Interesting Comments from David Rampy

[cutta]

Originally Posted by SS/1230

If you look around the track in any division, how many young new faces are there that ARE NOT second generation drivers that either race on the 1st generations budget, or race the family's car? Its too expensive to just start racing on your own and NHRA doesn't help. I've been racing 13 years with my Chevelle in Super Stock that was once my fathers, and he covers all fuel and entries. If it wasn't for him, my car would be parked in the garage. I can see the progression of where NHRA is going over my tenure and its literally gotten worse every year with how they treat the sportsman racers. Rampy nailed it when he said "“I’ve raced in the best of times; I truly have.” The days he speaks of, was like when my dad used to race and sportsman racing was respected and appreciated (20 years ago). Now it costs $340 to enter a national and NHRA could care less if we're even there or not. Not to mention trying to wrangle up contingency payments if you win a race. I raced the Keystone nationals in October and after raining all week, I started to think that maybe NHRA forgot we were even there. 1 time-shot and 1st round on Monday morning. I was there 7 days, made one time run, and lost 3rd round, and I couldn't honestly say that I enjoyed myself. I had more fun going out to dinner every night just to get out of the track (which I can do at home). I digress..... this is just years of frustration I'm expressing for my generation of racers. We didn't exist in the "glory years of NHRA.." All I've seen is the decline of car counts and the increase in racers frustration. The most frustrating part is NHRA isn't going to change for the better. They've proven that. These full time Sportsman racers like Rampy and Tommy Phillips, there is a reason that they are deciding whether or not to race full time anymore. Both saying that they're going to race full time one more year? Seems to me that they see where things are going.

- JF
SS/STK 1230

I'm pretty much in the same boat as well. Me and my brother are second generation bracket racers and if not for my dad teaching us we would not be racing. We are lucky enough to be able to afford it and we love it. I know we will expose as many people as we can to the sport but the only way I see this thing being accessible to people going forward is shelving your pride to team up with someone. Otherwise, the disposable income probably isn't there.

[Michael Compton]

I totally agree. I would never have gotten into drag racing had it not been for my dad. Now that my son is in junior dragsters, we are on our 3rd generation.

What Rampy said is the truth. NHRA is driving sportsman racers away with the lack of respect and ridiculous cost of entry. Take for instance what happened at Noble at the division race in October. Comp was called to the lanes for a qualifier. Everyone was in the lanes and ready when Trey decided to run alcohol instead. At the point he made that decision, every Comp car was in the lanes and not a single, I repeat, not a single Alcohol car was in the lanes. Noble had a total of 15 Comp cars so running those cars would have taken maybe 10 minutes. His reasoning was sticking to the schedule. After a pair or 2 of the alcohol cars, all of the comp guys headed back to their trailers. Trey never once came out to the lanes personally to explain why he made the decision. Instead, he made the staging lane guys tell all of us what was going on. Not a single one of those guys was happy about it either.

I am to the point that a national event is not worth the time and effort either. I will go to a couple close ones maybe but other than that, I do not really care to go and be treated like a red headed stepchild. Not any fun!

Michael Compton
SS/BS 5016

[PozQB14]

People may talk poorly about them, but IHRA Pro Ams are ran great and the racers are treated with great respect. Some tracks are better than others, but for the most part if you want to race your vehicle with other class cars in a highly competitive environment, there is nothing wrong with Pro Ams. You get the same cars that race NHRA and the entry is half the cost and the environment among the racers is the same. And sadly for the NHRA, the payouts are pretty comparable.


And like the few previous posts said...I'm building a super stock 86 Camaro, ONLY because my father has the necessary parts laying around and I was able to find some good quality used parts for sale. AND he has the all the knowledge and expertise. Now, if I can only find better driving skills for sale I'd be good to go, HAHA!! Me and my brother wouldn't have 2 cars each if it wasn't for our father, but its a bummer that no one in our circle of friends really have an interest in this stuff. Which is why a weekend at the racetrack with like minded people is so great.

[jmcarter]

Originally Posted by PozQB14

People may talk poorly about them, but IHRA Pro Ams are ran great and the racers are treated with great respect. Some tracks are better than others, but for the most part if you want to race your vehicle with other class cars in a highly competitive environment, there is nothing wrong with Pro Ams. You get the same cars that race NHRA and the entry is half the cost and the environment among the racers is the same. And sadly for the NHRA, the payouts are pretty comparable.


And like the few previous posts said...I'm building a super stock 86 Camaro, ONLY because my father has the necessary parts laying around and I was able to find some good quality used parts for sale. AND he has the all the knowledge and expertise. Now, if I can only find better driving skills for sale I'd be good to go, HAHA!! Me and my brother wouldn't have 2 cars each if it wasn't for our father, but its a bummer that no one in our circle of friends really have an interest in this stuff. Which is why a weekend at the racetrack with like minded people is so great.

You may want to wait till PRI and IHRA releases it's schedule before investing in a Crate Motor combination, with NHRA picking up tracks all the time a legal NHRA may make more sense....just saying.

[PozQB14]

Jim I cant disagree with you, but the super stocker will be an NHRA car and were building a 427/425 69 Camaro as well. The crate motor is an easy and affordable way to go drag racing. Being in NC, there are plenty of IHRA tracks as well as surrounding states.

[Fireofficer5]

A lot of the younger generation races the import races.

[boostedf22c]

Originally Posted by Fireofficer5

A lot of the younger generation races the import races.

Exactly. And there are a ton really nice, fast cars.

If NHRA made a few classes for them, and gave it a chance, they'd pull in an entirely different genre of cars and fans.

[SS/1230]

Originally Posted by Michael Compton

I totally agree. I would never have gotten into drag racing had it not been for my dad. Now that my son is in junior dragsters, we are on our 3rd generation.

What Rampy said is the truth. NHRA is driving sportsman racers away with the lack of respect and ridiculous cost of entry. Take for instance what happened at Noble at the division race in October. Comp was called to the lanes for a qualifier. Everyone was in the lanes and ready when Trey decided to run alcohol instead. At the point he made that decision, every Comp car was in the lanes and not a single, I repeat, not a single Alcohol car was in the lanes. Noble had a total of 15 Comp cars so running those cars would have taken maybe 10 minutes. His reasoning was sticking to the schedule. After a pair or 2 of the alcohol cars, all of the comp guys headed back to their trailers. Trey never once came out to the lanes personally to explain why he made the decision. Instead, he made the staging lane guys tell all of us what was going on. Not a single one of those guys was happy about it either.

I am to the point that a national event is not worth the time and effort either. I will go to a couple close ones maybe but other than that, I do not really care to go and be treated like a red headed stepchild. Not any fun!

Michael Compton
SS/BS 5016

That's exactly the kind of treatment that's been getting worse every year. It takes the fun out of it sometimes. I remember the days that we barely had enough room in the motorhome to put all the stuff that NHRA national events gave us. Anyone remember the blue Powerade coolers that were full of stuff? Or how the divsionals used to sponsor cookouts for the racers? I believe one year at Numedia when they used to have D-1 divisionals there, they had semi-pro wrestlers show up, after a crew of guys built a wrestling ring between the stands and the guardrail at the 330' just to entertain the racers. NONE of that stuff exists anymore.


- James Fontana
SS/STK 1230

[Bobby Fazio]

Originally Posted by SS/1230

That's exactly the kind of treatment that's been getting worse every year. It takes the fun out of it sometimes. I remember the days that we barely had enough room in the motorhome to put all the stuff that NHRA national events gave us. Anyone remember the blue Powerade coolers that were full of stuff? Or how the divsionals used to sponsor cookouts for the racers? I believe one year at Numedia when they used to have D-1 divisionals there, they had semi-pro wrestlers show up, after a crew of guys built a wrestling ring between the stands and the guardrail at the 330' just to entertain the racers. NONE of that stuff exists anymore.


- James Fontana
SS/STK 1230

Damn we missed out. Dad said he used to get oil, spark plugs, etc. when he ran the Keystones and Etown back in '90-91. We didn't race again until 2009. I'm hoping that since I read TV ratings and viewership went up so much this year that maybe just maybe more contingency sponsors might step in if NHRA doesn't fleece the **** out of them.

[69ss/rs]

That's why I stopped over 10 yrs ago. The fees where going up and at the national events they were starting to rushing you in an rushing you out. I can remember back in the mid to late 80's when you had to buy tickets in advance to go to Maple Grove points race, cause of the crowds. An yes I remember the first thing that you did when you got parked at a National event was to go to whatever oil company that was the sponsor, for your case of oil and go over to get your pack of spark plugs. You got 4, count them 4 time runs. The fees went up and the services went down. As a businessman I thought that if you are successful than you stick with what got you to that point, but you also have to be able to adapt to your changing environment or you won't be in business for long. This is something that NHRA needs to learn. Most of the young people I have talked to don't watch class racing, because they don't understand the rules and aren't willing to learn; when they can just go watch heads-up racing pretty much anywhere.