clwill
Nitro Member
Much of what you say, Justin, is pretty spot on. But the fix to a lot of this is pretty simple: communication.
I posted a rant on these very pages a couple years ago about how NHRA was treating sportsman racers. Much was what you just stated. And you know what turned my opinion around -- at least about how NHRA feels about the sportsman racers? A phone call from Alan Reinhart. Simple communication.
Sportsman racers are adults (well, at least most of them), we understand that we're filler, we understand that the pros are the show, we understand that things will get moved around. But it sucks to find out at the last second, or to find out on the PA as you're getting ready to run, or worst to only find out when you've been standing around for hours only to finally realize it.
Pro racers are OK with schedule changes because someone from NHRA goes pit-to-pit talking it over with people. Sportsman racers are lucky to hear it at all, what with crappy PA systems and late/lousy announcements. It's one thing to consider sportsman racers like filler when you're making/changing the schedule, it's quite another to treat them that way.
If NHRA had a "sportsman ambassador" at the national events, whose job it was to stick up for, to communicate with, and to corral the sportsman crowd, it would go a long way. Have that person in the room when they are messing up the schedule. Have that person go out into the sportsman pits and relay the reasoning and the real facts about what's going on. Have that person work to make sure the racers are ready when their time comes. Could this person talk to all 400 racers? No, but could they talk to 40-80 of them and count on word-of-mouth filling in the rest? Sure. Most races are chattier than a junior high lunchroom. Fill in the story with some facts, not rumors.
As I said, it's one thing to be considered like chattel, quite another to be treated that way. Maybe NHRA could show a little more respect to the hundreds of people spending thousands each to be their filler. And it starts with better communication.
I posted a rant on these very pages a couple years ago about how NHRA was treating sportsman racers. Much was what you just stated. And you know what turned my opinion around -- at least about how NHRA feels about the sportsman racers? A phone call from Alan Reinhart. Simple communication.
Sportsman racers are adults (well, at least most of them), we understand that we're filler, we understand that the pros are the show, we understand that things will get moved around. But it sucks to find out at the last second, or to find out on the PA as you're getting ready to run, or worst to only find out when you've been standing around for hours only to finally realize it.
Pro racers are OK with schedule changes because someone from NHRA goes pit-to-pit talking it over with people. Sportsman racers are lucky to hear it at all, what with crappy PA systems and late/lousy announcements. It's one thing to consider sportsman racers like filler when you're making/changing the schedule, it's quite another to treat them that way.
If NHRA had a "sportsman ambassador" at the national events, whose job it was to stick up for, to communicate with, and to corral the sportsman crowd, it would go a long way. Have that person in the room when they are messing up the schedule. Have that person go out into the sportsman pits and relay the reasoning and the real facts about what's going on. Have that person work to make sure the racers are ready when their time comes. Could this person talk to all 400 racers? No, but could they talk to 40-80 of them and count on word-of-mouth filling in the rest? Sure. Most races are chattier than a junior high lunchroom. Fill in the story with some facts, not rumors.
As I said, it's one thing to be considered like chattel, quite another to be treated that way. Maybe NHRA could show a little more respect to the hundreds of people spending thousands each to be their filler. And it starts with better communication.
