What should the role of a sanctioning body be?

[Greg Hill]

NHRA is a 501-c6 non profit organization? According to IRS regulations 501- c6 organizations are membership based and are restricted to trade groups. An example would be SEMA whose members are the manufacturers whose interests SEMA represents. Now if NHRA is a membership based organization whose interests are they representing? I would say that they should represent all of our interests. Bracket racers, track owners, professional racers and sportsman racers.

For the purposes of this thread I will focus on sportsman racers specifically stock and super stock racers. I think the first thing and most important a sanctioning body should do is provide a safe place for us to race. A safe race track with adequate safety people in case of mishaps. The next most important thing in my book is having rules that are fair and equitable and are evenly enforced. To provide a level playing field is extremely important. I realize that in all instances that outcome may not happen but they should strive to make it happen. How can a sanctioning body have any credibility with it's members when they consciously choose not to do that? I've been racing for quite a few years and in all my years I have never seen anything to approach the level of disrespect toward stock and super stock racers that NHRA has shown with the placement in stock of the new Challenger and Mustang.

Why would they choose to do that? The rule change to allow them to compete in stock went against everything stock eliminator has meant for more than 40 years. The reason is hard to fathom. Nobody would have complained if they had put them in their own class even if it was in stock eliminator. The idea that NHRA would put them in regular stock classes with horsepower ratings from 50 to 100 hp soft is discouraging at best. This is changing the game to benefit a small group and crapping on people who have supported them for years. Again I ask the question why? Who does it benefit? Is there money involved ? If so where is the money going and to whom?

This whole deal could have been handled in a way to benefit stock and super stock. Put them in separate classes for stock and make the hp factors right for stock and super stock. In my opinion this would have been a win win for everyone. Again why not? Do they [NHRA] want to run off all the rest of stock and super stock? These are questions I'm not sure of but I am sure of one thing. NHRA has not done this because they didn't know what they were doing. They knew exactly what they were doing and how it would affect all of us .