Support your local Combo/Association races!!

[Mike Carr]

Originally Posted by Jack Matyas

Mike - Sorry you feel that way ........why you ask ? I've got some of those Wally's you're talking about and let me tell you - most of them I feel like I earned ...and now cherish....not the ones that were given because of singles or freebies or whatever but the ones that were earned thru good old fashioned run it out the backdoor racing .

If all I wanted to do was to earn money I'd stay at work - why bother going to the track at all.

Maybe there is a reason your car count was down at other events you held --- but don't hold it against the diehards like myself or you'll end up with even smaller fields - people do remember ..................

BTW , Those three Wally's you have - you might as well put 'em on E-Bay as they don't have much meaning to you .

Jack, trust me, I wish I would have someone to race for those Wally's. I was very disapointed that three years in a row at Indy, the other dozen or so racers in the country in my classes were not there. Maybe they lacked the same confidence I had in myself and my (actualy Billy's) car. Shame on me. When a former S/S world champ asked my dad if I won class at Indy '02, Dad quoted me and said "Yeah, but he was disapointed that no one was there to run him, and said it sucked". The Champ said to my dad "That trophy doesn't say how many cars were there, it said you won Class".

As far as the other races, I truly have no idea why they are not supported. We get 40-45 cars every year in Hagerstown. 55 last year. 73 this year. Pittsburgh, Quaker City, Numida, Beaver Springs, Quarter Aces and other tracks? 17 or less every time. I already explained why the May Quaker City race was down last year--too many of my racers went to the Grove. Every year, this time of the year, I ask for input from racers as to what they want to see in our program. I get little to no feedback, and when I act on what I do receive, nothing changes, and most often, the racer(s) suggesting the changes still aren't there. Maybe if I had a nice trophy to offer...

Oh, and I don't have to worry about offending the "die-hards"--they don't come anyway.

Wally's ARE important, to a point I spent thousands of dollars to get them (figuring the costs to go to races to earn the necesary grade points). Indy was the only National I ever raced at, or ever wanted to race at. Too many years as a travelling semi-pro spectator, and seeing how some of the Nat'l events were run, turned me off. Of the three shelves of trophies I have, the three Indy trophies get the top shelf. However, I just don't see NHRA trophies/awards as the be-all, end-all that many other racers apparently do.

People (racers) just need to realize there ARE other, equally fun, equally well-paying, games in town. It's not just NHRA.

Like I said, in a few years, when there are no local series to compete in, and NHRA decides to get rid of us, there will be a lot of racers probably thinking to themselves "I wish we would have supported those other races more..."