Where were you TEXAS, & D4 racers???

[novassdude]

You keep bringing up racers that were at the Nitro Jam but not at he sportsman race. Couple of possibilities why.
1. I do not believe they had Buy backs at the Nitro Jam. (not that I am close or have the car ready) but that would keep me from showing up to a race like this.
2. Maybe they did not like something about the way things went at that race. That is pure speculation on my part but a very real possibility.

[RJ Sledge]

Gary?....Gary?....Helloooo! Gary...Where'd you go??

Hey, wake up, its time for another post.

RJ

[Hemi Moose]

Gary, glad your happy with your car and hey if it works for you, the more power to ya...but if you don't mind me asking what were your total expenses to go to San Antonio?

[Jason]

Maybe it finally sunk in to Gary that there are actually racers who do not want to race at an IHRA event.

[Adub464Q]

Gary,

I have a super comp (quick rod) dragster and drive a stocker for the Marlow family, who were at the event. I run one of the cars at nhra events only because of college commitments. Anyhow, I have an outside shot in super comp to get into the allstars, so I knew we would be coming to belle rose this weekend. We didn't want to endure multiple days of heat for weeks in a row. If I'd had known that it was going to be Saturday only, I would have been there.

It may have been a good paying race, but let's be honest, this sport ain't about money. It's about having fun, and how much fun is two weekends in a row with high heat. So instead, I sat out by the pool and had a great time with family.

And last, you can hate on TEXAS (and them longhorns) all you want, but don't talk bad about my aggies.

Thanks and gig em,
Austin Williams

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by novassdude

You keep bringing up racers that were at the Nitro Jam but not at he sportsman race. Couple of possibilities why.
1. I do not believe they had Buy backs at the Nitro Jam. (not that I am close or have the car ready) but that would keep me from showing up to a race like this.
2. Maybe they did not like something about the way things went at that race. That is pure speculation on my part but a very real possibility.

Sorry for it taking awhile to get back here, but I don't have personal internet access, so I use either my leasing offices business center, or my local libraries computer. Now as for your post I have to offer one important correction to your first part, since I have no way of knowing about the second part; buy-backs and re-entry are two different things, and here's why:

1. A buy back allows every person who bought back into the race to get into the succeeding elimination rounds, from the one they lost in.

2. Re-entry allowed first round losers to race against other first round losers, and only the winners of that group would advance to succeeding elimination rounds.

3. If each class would've had 64 cars in attendance at the race, then re-entry wouldn't have been an option, so all Stock needed was 54 more cars (which for the largest BY FAR payout a sportsman legal class has ever offered at a track on the west side of the great Mississippi River, I don't understand why it didn't get that), and this wouldn't have been an issue!

Per Frank Kohutek, if there were issues with the track or the race itself, then they need to be addressed to IHRA, and or Frank....you can't fix a problem if the problem isn't made known to those who can fix it, right??? I won't be asking them about anything, because I lowered my tire pressure 2lbs, didn't do a burnout, and still enjoyed similar 60ft times to what I had last year (even in the slightly cooler March temperatures). If someone had an issue, then they should've let Frank know about it. I think it's crazy that this event had the poorest Stock & Super Stock attendance of any race like it, and yet it paid the highest (by far) non-contingency purse any D4-D7 race will have this season...and especially for only a $200 entry fee!!!???

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Adub464Q

Gary,

I have a super comp (quick rod) dragster and drive a stocker for the Marlow family, who were at the event. I run one of the cars at nhra events only because of college commitments. Anyhow, I have an outside shot in super comp to get into the allstars, so I knew we would be coming to belle rose this weekend. We didn't want to endure multiple days of heat for weeks in a row. If I'd had known that it was going to be Saturday only, I would have been there.

It may have been a good paying race, but let's be honest, this sport ain't about money. It's about having fun, and how much fun is two weekends in a row with high heat. So instead, I sat out by the pool and had a great time with family.

And last, you can hate on TEXAS (and them longhorns) all you want, but don't talk bad about my aggies.

To me this sport is about both having fun and the money (which is why I dont' race my car as a bracket car). I can't see paying $50 bucks for a race that only pays maybe $350-$450 (if I'm lucky), and numerous times during the year, to hopefully earn the right to race in the Divisionals Race of Champions, for the right to race at the NHRA World Finals, when all I had to do to earn the right to do the same thing at the IHRA's World Finals, was win this race, and I just needed to win four straight rounds to do it (much easier a task on me and my car, than racing for a seasonal top four finish at my local track, prior to having to race other qualifiers from other tracks for the same privilege with NHRA).

No problem with the aggies, because I was a fan of the Texas A&M Aggies since they had R.C. Slocum (I hope I spelled his last name right?), as their football head coach, and any team who emphasizes the military in it is a team I really admire...GO AGGIES!!!!
Thanks and gig em,
Austin Williams

Please see the note I wrote above your name Austin, I was soo eager to start this that I wrote my reply above your name....

[Mark Yacavone]

Gary, I applaud your effort in trying to promote IHRA out west as an alternative.
I'm not a huge fan of The Big "N" anymore.
In fact , I allow IHRA cars to run our combo events and qualify off their indexes, providing the weight breaks are different, and you have the appropriate credentials.

But quit complaining about the NHRA indexes!
The next time you want to travel 2400 miles to race, instead, bring the money to me, and you won't have to worry about running under the index here.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

Gary, glad your happy with your car and hey if it works for you, the more power to ya...but if you don't mind me asking what were your total expenses to go to San Antonio?

About **500 to **600 bucks. However, for a race like this it was worth it. You have to even compare it to Marks race, in that his race charged only **100 dollars less, yet the payout was much less than half of this race. Furthermore, this race had world championship possibilities....

[Dean Feiock]

Originally Posted by GarysZ24

About **500 to **600 bucks. However, for a race like this it was worth it. You have to even compare it to Marks race, in that his race charged only **100 dollars less, yet the payout was much less than half of this race. Furthermore, this race had world championship possibilities....

Really Gary?
You went roughly 2400 miles. IF you got 18 miles per gallon that's 133.33 gallons @ **3.75 a gallon is **500.00 just in truck fuel.
Where did you stay?
Where did you eat?

Championship possibilites???? What???? Even if you would have won that race, how would that make you a championship contender????

Mark is right, quit bitching about the NHRA indexs!

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you spent **500 to **600 on your car???? That is **500 to **600 on parts to make it go faster????

Maybe you should find better ways to spend your hard earned money. We all invest in our cars to keep up with the class and the competition. Why shouldn't you have too?