Quick "BITCHING"

[Ken Miele]

Well said Bobby, man It sure is nice to here someone else say it. I though I was the only one having fun at the races.

[Bobby Brannon]

Comes with being "OLD" LOL

[Adger Smith]

Hey Bobby, I'll quit Bitchin' when NHRA quits giving me something to bitch about! You can blame my attitude on me OLDER than YOU! :~) Hang in there buddy, maybe you will get there with a few more birthdays. LOL!

[Jeff Lee]

I'll believe an extra $50 is a burden when I stop getting displaced in the pits by stacker trailers...

[X-TECH MAN]

Its not going to happen Bobby. It just in thier nature. Out of hundreds (or thousands?) who read this forum have you noticed its the same few who complain over and over. I can see the point of this last act of greed from NHRA upsetting most but its thier ball park and if you want to play you have to play with thier rules and buy the ticket to get in like it or not. The only other option is to go to another ball park or turn the car into a street rod or street machine if each still wants to play with cars.

[Jeff Teuton]

I resent that remark about beer, wine, etc. And a little "Thank You" or "Thanks for being here" would certainly hellp. Brannon, since I have to spend $200 more for all that stuff, then you get no more beer.
I am applying for the Sportsman Public Relations position at NHRA. Whoever is there obviously is somewhat out of touch. Anybody ever do any math on entry fees per race? I might do that next week and see what secrets are revealed. Maybe Sportsman (Comp, SS,STk,S/C,S/G,S/St) might be for sale? Who knows. Dan Fletcher's idea about Sportsman not attending a race is good, but over the years I have found us to be too scattererd in our opinions to pull that off. But maybe we need to organize again and see what happens. This might be the straw that unites us to action. Be nice to have a master list on the sponsors paying contingency. Anybody got one?

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Jeff Teuton

I resent that remark about beer, wine, etc. And a little "Thank You" or "Thanks for being here" would certainly hellp. Brannon, since I have to spend $200 more for all that stuff, then you get no more beer.
I am applying for the Sportsman Public Relations position at NHRA. Whoever is there obviously is somewhat out of touch. Anybody ever do any math on entry fees per race? I might do that next week and see what secrets are revealed. Maybe Sportsman (Comp, SS,STk,S/C,S/G,S/St) might be for sale? Who knows. Dan Fletcher's idea about Sportsman not attending a race is good, but over the years I have found us to be too scattererd in our opinions to pull that off. But maybe we need to organize again and see what happens. This might be the straw that unites us to action. Be nice to have a master list on the sponsors paying contingency. Anybody got one?

Jeff.....Maybe you should contact Alex and see if you could be the head of "Sporstman Public Relations" with the Class Racers Association?

[RJ Sledge]

Hey Jeff whats up??

I could not agree with you more, now may be the time to try and organize the racers. I really believe that with some serious experienced leadership, like yourself, Dan Fletcher and others, that now might be the time to seriously consider a different approach to the situation. While getting 5 racers to agree on something is a tough row to hoe, there seems to be enough concern, that maybe we can come together to try and save whats left.

I don't want NHRA to go away, I want it to prosper, and make money. I just don't agree with the way that they are trying to solve the problem. I also don't think that another $200.00 is going to stop me from going to a National Event. I believe that what they are doing is the act of an organization that is in great financial turmoil and is grasping to hold on to what they have. Like rats on a sinking ship they are all trying to stay afloat. Sportsman racers are much like the Middle Class, we supply them with the bulk of the money/support to be able to survive. They also know that most of use will continue to comeback for "more of the same" regardless of what they "enhance" us with.

I am writing my letter to them with my concerns and hope that everyone does the same. The noisiest wheel always get the grease. I believe that we need to let them know how we feel and maybe we can work together with them to make it better for everybody.

Lets organize, I believe that the time is right and the cause is worthwhile.

R J Sledge

[Bruce Noland]

Most of us who post about nhra are very dedicated racers. Yes, we are offended by nhra's capricious behavior towards all Sportsman racers. We have the right to take issue with these changes when they come tumbling out of Glendora.

On the flip side, there are racers who are so enamored with nhra that they will subscribe to anything that comes out of Glendora. It's like the old mule said to his owner "I'm just pull'n the cart, you load it up." These racers just want to race and I say more power to them if they want to ignore the nhra reality. Let them have their fun!

But, many of us feel that nhra has taken a giant dump on the Sportsman racers by introducing these new fees and allowing the new wash'n drive designer cars into Stock. It is important to allow everyone to have his/her voice in these matters.

On the subject of fees. The mighty nhra is raising all of theirs and little hard working IHRA is holding steady. I don't think you have to be an accountant to figure out that nhra is in some serious financial waters; yes, we know, they are not alone. Many companies are in trouble right now; some more than others. I feel IHRA will continue to inherit a lot of Sportsman racers while nhra is cracking at the seams and may ultimately sink.

[Roger K Fain]

All of you guys (Jeff, Dan, Bobby, etc.) say let's organize...Hell, you are organized..it's called "NHRA"..you belong to an organization. You need to hit them in their pocketbook in a clandestine manner. They have allready stated that they are limiting expenses by cutting back on the number of personnel committed to a given race, so; you need to tax those limited numbers with extra duty. When you go through "tech", replace the 3/8" holddown bolts on your battery with 1/4", or put your outdated window net in the car, or take the double return spring off the carb, and replace it with a single, etc. Be innovative and cause them to "tech" your car more than once to tax the system. When you go through fuel check, report a different fuel than what you are actually using, causing them to reference the wrong page. If you're allowed to park your rig without direction, take up more space than normally allotted which will cause them to send someone out to correct the situation. When your class is called to staging, delay as much as possible to slow down the process (this may require some collusion ). Have the first two or three cars in line develop a mysterious electrical problem, further delaying action. Take the maximum amount of time permissible to stage your car during time trials. When the PRO classes are called to the lanes, don't go to the bleachers, take you whole family or group to the starting line and cause as much obstruction as possible to require the security and track personnel to move you before continuing the event. Organize a pit bike or four-wheeler race in the pits near the vendors, which would require disbursing by track personnel.
Just a few suggestions to help. Have a great day.
(Disclaimer: I am not a NHRA competitor.)