LIVE from IHRA Sportsman Spectacular @ MIR

[Dan Fletcher]

I really wish I could have been at this race. What an event. Kudos to Skooter Peaco and IHRA for putting on such a fantastic sportsman event. Read the letter from Skooter on the IHRA website with this link. Good job IHRA!!!

http://www.ihra.com/News/2011/07/04/1/

[Greg Hill]

I can't understand why there aren't more cars at this race. Last weekend at Lebanon Valley there were 110 stockers for a points meet. Only half that many at Maryland this weekend running for a hell of a lot more money. Only 35 super stockers. What's the problem? Andrew and I would have gone if I wasn't recovering from hand surgery. Why don't people race with IHRA?

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

I can't understand why there aren't more cars at this race. Last weekend at Lebanon Valley there were 110 stockers for a points meet. Only half that many at Maryland this weekend running for a hell of a lot more money. Only 35 super stockers. What's the problem? Andrew and I would have gone if I wasn't recovering from hand surgery. Why don't people race with IHRA?

I don't get it either Greg...you spend less to race, for more of a regular purse (by far), than any NHRA national event, and it's being held in an area that houses the most densely populated collection of sportsman racers anywhere??? Out west I can kind of understand it (although I bet Les Norton is darn glad he patronized his home tracks national event, and I bet Mike Coe & Jim Hughes felt it better to race there with a chance to win $1600 bucks, w/o having to traverse two 10k plus mountain passes to get to the D5 race in Denver)?

For the plethora of races out there in that area (for much shorter tows than out west), I wish I lived out there so I'd have a chance to partake in what IHRA's cooking for us class racers (especially 2x's this year...this wknd, and once more in October)! I'll bet Mark Faul is darn glad he went across the border, to partake in the races he did, because his back pocket was enhanced by his IHRA successes thus making his trip to his latest win at the All Stars easier to get to!!!

I don't get it, but I sure hope IHRA's efforts to expand out west continue to flourish, because with the economy being as it is, and NHRA not showing us class racers that they truly care about our participation in their races (with their higher competition costs, for less overall money and exposure), at least IHRA is offering us a helping of credible racing venues for entry fees not paid to NHRA for a national event in what 10-15yrs?

Keep doing what you're doing IHRA, and Skooter Peaco and others, because eventually the skeptics will see the light, and if they won't then they'll have to continue to read about the successes of those who're winning good money with lower competition costs, thanks to giving the so-called other 'HRA a try!!!

[Lambertcars]

3 reasons that I didnt go. #1 1100 miles round trip for me #2 Carolina race is in 2 weeks and it is only 220 miles round trip and that is a 2 race week end #3 Dont like the BUYBACK format. I think that if you are going to run a big Sportsman race like this it should not be a BUYBACK race.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Lambertcars

3 reasons that I didnt go. #1 1100 miles round trip for me #2 Carolina race is in 2 weeks and it is only 220 miles round trip and that is a 2 race week end #3 Dont like the BUYBACK format. I think that if you are going to run a big Sportsman race like this it should not be a BUYBACK race.

All Three points are good ones (especially the the first and the last one's). But the thought of the buyback thing is something that Skooter needs to hear about, because he's interested in feedback (good or bad)....at least he's willing to hear us out, did the Glendora group seem to care much about increasing our competition number costs, or doing away with singles for class wins, or reducing our indexes? I don't think so....

I'm double the miles from there that you are, and I have reservations for the buyback element too, but they'll let us express that concern with the likeliness of overturning it for next years race (if not future like races too).

I wish you well at your upcoming divisional, and thank you for your comments, because these are the thoughts that IHRA needs/wants to hear from us...which (based on the recent year enhancements NHRA's been giving us), is more than I can say for them!

[Dan Fletcher]

yep, thats a great reason. buy backs. with 38 cars in super stock and a $5000 to win GAURANTEED purse, where in the F*** do they get off having buy backs. F***ing communists...

[The Hawk]

Originally Posted by Lambertcars

.. reasons that I didnt go. #1 1100 miles round trip for me

Heck,being from Colorado,that's a CLOSE race!

[Michael Beard]

A day of countless hours tuning on the laptop finally yielded some semblance of a baseline. The issue is a combination of suspension and apparently a massive amount of torque. Ihad it blow the tires off but go down the track, hook but not run, spin AND not run... So I threw a Hail Mary at it for first round, combining the fuel and spark maps from the run that it hooked, and the other half from the run it went down the track, along with some very small tweaks. Hooked AND went down the track... And much to my surprise even got a W. Feeling much better now. Car works somewhat, and got both cars in for Rnd 2 tomorrow!

Oh, the in-car pic in the previous post is to illustrate "Real Stockers Have Cup Holders.".

[mat H/SA]

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

I can't understand why there aren't more cars at this race. Last weekend at Lebanon Valley there were 110 stockers for a points meet. Only half that many at Maryland this weekend running for a hell of a lot more money. Only 35 super stockers. What's the problem? Andrew and I would have gone if I wasn't recovering from hand surgery. Why don't people race with IHRA?

Greg a week before Lebanon Valley there was a 10K race in montreal, and we had 42 cars....im asking myself the same question

[Eric Merryfield]

Originally Posted by mat H/SA

Greg a week before Lebanon Valley there was a 10K race in montreal, and we had 42 cars....im asking myself the same question

You know what might help some racers get over the hump is a video of the facilities so they can see what the pits, tracks and viewing areas are like.....Napierville with the enclosed area right next to the start is unreal.....Numidia's scenery is a treat, and MIR is a first rate big facility and who doesn't love a/c in the restrooms....All three of those tracks have real good owners and track employees who care.

Weather was a slight factor for Napierville, but the track and event were top notch.....I will do it every year they have it. Napierville followed by LV divisional can stretch many a bit thin for time, etc, workloads don't go away either! I couldn't swing it this weekend.

But one thing is 100% clear, no one should be crying that there are not opportunities in the North with the 10K at Numidia, the 10K at Napierville and this race at MIR. All have plenty of dough for the tow.

Look at the racers who have made all three events, they are real sportsman supporters.

I know the Gafneys did, not sure who else, a lot of others made 2.

Good luck all at MIR.

Eric