"Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am

[Alex Denysenko]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

IHRA Div 4 never had decent car counts. I don't recall going to one with more than a dozen SS cars. I don't know how the tracks can afford that.

100% CORRECT Ed that was the point of my argument with aaron and skooter, but they claimed div 4 racers supported the events better than 5, sure couldn't prove it by the numbers since they had such a foothold in the market div4? they didn't want to lose it as it was ever expanding REALLY? WHERE? I guess we're all still waiting

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Alex Denysenko

100% CORRECT Ed that was the point of my argument with aaron and skooter, but they claimed div 4 racers supported the events better than 5, sure couldn't prove it by the numbers since they had such a foothold in the market div4? they didn't want to lose it as it was ever expanding REALLY? WHERE? I guess we're all still waiting

They must have been thinking about the throttle stop bracket cars.

[RJ Sledge]

IHRA might have been "at its best" 10 years ago, but it wasn't in Texas. I don't even remember if they had it in Louisiana?

You can't blame racers for not coming to a IHRA race in San Antonio when NHRA had a Divisional the same weekend in Houston. The only reason I went to San Antonio is I'm 45 miles away. You cannot expect the racers in the Houston/Louisiana area to come to a IHRA race 400 miles away and miss a NHRA race less than 100 miles away. So don't try and blame the racers.

NHRA always posted their race dates after IHRA and guess what? The San Antonio race was always the same date as a NHRA Div race. NHRA did not want IHRA to gain a foot hold in Texas and played the game to their advantage. Texas/Louisiana is a huge area with great job opportunities available and NHRA realized what was at stake. IHRA dropped the ball and has been playing second fiddle ever since.

I want to see IHRA succeed in San Antonio, but with the complete lack of track prep and maintenance during the race day its not going to happen.

Different mind set by the SAR management or lack of understanding that you could be like Baton Rouge with 75 and 80 car fields in S/SS. That's a lot of money and available to somebody that understands, you need to cater to all racers and not just the 32X14 tire, soft converter, P.G Trans crowd. No offense meant.

SAR has the potential of becoming a great track, but its heading down the road to mediocrity and just about to reach the last exit.

RJ

[Michael Beard]

You're right. There was some shockingly bad scheduling. That said, there was one year with no conflicts, and there were still only 44 Stock and 18 Super Stockers.

I think Alex is also right. I think the decision to drop Div. 5 was the turning point that started the downward spiral.

[Greg Hill]

The very least racers should expect is a decent racing surface. There is nothing worse that a track can do to their customers than having a poorly prepared race track. Good track operators understand this. Racers will overlook bad food, nasty restrooms, less than great pit area, but you give them a sh#%^y track and you WILL lose your racers. Sounds like this race track will be gone by the end of the year.

[HR9121]

I don't know, I think you hang a NHRA flag and they would keep right on mooing in the gate. People been whining about the pit conditions at Houston for as long as I can remember and keep right on going back. I think they would keep going if they were spinning on the track and not just in the pits.

[MadMax404]

Originally Posted by HR9121

I don't know, I think you hang a NHRA flag and they would keep right on mooing in the gate. People been whining about the pit conditions at Houston for as long as I can remember and keep right on going back. I think they would keep going if they were spinning on the track and not just in the pits.

As I elected to skip SAR I also elected to skip the Houston national because the 2013 debacle.

I'm running out of places to race cause they all keep screwing me somewa or another! I have gone back to full time bracket racing, and even my home track pissed me off enough this season(cancelled an event after 13 hours of waiting around and making 2 time trials) I almost didn't return(I will say they made up for it by hosting one hell of a race memorial weekend). I don't make millions, hell I hardly make thousands and work 50 hours a week to race on the weekends! I do this because its life to me and its fun. When organizations don't make it fun I do not want to support them. Problem is, I'm running out of organizations to race with!

Beard, if you and Anthony could just host some races south of the mason Dixon and west of the Mississippi that would be fantastic!

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by MadMax404

Beard, if you and Anthony could just host some races south of the mason Dixon and west of the Mississippi that would be fantastic!

We appreciate the vote of confidence, but we've generally not seen the kind of car counts necessary out west to support a big money event. We're not independently wealthy, so it's not a risk we can take.

[Ed Wright]

RJ said :
>Different mind set by the SAR management or lack of understanding that you could be like Baton Rouge with 75 and 80 car fields in S/SS. That's a lot of money and available to somebody that understands, you need to cater to all racers and not just the 32X14 tire, soft converter, P.G Trans crowd. No offense meant.<

IHRA recently lost their great Div 4 track prep Guru, Tommy. (Sorry, I forgot his last name. I'm old) Great guy too.
It seems like many local track prep guys don't realize (or care ) that we race on a different surface than the local bracket cars, as R.J. described above. Bracket racers I talk to don't realize even our torque converters are as much different than what they use. I see them spraying it, and say " there ya go" without dragging it. When I have tried to bracket race here at home, and have trouble spinning the tires, several have told me I need to work on my car, since they don't have any problems.

Same level of prep we see if we rent the track for testing. I can usually make it hook well enough to test, but some local SS cars can't and won't go back there to test. I had better not go to a real race set like that, it would flip over backwards. LOL
When the Div 4 guys show up for the LODRS race it's great.

Guys that have a track they can rent for testing that hooks don't realize how lucky they are.

[kdanner]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

IHRA recently lost their great Div 4 track prep Guru, Tommy. (Sorry, I forgot his last name. I'm old) Great guy too.

Tommy Freeman. You're right, great guy, and he had the old section of highway at Little River working fantastic the last couple of years. I never thought I'd have anything good to say about that place, but he really made it work.

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

but you give them a sh#%^y track and you WILL lose your racers.

San Antonio has had the lids off the septic tanks with stench pouring out of them for years now, right next to concessions. How's THAT for a sh#%^y track!