your stuff for a while, save your money, learn, and work on it, then go when you're ready. I know how he feels, we've parked our stuff, for a lot longer than we wanted, because we can't devote the time and money to do it right. My friend Barry Polley has done the same thing. Sometimes you have to. And we're not crying about it, nor are we trying to get anyone slowed down. We're saving our money, biding our time, and planning a comeback.





And let me be clear, I'm not advocating lowering the indexes, I'm really a proponent of changes to the AHFS, and changes to both points and payouts to make it pay to be fast.