Yo Ken

[Ed Fernandez]

You know that I'm not one to start a riot but I have a question.I know that you try to be positive in your attitude towards the brilliant minds in Glendora.Here's the question.
You say that S/SS is as strong and active as ever and there are more comp.#s than ever.
Where the hell are they all now?Englishtown was one of the hardest races to get into.
I only have a grade 5 and can enter on Tuesday.There's only 18 stockers as of now.
When the list used to be opened you were lucky if you had 5 days to get in.Now 3 1/2
weeks into registration and only 18 cars.
I think the economy and people being pissed off at these so called leaders in Ca. are an indication that fields will be smaller in the future and we may be pushed out of Nationals
all together.Maybe 2 or 3 Sports National races in each division wouldn't be a bad thing.
Put a few Pepsi's in the fridge in the motor home and we'll discuss it at Atco in two weeks.

[Dave Ficacci]

People are being smarter and holding on to their money longer. Why enter early and let NHRA make interest off of your money??

Englishtown will be full, just like it is every year.

[Ken Miele]

Ed, Dave is correct.

Your not going to bring me down, racing has lots of faults, but I'm having fun and I'm still going to the races.

See in two weeks.

[Jack Matyas]

Ed -- I don't think its the pissed off part that is keeping racers from entering but rather the economy that is stopping them from going .Many racers are too proud to say their finances are not good enough to spend money on racing -- I'm afraid the last two years of recession have taken their toll on many of us . Dave made a good point also that those who are entering no longer have a valid reason to send money in early -- why send it to the NHRA two months in advance when two weeks will do ...............

[Ed Fernandez]

Ken,I'm not trying to depress you,just stating an observation.We'll see in a few weeks
how many empty spots there are.
Jack,the clowns in Glendora certainly aren't doing anything to raise our enthusiasm
to pay to race at national events.

[Jeff Lee]

My cars been down for three frickin' years now. Work has been paid for (although I'm sure the agreed upon price will have a few remembrance problems even though it's in writing), but it was always agreed it was a side job. And I was OK with that. I want this particular guy to do the work and nobody else. And in the end, it's a completely new car except paint and trans and I'm trying to figure out how to get a trans.
Had the car been done a year or so ago and at home, the wife probably would have had it on Craigs list because the economy in AZ is not far from MI. So I'm glad it was "outa sight, outa mind". Now things seem to be really picking up in my business. I've been putting in 50 hour work weeks for 3 months straight and it's looking rosier. But even if the car was done, and my own economy was robust, I still wouldn't be racing right now. Too much of the savings were depleted and I would not be able to justify the expense of a weekend or a week at a national event. No way!
Am I happy with the direction NHRA has taken? No way! But once i get the ball rollin' again, am I going to stay out in protest? No way.
As far as I'm concerned, NHRA is the only game I'm interested in playing. I would go IHRA but that's 2000 miles away. Well maybe not that far, but may as well be.
I agree with Jack, it's the economy more than anything else. Even Jack's old GTO is parked as the owners income bounces around like a pogo stick. Some of us just prioritize different than others.

[danny waters sr]

It must be the economy. We had 29 stockers and 14 superstockers at MIR this past weekend and it was a 1/4 mile race. Don't get me wrong and i appreciate the ones who did show ,BUT what happen to the rest of you guys .The closest race was Vegas. A race is a race no matter which HRA it is .I was sure disappointed in you guys for the no shows. Weather was great so don't use that one.lol

[Jack Matyas]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

Jack,the clowns in Glendora certainly aren't doing anything to raise our enthusiasm
to pay to race at national events.

Ed - In spite of their non-profit status they are still a business and must do whatever to survive this mess .What were you expecting them to do -- maybe free beer between rounds ? How about go-go's at the drivers lounge ? Opps , I forgot we don't have one .Or maybe they could lower entry fees so they can go bankrupt faster ........I'm not sure what you'd like them to do so you would feel more like coming to National events .Also its not just NHRA as we can see from this past weekend's entries from IHRA at MIR -- a double header and no one showed .

BTW , I too have had my share of troubles with the NHRA - probably more than most but calling them clowns isn't going to help one tiny little bit ..........but if it makes you feel good to vent -- well have at it .

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by danny waters sr

It must be the economy. We had 29 stockers and 14 superstockers at MIR this past weekend and it was a 1/4 mile race. Don't get me wrong and i appreciate the ones who did show ,BUT what happen to the rest of you guys .The closest race was Vegas. A race is a race no matter which HRA it is .I was sure disappointed in you guys for the no shows. Weather was great so don't use that one.lol

Give it up Danny. Its an "EGO" thing......not so much the economy. Just look at the tow rigs the NHRA racers show up with. Killer motor homes, stacker trailers with 2 cars. Most of the NHRA racers look at IHRA as a red headed step child. I tried for years to get some to come but most would rather spend a few thousand dollars traveling to Pomona Calif. than to make a 3 or 4 hour trip to MIR. There are a lot of them that wont travel farther than between exit #4 and exit #8 on the NJ turnpike. I think IHRA could post several thousand dollars for a win and most (not all) STILL would rather take it in thier "shorts" from NHRA than lower themselves to run with the IHRA racers. Without the numbers to support the IHRA the win money and postings will never go up. How could it?? Im beginning to think its a North vs South thing.....lol. Its true that IHRA has pulled some dumb mistakes in the past and could make it better for the sportsman racers but the same could be said for NHRA. The best IHRA idea lately was to seperate the new Mustangs and DP Challengers from the older traditional cars until the HP factors became more realistic. Just my 2 1/2 cents.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by Jack Matyas

Ed - In spite of their non-profit status they are still a business and must do whatever to survive this mess .What were you expecting them to do -- maybe free beer between rounds ? How about go-go's at the drivers lounge ? Opps , I forgot we don't have one .Or maybe they could lower entry fees so they can go bankrupt faster ........I'm not sure what you'd like them to do so you would feel more like coming to National events .Also its not just NHRA as we can see from this past weekend's entries from IHRA at MIR -- a double header and no one showed .

BTW , I too have had my share of troubles with the NHRA - probably more than most but calling them clowns isn't going to help one tiny little bit ..........but if it makes you feel good to vent -- well have at it .

Enforce the rules in their book,factor cars within 50HP,stop the favoritism in tech
decisions.That's the main ones.