Dear Len Imbrongo, NHRA, and all the other people who dont care about sportsman cars

[JRyan]

I'm with Randall on the "fun meter" thing.

Ironically "racing fan", you seem to be able to whine and use your term "wusies" pretty freely for a guy that WUSED OUT and didn't use their REAL NAME.

Jerry

[Patrick Kelliher]

It's not just the Nationals, at the recent divisional at Lebanon Valley, bad weather came in and washed out the latter half of the first day. The run order was S/ST, STK, SG, SS, S/C, Comp (or something similar to that.) The weather started looking bad and S/ST ran (ok no problem) The radar showed a huge cell coming our way, so we run stock next right? NO we run Top Sportsman and Top Dragster!!! Two non-NHRA classes took our runs during a divisional points meet!!! If our time was taken by comp or some other NHRA class it wouldn't have been so bad, but this. And they got their third TT the next day too. So it's not just the Nationals, its the whole NHRA (dis)organization.

[Tim Lisson]

Tommy-

Great post!

Tim

[Jeff Teuton]

Randall, I thought you just liked the cold beer and hot crawfish down here. I had no idea you enjoyed the racing. But, 'Thats just my opinion'.

[Bill Edgeworth]

Tommy has a good point, I was the first to whine about the parking but the trip to the staging lanes was not that bad. You could go either way road course or they were allowing you to cross the track between runs. I went via the road course and you can coast ? of the way to staging. I guess what I didn?t really like was being so far away from all the action. Then Tommy?s Dad provided me the best parking spot in the place, the burn out box to watch his huge wheel stand in his first round heads up race.
Tommy?s comments about racers like Biondo, Fletcher and Rampy having gained the right to better parking due to their accomplishments is valid but what has not been discussed is that these are people that bring our sport into the spotlight Especially with large commercial sponsors like Summit and the oil companies. Would you expect sponsors of sportsman and ET series programs like Lucas and Summit to have their sponsored cars where no one can see them? So in the end you could say that giving them preferential parking was for all of our benefit.
AND if I?m not mistaken even Fletcher moved to a better pit spot on Monday morning.

[SSDiv6]

Sean...sorry...but I have to agree with Tommy on his comments. There are many young drivers out there that you should use as a benchmark. You are whom you hang out with.

I saw some newcomers in the sport such as Angela Bushmaker and I did not see her cry about the track conditions; she was raised in the sport by her parents Willy "B" and Jeannie, so she understands what it takes to race. I have also seen the rise of others such as the DeFrank kids, Brad Plourd and many others...like Tommy said, find a Godfather to help you...learn and quit your arrogance...

You had some success and luck in the past with Gary's Oldsmobile at the divisional level...nevertheless, it does not make you an experienced driver either...and by the way, I would not choose Gary as your mentor either.

[FlyingW]

I would have to agree there... my driving started to change when I started positioning myself around those who have been in the sport for a while or even those who are simply successful. Something is to be said for experience. You have to know when to bitch and when not to... and rain???? No, I think not.

I am a fairly new driver myself, and the first person that ever beat me was Biondo, so instead of saying "well, he should have beat me, he is the world champion" I said "No, I will become like him"

It is all a mind set.

At the end of the day, NHRA still makes the rules. Be a racer or a tech guy... you cant be both.


Jeremy Waibel

[Sean Kennedy]

Wow,

I didn't get in anybodys face at the event. I waited until monday, and i was home on my keyboard to vent. That makes me an ignorant ***? So just let me get this straight....

If i have a negative opinion of the event, and i state it, than i'm an ***? I thought that's what this place was for, sharing of opinions and thoughts.

I'm a newbie at this, and i know it. I dont think i'm anybody special, but i'm going to keep working my *** off trying to become one.

If sharing my opinion, and being a little heated after getting screwed, makes me that, then i guess i will continue to be.

Tommy i have a lot of respect for you as a racer, and i thought you were a nice guy. I dont come out and insult people, and i didnt, so i'm kind of taken aback by you. I dont go to many races, and i dont say a whole lot to anyone, so id ont know how i rubbed many people the wrong way. Oh well, i'll just continute being anti-social most of the time, it was apparently for the best.

P.S. When did i ever say i was anything but inexperienced, ****, i said it was my FIRST national event.

Thanks for the kind words of support ;-|

[Jason Oldfield]

I know Ed isn't the most popular person on this board, but I tend to agree. Really...why should there be any distinction among the sportsman racers? And I'm not even saying that any of the greats would even ask for any differentiation. I know Dan Fletcher and Peter Biondo personally, and they're two of the most humble racers out there. I've never met David Rampy, but have heard the same about him. Its really a shame that money plays into it.

That said, I'm a realist, and nobody ever said life was fair. From a racing perspective, I'm a nobody and though I'd love to be treated the same as Dan Fletcher or Peter Biondo, that's just not going to happen, especially since they're involved with companies that spend their advertising dollars with NHRA. So, if I want to be treated the same as the big name sportsman racers, I know I'm going to have to go out and earn it.

As for the weather, I feel bad for all you guys that ended up having to wait around. But, that's the way it goes. Sorry your first event wasn't a memorable one, but it could have been worse. Your first event could have been Houston earlier this year that was postponed a week for some, and MONTHS for others (S/St won't be run until Dallas(!) this fall). My first national event ever from a competition standpoint was the 1990 Springnationals in Columbus. It was FLOODED out. The water was up to the bottom of our trailer. We were lucky though...we actually loaded our car in the trailer overnight. Many others didn't, and came back to the track the following morning to find their car with 2 ft. of water in it. I don't remember when the make-up race was, but we couldn't go back. So, the conclusion of our first race was run at the 1991 Columbus Springnationals. My 2nd NHRA national event? The 2004 fall event at Chicago (I didn't have the best pit spot there either...I was one of about 20 rigs parked on the wrong side of the track).

Anyway, I'm not trying to make you feel like you shouldn't be disappointed with the way your first national event went. But, my guess is that your expectations were unrealistically high. Feel lucky that you even had the opportunity to go, as you never know what might come up in life that keeps you from attending again.

[Sean Kennedy]

I really thought i was done with this but i have a few more comments.

Thanks to all you who didnt just berate me.

First, I lost because of my inexperience, not because of the weather, so I am not blaming the weather, or the delays, for my loss. I lost on my own dumb *** accord.

Tommy Gaynor,
The way you talk, you sound like i need to win championships to deserve anyones respect. I dont expect to be treated like the big boys, but everyone deserves a little respect. (except me apparently)

I got a little hot headed and didn't explain myself fully. My real problem with parking was that lots of people with big rigs got there after us and got better spots, and thats not even that bad. What really irks me, is that they repaved part of the pit so that the pros could be all pitted together. But the thing is, they didn't move are pit area somewhere else. They gave the pros what was formerly the stock super stock pits, and let them keep all the space they already had.

I'm even cool with the champs getting good pit spaces, and the guys that run the circuit for a living. That doesn't really bug me.

Jason Oldfield,
The funny thing is, i went into this weekend with the 'half-empty' attitude. I expected things to be bad, just not as bad as they were. I have spectated at this race for the previous 13 years before racing it, and what they did this year stunned me. Between stealing the only decent sportsman pit, and giving most of the field one run, those are my real points.

Call me what you want, those two things are still totaly wrong.

I didnt' think anyone would pat me on the back for saying what i said, i didn't expect sympathy really either. but what i DID NOT expect was to be called names or berated to the point i was.



Sean "ignorant asshat" Kennedy (I think i'm going to put that on my car LOL!)