2016 NHRA National Events Quotas

[james schaechter]

NHRA is an association of racers. Entertainment supportedby us, the membership. The quotas may need to be up or down, whatever. The reasons for the quotas and the intended goal should be public. Racers have some good ideas. If we knew what they were shooting for we could help. This isn't a matter of national security.

I think the lack of transparency reveals insecurity at the top. If the fear is the low Divison numbers, help the local tracks make the Divisionals a good deal for racers and tracks. Don't try to herd us there.

Right now, NHRA is competing with the many small associations running local races and offering much more value. If NHRA did a better job of serving the members, there would be no way a small association could compete with their series. Unfortunately, NHRA has become too top heavy and detached to realize this. It is kind of a role reversal. The small associations are made up of racers that out their blood sweat and tears in to the sport they love. Kind of like the original charter that made up NHRA.
Now, I know there are many many NHRA employees and officials that love the sport and support the common cause. I have to question if the upper a management has the experience to even understand the need for passion, for love of the sport. I fear to them, it is just a job. The sad part, is that they are the decision makers.
They have SRAC and other means to communicate with racers, but I don't think they take heed of the racer input. Coming to INDY and milling around with us isn't enough.
They need more input from local tracks and racers to help guide them. They need to ask their own people that DO interact with racers. If this is being done, great, but it is a big secret to the membership if it is.
I could see the car quota being lowered to compress the timeline. I doubt if they are doing this because of the toterhomes and stackers. If they were that aware, they would probably impose an additional fee for them.

[HR9121]

Originally Posted by james schaechter

NHRA is an association of racers. Entertainment supportedby us, the membership. The quotas may need to be up or down, whatever. The reasons for the quotas and the intended goal should be public. Racers have some good ideas. If we knew what they were shooting for we could help. This isn't a matter of national security.

I think the lack of transparency reveals insecurity at the top. If the fear is the low Divison numbers, help the local tracks make the Divisionals a good deal for racers and tracks. Don't try to herd us there.

Right now, NHRA is competing with the many small associations running local races and offering much more value. If NHRA did a better job of serving the members, there would be no way a small association could compete with their series. Unfortunately, NHRA has become too top heavy and detached to realize this. It is kind of a role reversal. The small associations are made up of racers that out their blood sweat and tears in to the sport they love. Kind of like the original charter that made up NHRA.
Now, I know there are many many NHRA employees and officials that love the sport and support the common cause. I have to question if the upper a management has the experience to even understand the need for passion, for love of the sport. I fear to them, it is just a job. The sad part, is that they are the decision makers.
They have SRAC and other means to communicate with racers, but I don't think they take heed of the racer input. Coming to INDY and milling around with us isn't enough.
They need more input from local tracks and racers to help guide them. They need to ask their own people that DO interact with racers. If this is being done, great, but it is a big secret to the membership if it is.
I could see the car quota being lowered to compress the timeline. I doubt if they are doing this because of the toterhomes and stackers. If they were that aware, they would probably impose an additional fee for them.

Very good post on all accounts and I do agree that time constraints could be an issue but I wouldn't dismiss the theory about size of rigs either. I'm one of those late arrivers and twice this year there was not room for me to park with everyone else. At Bristol they had me park by the round track and Charlotte I had to park on the opposite side.

[Ven302]

They are just making room for the insurgence of Pro-Stocks, what with the new rules and all. Everybody will want one!

[MR DERBY CITY]

With the loss of revenue due to less cars on the property look for entry fees to increase in 2016. Remember, you heard it here first.

[partsbob67]

Originally Posted by MR DERBY CITY

With the loss of revenue due to less cars on the property look for entry fees to increase in 2016. Remember, you heard it here first.

from what I understand NHRA charges a flat fee for an event. so the money is lost for the track, not NHRA.

[Casey Miles]

I can't put into words the way NHRA does business, they push away car counts when most tracks would beg to get the participation from racers. Their batting average is also terrible towards tracks that used to be in their fold. As a business, I don't understand how NHRA stays afloat paying big salaries to a limited few and nothing in caparison to purses for the racers that race NHRA. You would think that NHRA would have an open invitation to any race for any racer who wants to go. The excuse of limited parking is a ploy is to keep everyone that it is "special" to be able to go to national events. Sort of Harley Davidson when they only make a certain amount of motorcycles a year they were "special", not that way anymore.
I went to the Foot Brake challenge in Bristol, the car count wasn't the same as a NHRA national event. But the promoters had cold water everyday for the racers and a thank you BBQ for the racers also. Prizes for best losing packages were a part of the race along with smiles The biggest part of it was that the entry fee matched the purse, not the same as NHRA's way of thinking.
I will still race the NHRA races when they allow me.

Casey Miles
248H Stock

[tpoh815]

* Subject to change! I'm sure it will.

[buzzinhalfdozen]

Originally Posted by HR9121

Very good post on all accounts and I do agree that time constraints could be an issue but I wouldn't dismiss the theory about size of rigs either. I'm one of those late arrivers and twice this year there was not room for me to park with everyone else. At Bristol they had me park by the round track and Charlotte I had to park on the opposite side.

As I rarely go to any except Norwalks national I'm not sure as to the parking arrangements. But at Norwalk you park in a designated spot under the eye of an official. Been pretty tight a few times but don't really need a quarter acre to race my car....Though I've witnessed a few that feel they do. The "Marking of ones territory" I'll leave to my dog and just do the best I can in the space I'm given.

[HR9121]

Originally Posted by buzzinhalfdozen

As I rarely go to any except Norwalks national I'm not sure as to the parking arrangements. But at Norwalk you park in a designated spot under the eye of an official. Been pretty tight a few times but don't really need a quarter acre to race my car....Though I've witnessed a few that feel they do. The "Marking of ones territory" I'll leave to my dog and just do the best I can in the space I'm given.

It's pretty much the same everywhere I've been also although the officials tend to be a little more relaxed with the space when they are getting close to getting everyone in. First race at Charlotte this year quite a few had to be parked on the opposite side but the second race there was only a couple of us that had to. The Bristol race they had them stacked on like cord wood and there still wasn't enough room even though they were quite short of meeting the set quotas in most classes.