[Tom Goldman]

Does it matter! .....HELL YES ........we chase that elusive Wally not only for the glory and the "points", but the money. ..........Most of us will only hope to make it to the money rounds,but when we do get there, there must be something other than the pittance that NHRA offers to make it worth it all.. The contingency program is NHRA's way of shifting the payout burden to someone other than themselves........With the economic crisis we are facing , the sanctioning body must step up and make up the difference in payout. ......I had a ten year drought between National event finals,and I can tell you I got about $3000 less for the latest one!!...............Racers like Dan ,when he's not making a hilarious post, can really shed the light on how much the actual purse has diminished over the last decade. ...........It does not matter how many racers are actually going to get the money, the potential for getting the payout is what matters........Tom