2016 NHRA National Events Quotas

[HR9121]

Originally Posted by james schaechter

NHRA is an association of racers. Entertainment supportedby us, the membership. The quotas may need to be up or down, whatever. The reasons for the quotas and the intended goal should be public. Racers have some good ideas. If we knew what they were shooting for we could help. This isn't a matter of national security.

I think the lack of transparency reveals insecurity at the top. If the fear is the low Divison numbers, help the local tracks make the Divisionals a good deal for racers and tracks. Don't try to herd us there.

Right now, NHRA is competing with the many small associations running local races and offering much more value. If NHRA did a better job of serving the members, there would be no way a small association could compete with their series. Unfortunately, NHRA has become too top heavy and detached to realize this. It is kind of a role reversal. The small associations are made up of racers that out their blood sweat and tears in to the sport they love. Kind of like the original charter that made up NHRA.
Now, I know there are many many NHRA employees and officials that love the sport and support the common cause. I have to question if the upper a management has the experience to even understand the need for passion, for love of the sport. I fear to them, it is just a job. The sad part, is that they are the decision makers.
They have SRAC and other means to communicate with racers, but I don't think they take heed of the racer input. Coming to INDY and milling around with us isn't enough.
They need more input from local tracks and racers to help guide them. They need to ask their own people that DO interact with racers. If this is being done, great, but it is a big secret to the membership if it is.
I could see the car quota being lowered to compress the timeline. I doubt if they are doing this because of the toterhomes and stackers. If they were that aware, they would probably impose an additional fee for them.

Very good post on all accounts and I do agree that time constraints could be an issue but I wouldn't dismiss the theory about size of rigs either. I'm one of those late arrivers and twice this year there was not room for me to park with everyone else. At Bristol they had me park by the round track and Charlotte I had to park on the opposite side.