Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by R J Sledge

Gary

If makes a difference if you put an extra150 lbs in the trunk, which several people do when running at San Antonio. Track prep is virtually non- exsistent after initial "morning" prep. San Antonio is my home track and I have made a pass or two down it. Hawk is to be congradulated for the win, but he was running 12.60's, not exactly a high HP combo, good thinking on his part to not risk spinning a tire. Didn't see any 65 Cornet running Stock/Superstock, big tires/glides do make a difference.



And you ask why there were only a handfull of people at the race!!! Here are some questions and answers you should remember. Most people down here with Fast Stockers know from bad experiences about the lack of track prep by IHRA, its Summer Time and its Hot, high HP cars running 9" slicks have a real problem, why would IHRA schedule a race in San Antonio this time of the year, duh!! and why don't they take a few lessons from NHRA Div 4 starting line personnel about how to prep one. I have been in Houston for a Div 4 race and temperature around 100 degrees and never had a problem, the difference is the people in charge of the starting line and the powers that control them. Its all about money and really not caring about the racers who depend on a consistent starting line and being limited by Class to a 9" tire. Run the Race in the Spring or Fall and it would be competely different, you would have thought that somebody in charge would realize that.

So you really answered your own question about the lack of turn out.
How many times have you had a unpleasant experience while spending your own dime and wanted to repeat it.

An extra $200 spent on starting line prep and it would have been different. Too bad they did not start doing it a few years ago when it would have made a difference.......then and especially now.

RJ

The '65 Dodge Coronet was in the Box ET category, and was a 9.6sec runner...oh btw, I never said it was a Stock or Super Stock car, because I knew that when I saw it cruising by my pit area, just by looking at the hood. Funny how you didn't mention Jerry Emmons car, because in Stock Eliminator, his car is in the faster half of all the classes Stock has, and again he didn't have any traction issues. Furthermore, Pete Peery and Jerry Miller had the two quickest Super Stockers out there, and I hung out with them and Jammin' Jerry, and don't recall any of them having any issues with the track that day (they were 9.97 & 10.05 in final qualifying too, with high powered race cars), sorry but I don't recall cars running GT/FA, or SS/FA being low hp class cars, so try again man because all three of those guys had fast half Super Stock, or Stock cars, and look who won...the quickest and fastest of all the class cars out there....bad track? Maybe in the past, but this race was not like those races were, and neither of these cars would've ran worth a darn if they had traction issues, because of the heat.

As for the holiday comment, I recall when the "Cajun Nationals" were run around this same time of year, in Louisiana, and was frequently run on Memorial Day weekend (or the weekend nearest to Memorial Day....fact(s) of the matter, are:

1. Yes Memorial Day Weekend is the time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us to be able to enjoy our freedoms, our families, AND RACING!!!

2. Memorial Day Weekend has always been the biggest weekend for racing throughout the land...The Indy 500, and The Coca Cola 600, as well as the now defunct Cajun Nationals, were proof of that.....sorry US Nationals, but your race and a Nascar race don't upstage what Memorial Day means for followers of the Indy 5 and the CC 6!

Regardless of the weather, this race deserved better than it got, and now North Carolina will get it, and even if at the same date, I bet they'll get double the car count!!!

[RJ Sledge]

Gary

Glad you got to race and hang out with your buds, hope you enjoy the race next year in North Carolina.

Just living a dream here in Texas

RJ

[Alan Warman]

Look what I got in my e-mail tonight. Do you thank the other H.R.A. would have done this.

Alan,


I noticed that you were not in San Antonio this past weekend for the Summit Sportsman Spectacular but was there for the Nitro Jam event in March and was wondering if you could share with me your reason for not coming. We are always looking to improve and any input you would give would be greatly appreciated.


thanks,


Frank Kohutek | Division Director 4&7 / Feld Motor Sports, Inc / IHRA Motorsports
972.285.3333 office / 419.706.6610 cell / 972.289.1233 fax
ihrasouth@att.net / fkohutek@feldinc.com
1001 Barclay dr, | Mesquite , Texas , USA | 75149

[Super Sport]

When a track gets a bad reputation such as a slick starting line, it takes a long time to live it down.

[THE LEGEND]

I would bet they could have this race anywhere east on Christmas day and have more cars.
Just Saying.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by THE LEGEND

I would bet they could have this race anywhere east on Christmas day and have more cars.
Just Saying.

I would double your bet, especially in North Carolina!!!

[SStockDart]

Gary, my friend, I believe you towed about 2,400 miles for the IHRA race. You seem to be upset with NHRA for the payout and entry costs?????? Gary, you are making no sense, you could go to Speed World (here in Phoenix and 10 miles from me) and bracket race and make more money. How much did you win by making your trek to San Antonio???? You do what you want, its your money....it just doesn't make sense to me (but I'm none to smart).

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by SStockDart

Gary, my friend, I believe you towed about 2,400 miles for the IHRA race. You seem to be upset with NHRA for the payout and entry costs?????? Gary, you are making no sense, you could go to Speed World (here in Phoenix and 10 miles from me) and bracket race and make more money. How much did you win by making your trek to San Antonio???? You do what you want, its your money....it just doesn't make sense to me (but I'm none to smart).

Not just that Gary, how easily you forget that NHRA:

1. Lowered our indexes by .3 seconds...not very good for meager budget racers like myself, who had competitive race cars, but now not so much...especially at altitude tracks.

2. Speaking of altitude tracks, changing our correction factors to Super Class figures, instead of our own traditional factors that were more fair and jest for the higher up tracks like 'Vegas, and Bandimere Speedway.

3. Not just the entry costs, and payouts, but the competition and membership costs, they didn't have to raise them, but thanks to the former "Governator", he's why they did!

I've always had an issue with Speedworld and their too long burnout patches. They always want you to pull forward of the water, but since my car is fwd and I need my rear tires to be on dry ground so my parking brake can do for me what your line lock does for your car, I need to be back there, and they won't let me...nor will they shorten their burnout patches, so no me! Their entry fee for Sportsman is 1/4th of what this race cost me, yet their winners purse was/is no more than $400-$500 bucks, while I could race for much more money at that event....but not anymore thanks to D4 and Texas' racers!

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by R J Sledge

Gary

Glad you got to race and hang out with your buds, hope you enjoy the race next year in North Carolina.

Just living a dream here in Texas

RJ

I'd prefer it be in Texas, so I wouldn't have to travel 2,000 miles to participate in it (1,000 miles was hard enough...ONE WAY), but thanks to the state/div. that begged IHRA for this race, and then didn't support it, well I guess I'll have to hope that Salt Lake City will get one (if IHRA chooses to create a forth race like this), and I'm certain that Divisions 5, 6, & even 7 will support it better than those of you who ran the Nitro Jam race, but chose to stay home for this one did!!!

Ed Carpenter, I'm sorry to hear about your engine, and thus you have a more than credible reason for not being there. The weather wasn't that bad, and it was cool compared to my cities weather today, and I'm sure there racing at all of the Az. tracks tonight, and the coolest of them is Tucson (only because they're more than 2,000ft elevation), but it's hotter here in Phoenix now (7:50pm pst), than it was at 1pm cst there last Saturday...just saying....