[Alan Roehrich]

Bill,
The problem is, the top section of NHRA is sucking up all of those title sponsor dollars, and without those dollars, they'll find more dollars to suck up elsewhere. The top is where it happens during growth, that's where the money goes. But when there's contraction or shrinkage, the bottom is where the difference is made up until it can no longer be made up. Then it's dead. NHRA is no different than any other large corporation, whether they claim non profit or not. If sponsor dollar shrinkage continues, it'll be passed down the food chain. We're at the bottom. It gets here first, and hits here the hardest. It's not that we're not going to get a pay out increase, it's that we're going to get shorted everywhere, and charged more. The lower the class, the harder it will be hit by lesser contingency payouts. The lower the class, the sooner it'll see increased fees, everywhere, in small increments at first. They'll make cuts in sportsman tech too. And if that means they have to make bracket racers out of Stock and Super Stock, well, so be it. Don't get me wrong, I fervently hope none of this comes to pass, but I'm a realist, and a cynic, with a side of pessimism. Dealing with corporate America has taught me some hard lessons. I trust them only to do what best benefits the board of directors and stockholders most, even if only in the short term. No one looks at long term anymore. They demand returns and profits now, regardless of cost.

NHRA is too big to be truly concerned with the sportsman racer, just as NASCAR is too big to be truly concerned with their weekly racers. The weekly racing there has been suffering for years, just like it has in drag racing. The only things being done for the benefit of the sportsman racers are being done by racers themselves and a few wise track owners.