The state of NHRA

[GarysZ24]

Mike, what I'd like to see that I bet would help NHRA's attendance, is to see them reduce the cost of sportsman racing back to 2006 levels...I mean everything:

1. Entry fees for national events go back to $240 (especially until our economy improves).

2. Reduce the cost of competition numbers, licenses, and even the NHRA membership to their former levels ($25 bucks for the first number, and $5 for additional classes, or at least drop $15 bucks off of the new competition costs, and $10 bucks off of the membership renewal fee)?

3. Add the .3 tenths that were taken away last year back to all Stock/Super Stock classes (especially if the former altitude correction factors don't come back for our cars)?

I think that just these three measures would increase racer involvement a bunch, over this years levels, but I have a fourth ideal that I doubt will be taken seriously, because it was frowned upon when I last made it:

4. Do for our divisional layout what the NFL did, and if need be, create a Div. 8 to help the cause (as the NFL did by creating not just one, but two new divisions), of divisions where racers have to travel over 500 miles to attend divisional races (this applies mainly to div.'s 5,6,& 7, however the other divisions have at least one race where some racers have to travel 500 + miles for at least one divisional? I'm not holding my breath on this one, but I know it would help those of us with more meager budgets, and/or time restraints due to work/businesses, etc.

I hope Glendora will at least look at the first three seriously, and also reduce the entry fees for national open races (especially since there's no points, or contingency monies involved in this series...we shouldn't have to pay over $140 bucks for just a grade point)! Now I ask you, would you pay a new truck price for a truck that's been used for awhile, thus not giving you the dependability that you'd expect from a new truck? I doubt it, so why should we have to pay divisional entry fees for an event that doesn't give us the benefits that a divisional would offer?

My .02 worth, but I think I speak for many with budgets/time restraints similar to mine. SCCA is exploring these things, how about you NHRA???