The State Of Sportsman Racing - Interesting Read

[Kevin Panzino]

Hey guys, the bashing of our beloved sport is getting old....
And enough with the constant ranting over the payouts.
Sub-Single digit percentages of class racers do this for any hope of payout. Literally only a few individuals.

Yes, we want the wally, yes we want the prestige, yes we want the satisfaction of winning in this class. Your damm right we'd rather race at an NHRA national event then some local bracket race, regardless of the payout.

You can go on and on about the big money bracket races. Fine, go ahead get your generic classless bracket car and run against those boys in the high dollar bracket races. Good luck with that. I'm sure its a great plan to make money for retirement. After all, you mention all the time about the big money bracket race payouts, so go ahead and start earning all that money. Let us all know how well that works out.

A great many of us wouldn't even bother to race if all we could do was bracket race generic cars.

Class racing is an entirely different breed and its never been about the money.

Can the never-been-class racers, class racer wannabees, and ex-racers living in an era long gone, please stop beating down what a lot of us are currently have a great time doing. Your on a public forum making our case look far worse than it is!! YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME.

I'm inclined to say, you know what guys, if you aren't currently racing in S/SS in NHRA competition, you don't really get to bash the current state of affairs.
Its not 1969, it wont ever be 1969 again, and you know what, that is fine with a great majority of us.

Now all that being said, I must admit, I tend to agree with statements about the amount of "bling", the folks who don't turn a single wrench on their combo just purchase everything, and the need to take several days vacation to attend a divisional race.

[Alan Roehrich]

Wow, this thread has become exceptionally productive.



Or maybe not.



Not sure what people think they will gain by worrying about the racing operation of other people.



The biggest problem racing faces is racers. Apparently a lot of racers are dead set on being their own worst enemy.

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Wow, this thread has become exceptionally productive.



Or maybe not.



Not sure what people think they will gain by worrying about the racing operation of other people.



The biggest problem racing faces is racers. Apparently a lot of racers are dead set on being their own worst enemy.

I suppose I see things different, but I think it's a good sign that some drag racers are willing to spend $ 100K to win $ 1K.

Much better than the alternative of them finding another type of motorsports to participate in...

[Casey Miles]

I think that it is great that some racers can afford spend over a 1/2 million dollars in race cars and rigs. It helps the American economy. I only have a problem that we are paying more money on entry fees and getting less for our money. NHRA is not policing the cars the way that they should, such as HP factoring, as well as tear downs. I pay for membership to NHRA and I loose the right to listen to races, who in NHRA came up with that? It's OK to a point, but entry fees have increased and the payouts are the same as they were in 1969, a joke to what my local track pays $40 entry to win $800. Maybe a 45 car field. So when NHRA collects $170 from 90 + cars and only pays $1000 to $1500 to win, that's almost legal robbery. I know that I don't have to participate so I don't other then National events I can get into.
I enjoy stock, it kills me to see the category be run by cubic dollars. It's no longer what you can achieve with your own knowledge, talents and skills. Buy it, go fast.
At PBIR they have a road race course and the price of road race cars is absurd. They race for trophies, maybe the racers who just want trophies should race there.
BTW, my permanent number is a Bracket Number.

Casey Miles
248H Stock

[Frank Castros]

My point is about the complaining. Class racing is the best, but don't complain about NHRA and it's entry fees and payouts if arrive in a 100k race rig,
My pet peeve is what stock eliminator became even before the FS cars. The camshaft duration rule change has had a monumental impact on cost.

[Mike Pearson]

Originally Posted by Kevin Panzino

Hey guys, the bashing of our beloved sport is getting old....
And enough with the constant ranting over the payouts.
Sub-Single digit percentages of class racers do this for any hope of payout. Literally only a few individuals.

Yes, we want the wally, yes we want the prestige, yes we want the satisfaction of winning in this class. Your damm right we'd rather race at an NHRA national event then some local bracket race, regardless of the payout.

You can go on and on about the big money bracket races. Fine, go ahead get your generic classless bracket car and run against those boys in the high dollar bracket races. Good luck with that. I'm sure its a great plan to make money for retirement. After all, you mention all the time about the big money bracket race payouts, so go ahead and start earning all that money. Let us all know how well that works out.

A great many of us wouldn't even bother to race if all we could do was bracket race generic cars.

Class racing is an entirely different breed and its never been about the money.

Can the never-been-class racers, class racer wannabees, and ex-racers living in an era long gone, please stop beating down what a lot of us are currently have a great time doing. Your on a public forum making our case look far worse than it is!! YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME.

I'm inclined to say, you know what guys, if you aren't currently racing in S/SS in NHRA competition, you don't really get to bash the current state of affairs.
Its not 1969, it wont ever be 1969 again, and you know what, that is fine with a great majority of us.

Now all that being said, I must admit, I tend to agree with statements about the amount of "bling", the folks who don't turn a single wrench on their combo just purchase everything, and the need to take several days vacation to attend a divisional race.

I am with Kevin on this one. Well said Kevin. I spend what I am able on my racing. I am just a blue collar working man. I have a 100K big rig. I have a 40 ft trailer. I build my own engines, transmissions rear ends and do my own welding and fabricating. Racing is expensive and the only thing that limits me is how much money I can dedicate to that. I don't count on winnings to finance my racing. Being a working man I can not take days off to go sit at an event to try to get a premium pit space. I go I park and I race. I am one that would probably quit if I had to bracket race. I have always either raced super stock or modified. My car is purpose built for racing super stock and does not make a good bracket car. If I crashed my car or it somehow got destroyed I would probably mover over to Top Sportsman. The sanctioning bodies and the promoters need to do a better job to sell our product to the general public. In my opinion they do little to help themselves and expect the racers to bare the cost of putting on an event. I will keep class racing as long as I am able to.

[Jeff Niceswanger]

Originally Posted by Kevin Panzino

Hey guys, the bashing of our beloved sport is getting old....
And enough with the constant ranting over the payouts.
Sub-Single digit percentages of class racers do this for any hope of payout. Literally only a few individuals.

Yes, we want the wally, yes we want the prestige, yes we want the satisfaction of winning in this class. Your damm right we'd rather race at an NHRA national event then some local bracket race, regardless of the payout.

You can go on and on about the big money bracket races. Fine, go ahead get your generic classless bracket car and run against those boys in the high dollar bracket races. Good luck with that. I'm sure its a great plan to make money for retirement. After all, you mention all the time about the big money bracket race payouts, so go ahead and start earning all that money. Let us all know how well that works out.

A great many of us wouldn't even bother to race if all we could do was bracket race generic cars.

Class racing is an entirely different breed and its never been about the money.

Can the never-been-class racers, class racer wannabees, and ex-racers living in an era long gone, please stop beating down what a lot of us are currently have a great time doing. Your on a public forum making our case look far worse than it is!! YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME.

I'm inclined to say, you know what guys, if you aren't currently racing in S/SS in NHRA competition, you don't really get to bash the current state of affairs.
Its not 1969, it wont ever be 1969 again, and you know what, that is fine with a great majority of us.

Now all that being said, I must admit, I tend to agree with statements about the amount of "bling", the folks who don't turn a single wrench on their combo just purchase everything, and the need to take several days vacation to attend a divisional race.

Hi Kevin ...

Great Post ... You got me thinking .. I still work in a factory (Union Shop), work a 40 -60 hour week ( weekends included) and carry my dinner bucket and hard hat back and forth to work everyday ... Probably,...... back in the "60's" that you speak of, 90 % of NHRA members were just like me ...... I wonder how many "dinner bucket carriers" there are now days racing Class Cars ? I'd say that has been replaced by business owners..
In the Factory I work in, there are 400 members, and 150 management team... Out of those #'s, there are 2 of us that race cars. 1 that pulls trucks, .... I'm the only class racer, the other guy is into the small tire 5.0 Ford stuff...( We compare notes as he is setting up a new Holley FI system on that mustang ...)
Back in the 60's, ALL guys were into cars, Right? ... Look at how its changed...

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by Jeff Niceswanger

Hi Kevin ...

Great Post ... You got me thinking .. I still work in a factory (Union Shop), work a 40 -60 hour week ( weekends included) and carry my dinner bucket and hard hat back and forth to work everyday ... Probably,...... back in the "60's" that you speak of, 90 % of NHRA members were just like me ...... I wonder how many "dinner bucket carriers" there are now days racing Class Cars ? I'd say that has been replaced by business owners..
In the Factory I work in, there are 400 members, and 150 management team... Out of those #'s, there are 2 of us that race cars. 1 that pulls trucks, .... I'm the only class racer, the other guy is into the small tire 5.0 Ford stuff...( We compare notes as he is setting up a new Holley FI system on that mustang ...)
Back in the 60's, ALL guys were into cars, Right? ... Look at how its changed...

^^ Good points
I am the only Class racer where I work.
One other employee is a bracket racer, and another into truck pulls.

Back in the 60's and 70's, the NHRA, IHRA, AHRA, etc were the only game in town.
No NMCA, NMRA, Outlaw racing series, big bucks bracket races etc. at the time to choose from.
Younger racers new to drag racing now have a lot more choices, so class racing for some is not an affordable choice.
I wanted to run Stock/Super Stock when I was 21 but had to wait 30 years before I could make my first pass as a class racer due to the buy in cost.

Also, you can count me as one of the "dinner bucket carriers"

I like going to Division events, but the 3 day schedule makes it tough for guys working Mon-Fri.

It would be nice to see the Division meets go to 2 day events, but as it stands right now, I have to make do with 1 qual. pass on Saturdays. ( or slip out of work early on Friday and hope to get there early enough to make a clean up run late Friday afternoon

[Kevin Panzino]

Originally Posted by Jeff Niceswanger

Hi Kevin ...

Great Post ... You got me thinking .. I still work in a factory (Union Shop), work a 40 -60 hour week ( weekends included) and carry my dinner bucket and hard hat back and forth to work everyday ... Probably,...... back in the "60's" that you speak of, 90 % of NHRA members were just like me ...... I wonder how many "dinner bucket carriers" there are now days racing Class Cars ? I'd say that has been replaced by business owners..
In the Factory I work in, there are 400 members, and 150 management team... Out of those #'s, there are 2 of us that race cars. 1 that pulls trucks, .... I'm the only class racer, the other guy is into the small tire 5.0 Ford stuff...( We compare notes as he is setting up a new Holley FI system on that mustang ...)
Back in the 60's, ALL guys were into cars, Right? ... Look at how its changed...

Very true Jeff. Like wise around 100 guys at my plant, and Im the only one who races. Couple of street car guys, but thats it. I will say that you do see plenty of cars at our local track for test n tune, and street car nights. But those are far from NHRA class cars, thats for sure.

[Lee Valentine]

I agree with what Kevin said in a lot of ways,l came from the best time for a car guy. Yes we had Vietnam and the draft,everyone was coming home and buying muscle cars and going racing. I've been doing this since 1962 and still enjoy it. The only thing that will stop me would be health issues or something out of my control.You only get one chance at life live it doing what you want. I don't buy the money excuse because I managed to race on a budget for years by doing everything possible myself.