Houston only 17 stockers with 1 week to go?

[cody pollage]

Anybody ever thought about what it costs to go watch in Houston?

Gas from Baton Rouge to Houston = about $200-$230 of fuel

3 day of pit side seating - $138

crew pass - $85

3 nights of a best western hotel - $100/night

plus food
which everybody knows at a nat for a burger and coke is $8+

i respect those of you, who aren't complaining, and going racing. Yes times are tough. It's tough right now for a local bracket racer to go race within 50 miles of home. I understand, that not everybody is financally stable to go to every divisional or national meet, but all this bashing on the NHRA, and the "Good job NHRA posts" are really to much...especially if you're financially stable and posting those, (not saying that anybody is).

[Jeff Colvert]

Looks to me like class runoffs and setting national records is dead as long as you can't run over a second under without getting your combo hit with HP. It's not any fun to me if I can't run my car balls out every run like a performance based class should be.Why waste the money to attend a national event to win class if you have to throttle stop it. I can drive 25mi to the local track to do that.

[Toby Lang]

Good post, Alan. I think everybody knows if they were still paying for class as in years past, Art probably wouldn't give a rat's *** how many cars were entered. It's just an excuse to complain about how they changed the class payouts.

Art, in my humble opinion, you need to get over it. No amount of complaining is going to change things. The sponsors don't want to pay for class anymore -- especially singles -- and it sounds like you're lucky to get the program they have now.

Even if they were still paying for class like before, I doubt the car counts would be that much higher. Most people only get $150 - $300 for class. Is it worth driving 500 - 1000 miles to win $150?


-Toby

[art leong]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Art,
You're looking for one problem, the one that bothers you the most, to be the cause of the bigger problem. However, the vast majority of Stock and Super Stock racers are not completely engrossed in class eliminations, and any financial rewards they might take home from them.

We have 3 class wins at National Events in the last 3-4 years, counting one with someone else driving another car. We like running class, but it does not determine when and/or where we race, or if we race. From talking to a lot of people, that seems to be the case for the majority.

The one big problem, car count, is not a matter of any one factor, but rather a matter of several factors. Fuel prices, the economy, and NHRA,
are all factors. Most racers would not be deterred by ONE factor, but facing several factors is another matter entirely.

Well Alan if that was the case for most? Why are the quotas higher by at least 20% for those events that run class? I know some of guys have there cars so cutting edge they don't want to waste 2 or 3 runs to win class. Some just don't care if they are the fastest in the class or not.
I quit stock because it was absolutly no fun worrying about getting factor every run. That isn't racing to me. I know of 3 racers that are probably no going to race anymore because of the no singles rule. This all started with the qualifiers only at Indy do please the crybabies. Now it has evolved to why should he or she make $500 for a class win when I can't. As far as the manufacturers are concerned they sell just as many parts to a car the makes a single as someone that has 15 cars in their class. As far as my situation goes I make a single I qualify where I want. If there were 5 cars in my class it wouldn't matter. Would it?
For me I'd go to a race and make $750 for a class win. It paid for a lot of my expenses.
People on here say I have no right to expect to win class. If so build one and beat me.
And take the hit.

[Jeff Teuton]

Cost to race> Stopped at the Petro in Shreveport on the way to Dallas, took on about $400 in diesel @ 4.069 per, stopped on the way back and took on almost $400 again, but @ 4.099. The Petro was the highest of the truck stops. Kevin stopped south of Dallas at a QT for 3.89 a gal. Next week Houston, 600 miles @ 6 mpg, that's about $400, generator for Thur-Sun lets say 40 gals, thats $170, 2 entries in Stock $610, crew $85 Food, say $150 Thats about $1400 plus beer, now we are over $2000. This ain't for the light hearted. Ditto to Toby post

[sammy pizzolato]

hey jeff we got 4.99 miles per. add two blown trailer tires at $900 to that. and how much can you win!!!!!!!

[borninamopar]

Uh, I don't race stock class or SS, but it has always seemed to me that the dedicated racers that do, really don't do it for the money...I mean come on...the win doesn't even pay the damn bills. Seemed all the stock class racers and Super Stock racers I ever met that race seemed to be doing it because they just love to race that type of car...Ya'll are never going to get Super class or top sportsman money...That's just the way it is...The faster you run..the more pay out there is...It's always been that way...And the NHRA sure as hell isn't going to change it.

[Ed Fernandez]

Quote Andy's dad:
Think it could be the economics (gas prices)?

Think it could be people wanting to keep their money in their hands instead of NHRA's for as long as they can?

The count will certainly be down but I think it will double by the end of this week.

I think taking time off from work can be a factor - may not want them thinking racing is more important than work - LOL.

Not every down side thing going on is related to NHRA



Maybe the fact that NHRA let the factories dictate to them the competitiveness of their cars has something to do with the car counts?



Quote Toby:
Art, in my humble opinion, you need to get over it. No amount of complaining is going to change things. The sponsors don't want to pay for class anymore -- especially singles -- and it sounds like you're lucky to get the program they have now.

Toby,the sponsors sure like the fact that we advertise for them for free every time the car comes out of the box.And how about the hoops you have to jump through just to get paid,in some cases if you get paid?

Another thing is that admit it or not,there are a lot of sportsman racers out there who really are loaded or are up to their collective a$$e$ in debt,to be running around the country in their land barges.Just look around the pits at the rigs and carsin just S/SS.Before anybody get their nuts twisted I'm not one bit jealous of anyone's financial situation.I race within my budget.Would I like to travel more,you bet your tookus.Until then I'll stay within my means.In the end it is a combination of the economy,travel costs and the way we are treated at the races.I think the economy and fuel will get better than reason #3.Just my $2 (inflation you know).

[Jeff Teuton]

Course we used to do it for a trophy. And probably still would. So save your Confederate Dollars. The South will rise again

[Bobby Brannon]

Jeff Please bring some BEER for me..