IHRA Finals/Tourn of Champions

[Bill Howell]

This was the same reasoning that IHRA would not let you run a different car when they first started the 8 car points leaders run off for the $5000 winner take all purse they had in the early 90's.
They didn't want someone borrowing a fast car to take advantage of a heads up situation in the shoot outs.
I believe it was 90 or 91 when a racer entered someone else's faster car when he had Cleo Chandler first round in the shoot out and it would have been heads up. Robert Leonard with IHRA made him run his own car. (Cleo beat him first round and won the race! She was in her 70's at the time and had 3 lights .01 or better in eliminations.)

[Myron Piatek]

Joe,

I respect and understand your opinion. Unfortunately, I believe there would have been NO class racing a long time ago if the handicap system wasn't put into place. If more emphasis was put on HP and the money to get it, it would just be a different group of the same names in a different order from year-to-year than what we have now. The low budget person still has a good opportunity to be competitive, even if he/she has to "hide" in a different class to get away from any "killer cars". But there is still the compromise of an occasional heads-up race in eliminations and the bragging rights of class eliminations at some events, not to mention qualifying position.

Better rewards for class winners could help. But even that has been getting worse with the economy. Right now I'm really worried that Mopar may not have a contingency program for 2009, especially for IHRA class where it was the best sponsor and the only one I benefitted from.

So basically, for years the economy has been forcing less emphasis on being the fastest in order to keep the car counts and classes alive. As long as people can still be competitive without having to "keep up with the Joneses", there will be some cars built and raced. That helps participation, manufacturers, etc. The interest is there to go fast, just not the money. Personally, it kinda seems like the Pro teams, which obviously are all heads-up, are having more problems than Sportsman racers in keeping their "heads up" above he water.

[Michael Beard]

Order your SFI pants yet, Myron, or are you going to run K this year on a 2bbl?

I wonder who will be paying contingency on them? That will help make my decision on who to buy from.

[THE LEGEND]

I know IMPACT and STROUD pay for firesuit.

I've never seen a shootout have HEADSUP.

Does the NHRA AllStars have HeadsUp?
Probably not but nobody will fuss about them.LOL
Chip

[Myron Piatek]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

Order your SFI pants yet, Myron, or are you going to run K this year on a 2bbl?

I wonder who will be paying contingency on them? That will help make my decision on who to buy from.

Not yet. But looking around to see if I still had a pair of pants I never wore. Already have a Stroud jacket and helmet.

I may just take out all of the "K" and "J" weight, hook up the back barrels and run in "I" where it will be easy pickins!