IHRA vs NHRA

[herbjr]

NHRA has only one divisional within 400 miles of where I live. I prefer IHRA, the races run smooth tech guys are always nice, and they at least give you that warm and fuzzy feeling feeling that they want you back.

Think about this.....Lets say 30% of you guys dont get a number or cancel your membership. NHRA is still ahead money wise in the end. We have 1000's of dollars in our cars we arent going to quit over this. Yes I think its a piss poor decision especially since my stuff is here for renewal as I plan on running Petersburg next month, but I'm still going to do it. YES ITS SUCKS but thats they way it goes.

[Ed Wright]

Anybody that thinks it is easier needs to show up for an IHRA race. If you can't win an NHRA race, you aren't likely to win an IHRA race. Same cars, just normally not as many of them. If you find the Folks, Emmons and Cummings guys easy I want to shake your hand. Last couple of years (can't say about before that) IHRA track prep has been equal, some of the best startng lines I have been on. Many know I don't have big tires and a four link, my low-dollar stock suspension and 10.5" tire car won't always hook just anywhere. Tech seems about the same to me, biggest difference is I have to have a fire extinguisher in the car for IHRA, NHRA asks me to take it out when I run with them. Big deal. Oh, and IHRA didn't give the last 4 hp to the SS LT1, so I get to pull 40 lbs, that doesn't make racing the shoe polish bottle any easier.

Still can't outrun Sonny's red Dodge at 40 lbs lighter. I see than thing in my sleep.

[Brandon Peterson]

Lets see where i can start with this post.....First NHRA racers that are true to NHRA don't like crate motor stockers....wipe your tears off who cares...we are racers racing the race..just like anyone else that goes to a sanctioned event.... Second i hate hearing excuses like IHRA has too many classes...IHRA is catering to there racers and fans...not raising entry prices saying the sportsman classes don't pay for themselves....IHRA is proud to have us as racers.....who cares if they have over 100 classes....when you show up at the track you better worry about hitting the tree and driving the stripe not how many cars are there...or they have 35 different classes at that event...if you like taking a week off and making a run every day don't race with IHRA...you might not be able to handle making 2 or 3 time runs in a day...Third alot of IHRA racers in D 9 wish they would give us some 1/4 mile races but around here there are too many 1/8 mile tracks that would kill for a div race...i always think the rock should be a 1/4 mile points race..but oh well...we might not bring in the cars a NHRA race does but the competition is just as hard and just as tight....i never go to a IHRA race and wonder if there are more crate mtoros than trad. stockers..i go to race and win..and have fun..to me IHRA is a great place to race have fun and enjoy a weekend away from the man....

[Joe Pinkston]

I dont know if this is a question just for Stock/Super Stock racers, but here is my prospective from a .90 racer. I choose to run NHRA simply because of the locations of the Div. 2 LODRS races in relation to where I live. 4 of the 6 races are all within 3 hours of my home here in north central Fla. Bradenton is 3 hours away, Gainesville 45 minutes away, Orlando and South Ga. each 2.5 hours away. As for the other 2 races, Silver Dollar is about 5 hours and Commerce is 7-8 hours. This travel time is calculated driving in a older motorhome traveling a little slower down the highway than most of you probably travel. My wife and I own a small business that requires us to be on hand when the doors are open, so when we go away the business is simply closed. We do not take a real vacation during the year, so going off to the division races is our vacation for the year. When the schedule is released usually during the first part of November we mark the dates off on the calendar, then make our plans in our work schedule and plans to have the money on hand to travel when those dates arrive. For comparision, the current IHRA Pro-Am schedule for Div. 2 has 4 race weekends a year, but we would rather have 6 weekends of vacation than 4. The distance to travel would be a little longer over all also.

I would have no problem at all running IHRA races and I wish we could run both series. I went along with a friend to an IHRA national event some 10 years ago or so , and it was one of the most pleasurable experiences I'd ever witnessed. He had a stocker and used Bud Rowe for his engine builder. His car was at Bud's place in N.C. to have the engine freshened, so we went to pick it up and planned to attend the NHRA divisional race that weekend at VMP. When we arrived at Bud's we learned about the IHRA national event at Rockingham that weekend, so we decided to go there instead. My friend wasn't a member of IHRA and didn't have an IHRA competition number, but we were able to take care of that all at the gate at Rockingham. This was the year that Bill Bader purchased IHRA and I remember him standing at the head of the staging lanes shaking hands with every racer that came through and thanking them for attending the race. I was in the middle of building my S/ST car at that time, so I wondered down to the tech area and met Mike Baker. I asked him some questions about how the IHRA rules for H/R compared with some of NHRA rules for S/ST and found him to be very friendly and willing to answer any questions I had. I have also had dealings with IHRA tech official Danny Waters, Sr., purchasing a car from him sight unseen, and found him to be one of the most honest and up-front individuals I've ever delt with.

If and when I've finally had enough of the NHRA enhancements, or NHRA sportsman racing goes the route that some people here are predicting, I will be the first one sitting in line to get into the next IHRA race.

[THE LEGEND]

It has nothing to do with the classes payouts etc. etc. etc. It is that Holier than though attitude a lot of NHRA racers have. They will never admit in Public that IHRA is a good deal. What difference should it make. Oh yet I almost forgot a lot of classracers keep forgetting Not much difference between Shoepolish/Class racing and Shoe polish/ Bracket racing.

Side notes
IHRA dropped the CM indexes a couple tenths a while back.
IHRA has a deal at nationals if #1 qualifier gets beat first rd he gets a free entry next year.
IHRA has started giving a TT on Saturdays at National events which means you don't have to miss work to go to one.
I could keep adding the benefits but you will never know if you don't go.

Chip

[KEN BUGAJ]

Originally Posted by THE LEGEND

It has nothing to do with the classes payouts etc. etc. etc. It is that Holier than though attitude a lot of NHRA racers have. They will never admit in Public that IHRA is a good deal. What difference should it make. Oh yet I almost forgot a lot of classracers keep forgetting Not much difference between Shoepolish/Class racing and Shoe polish/ Bracket racing.

Side notes
IHRA dropped the CM indexes a couple tenths a while back.
IHRA has a deal at nationals if #1 qualifier gets beat first rd he gets a free entry next year.
IHRA has started giving a TT on Saturdays at National events which means you don't have to miss work to go to one.
I could keep adding the benefits but you will never know if you don't go.

Chip

Chip, You and Brandon are dead on.
IHRA has been a fun place to race for year's and has alway's treated racer's fair.....
If NHRA Guy's want to race IHRA they are welcomed,
Qualifying Order is what the real problem is, How dare you build a crate motor or GT car and qualify higher than my $40,000 car. A TRUE RACER will Race and not cry about it.1/8 mile,1/4 mile, a true racer will bring his shoe polish and his best game..
The rest is all Bull !!!

[Michael Beard]

Same cars, just normally not as many of them.

Car count is a self-fulfilling prophecy... if everybody showed up, there would be a lot of cars.

Tech seems about the same to me, biggest difference is I have to have a fire extinguisher in the car for IHRA, NHRA asks me to take it out when I run with them.

NHRA makes you REMOVE a piece of SAFETY equipment?!?

[Ed Wright]

[QUOTE=Michael Beard;114686]Car count is a self-fulfilling prophecy... if everybody showed up, there would be a lot of cars. [QUOTE]

Yep, that is correct. Why the SS cars don't show (At least for the 1/4 mile races), I have no idea. I realize lot of the stocker guys hate the crate motors. I don't have a dog in that fight, so don't care.

NHRA makes you REMOVE a piece of SAFETY equipment?!?

Yep, they ask me to remove it. the reason I was given was they have had too many of them come loose when a car flips, bounces around inside, and beats the driver up pretty badly. Therefore they took them back out of the rule book years ago. (NHRA used to run them, I was told. Must have been either while I ran a sprint car, or while I was "retired" from racing.) The tech official said if they were mounted so you could get it out in a hurry, they weren't secure enough to stay put if the car flipped. I could have one if it were permantely mounted with tubing and nozzles where needed. I can see how it could happen. I now put it in for IHRA, store it in the trailer for NHRA. No big deal either way.

[bsa633]

IHRA = NHRA-stockers,FI separatley,CM,FCM(?),PS,(x)T/S(A),S/GT(x),T/STK..anyone left out?
IHRA wants to please everybody it seems..add class after class to get bigger...i dont just think thats the right way..it never is..with all classes they have now i still fail to see that IHRA grows in the "stocker-department" so it has to be something that the racers dont like..i dont know..NHRA's bad decitions latley may change that but nothing else...

[Brandon Peterson]

who cares how many classes IHRA has compaired to NHRA....i don't know why the amount of classes that are at a race have anything to do with drag racing...you go to win the race..have a few laughs and make some new friends.....not cry about 40 crate motor cars and only 25 to 30 of your caliber style stockers.....big deal....race and have fun