"Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am

[Ed Carpenter]

You cannot test in San Antonio period. On weds and Fri there is no track prep its terrible. We don't waste our time there anymore. I as well tow all the way to Houston to test. It an hour away I hope the race stays because it the closest track to me but it needs to improve.

[MadMax404]

I elected not to go to SAR for the simple fact the BS of that track far outweighs the rewards of winning a race. I only get 4 chances a year to race the crate motor car and even that wasn't enough to sway me to drive down there.

In 2012 when they had the sportsman spectacular, I didn't go. I got an email from IHRA asking me why I did not attend that race but I attended the points race. My response was if it wasn't for it being a points race and the next closest race to claim my other 2 races was 12 hours away I wouldn't have attended the points race either.

[Mile High]

I moved my bracket car down there Just before the Nitro Jam in 2011. Wed. test night never got the car to hook. Friday of the Nitro Jam it didn't hook either. IHRA must have taken over prep on Saturday it hooked. I didn't race again Halloween and Thanksgiving race of 2012. It never hooked. Last time out was Nitro Jam 2013 and it hooked again. I had to replace the rear u joint do to all the bad conditions on Friday of the Nitro Jam 2013. I run a 275/60 Hoosier DOT radial on a mid 10 second Falcon. I've never had problems with traction at other tracks. It seems to me they really want the street/ import crowd not racers.

Jeff

[Michael Beard]

San Antonio was a great track 10 years ago, and IHRA was at its best, and people still didn't support them. There was one year where there was a decent car count in Stock. Super Stock was always low. I made the trip from Ohio or North Carolina to San Antonio 3 times. If things aren't supported when they're strong, how do they expect them to make a comeback when they're weak? When things are taken for granted, they die off. Same deal in NHRA Div. 1. They've had some incredible independent S/SS events. People didn't bother to support them, and now they're gone.

[Alex Denysenko]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

IHRA Div 4 never had decent car counts. I don't recall going to one with more than a dozen SS cars. I don't know how the tracks can afford that.

100% CORRECT Ed that was the point of my argument with aaron and skooter, but they claimed div 4 racers supported the events better than 5, sure couldn't prove it by the numbers since they had such a foothold in the market div4? they didn't want to lose it as it was ever expanding REALLY? WHERE? I guess we're all still waiting

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Alex Denysenko

100% CORRECT Ed that was the point of my argument with aaron and skooter, but they claimed div 4 racers supported the events better than 5, sure couldn't prove it by the numbers since they had such a foothold in the market div4? they didn't want to lose it as it was ever expanding REALLY? WHERE? I guess we're all still waiting

They must have been thinking about the throttle stop bracket cars.

[RJ Sledge]

IHRA might have been "at its best" 10 years ago, but it wasn't in Texas. I don't even remember if they had it in Louisiana?

You can't blame racers for not coming to a IHRA race in San Antonio when NHRA had a Divisional the same weekend in Houston. The only reason I went to San Antonio is I'm 45 miles away. You cannot expect the racers in the Houston/Louisiana area to come to a IHRA race 400 miles away and miss a NHRA race less than 100 miles away. So don't try and blame the racers.

NHRA always posted their race dates after IHRA and guess what? The San Antonio race was always the same date as a NHRA Div race. NHRA did not want IHRA to gain a foot hold in Texas and played the game to their advantage. Texas/Louisiana is a huge area with great job opportunities available and NHRA realized what was at stake. IHRA dropped the ball and has been playing second fiddle ever since.

I want to see IHRA succeed in San Antonio, but with the complete lack of track prep and maintenance during the race day its not going to happen.

Different mind set by the SAR management or lack of understanding that you could be like Baton Rouge with 75 and 80 car fields in S/SS. That's a lot of money and available to somebody that understands, you need to cater to all racers and not just the 32X14 tire, soft converter, P.G Trans crowd. No offense meant.

SAR has the potential of becoming a great track, but its heading down the road to mediocrity and just about to reach the last exit.

RJ

[Michael Beard]

You're right. There was some shockingly bad scheduling. That said, there was one year with no conflicts, and there were still only 44 Stock and 18 Super Stockers.

I think Alex is also right. I think the decision to drop Div. 5 was the turning point that started the downward spiral.

[Greg Hill]

The very least racers should expect is a decent racing surface. There is nothing worse that a track can do to their customers than having a poorly prepared race track. Good track operators understand this. Racers will overlook bad food, nasty restrooms, less than great pit area, but you give them a sh#%^y track and you WILL lose your racers. Sounds like this race track will be gone by the end of the year.

[HR9121]

I don't know, I think you hang a NHRA flag and they would keep right on mooing in the gate. People been whining about the pit conditions at Houston for as long as I can remember and keep right on going back. I think they would keep going if they were spinning on the track and not just in the pits.