NHRA, if this is true, I'm outta here... (1 Viewer)

[Tom Tompkins]

If NHRA was to drop the alky classes at national events I would be thru attending them. I am building a top sportsman car so my main venue would be the LODRS events anyway.

I went to Denver last year and the event sucked in my opinion without TAD or TAFC. I have long been a HUGE fan of both classes and will always be. I guess we can only wait and see what happens.

 

[mike]

As soon as they find a cheaper filler the alky cars will probably dissapear.

 

[Rexfiles]

As soon as they find a cheaper filler the alky cars will probably dissapear.

Have you heard anything specific/credible about this Mike?

I dabbled in the class('s) 20 or so years ago, and yeah, we were the red headed stepchildren then too.

so while i would not actually be suprised............I was just wondering.........


REX

 

[Too many to list here]

Ah.....Plan B!!!!

 

[mike]

Been told many of times thats what we are. look how we are moved in our quailifing,just fill in,s.

 

[Toejam]

When Evan Knoll speaks, NHRA Listens! Sponsoring a Natl. event, 4 Fuel cars and a dozen(?) Alky Cars? I bet Evan Knoll gets a phone call from Glendora in the next day or two.....

 

[Nick Name]

No surprise here at all. I have nothing against alcohol, but this is exactly what has to happen in order to be able to put together a good LIVE TV package. Until they can do a live show NHRA will continue to get crappy time slots and be bumped by poker and spelling bees. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to have pro only national events.

Exactly. I thought everyone understood that NHRA was keeping the sportsman deal and the new owners bought the pro deal only. Did anyone think the two would mix on race weekend?

Pro only dragracing is only about ten years too late.

Jay

 

[Toejam]

Pro only Natl. events would never fly! Unless these guys could turn cars around in 30 minutes! How many here would pay $50-60 just to see Pro's? NOT ME!!!!!!!!!

 

[mick]

Exactly. I thought everyone understood that NHRA was keeping the sportsman deal and the new owners bought the pro deal only. Did anyone think the two would mix on race weekend?

Pro only dragracing is only about ten years too late.

Jay

i hate to always go against the grain here on the mater, but i'll have
to agree with you jay & brian.
Still run the TV qualifying show sat. nite; then have NHRA Today sunday am,
followed by live show around 2-3pm - give brief overview of 1st round,
then go live for 2nd round thru finals. 3 hours should be sufficient.

not sure about shortening event to two days? although rite now i think
when you see empty seats on sunday, a lot of those seats have already
been paid for, the ticket holder perhaps left early as he/she has been
at the facility for multiple days. A two day race mite just fill the stands
for the entire two days. Looks better on sunday TV that's for sure.

I love the sportsman classes just as much as anyone else, but honestly
at the nat. events the time between rounds is consumed by eating and
browsing in pits, i'll probably catch a few rnds. of sportsman somewhere
during day.

I like the idea of upgrading the div. events.....as mr. stanley has stated,
sometimes the sportsman entries get pushed around at the nat. events
so as to cater to the pros.

The one big downside to all this is the TAFC/TAD sponsor/s factor.
These cars only increase in cost to run and i would guess most sponsor
money in those classes is hinged on a certain number of appearances
in front of nat. event crowds.

 

[Toejam]

If you guys really think that National events can fly with Pro's only than I'm glad you guys aren't making the decisions!

 

[Wes]

Once again...here is a prime example of a HUGE opportunity staring IHRA right smack in the face.

As far as divisional event fan attendance goes...the number of butts in the stands at an NHRA LODRS event in any division is the shared responsobility of the host track and the Division Director. Most of the burden falls on the shoulders of the track owner/operator/marketing dude, though. For example...the D5 event at HPT back in August was heavily attended. Why? Becasue the new, aggresive track owners went into the Topeka community and promoted the hell out of the event. And it paid off. They scheduled the alky classes to run under the lights and they put on a great show for the fans. In contrast, the D4 race last weekend at Thunder Valley was lacking in spectator count. I asked around and none of the locals ever heard/saw one single advertisement for the event.

 

[mick]

correct me if i'm wrong, but the way this split is being discussed,
it seems like NHRA will be able to pour more resources towards marketing
the sportsman classes/events???

joe, i'm glad i'm not making the decisions; i have neither the
background or experience.
what i do see is a business making some tough choices trying
to advance it's product.
us life long fans have been lulled into a 'comfortable state'

 

[jeff]

As soon as they find a cheaper filler the alky cars will probably dissapear.

That would suck if they did Mike. I grew up watching yourself, BIll Barny, The Austins, Steve Faria, Blaine Johnson, Who Can Forget Rick Santos (That was one badass car back in the day). Newberry, Manzo, Bucky, Don Gay Jr., Bartone, Cy, Payne, The Andersons I can go on and on, so many good drivers. Lots of good times watching these cars. Would be Dumb to cut these cars from the program.

 

[Paul]

I would be absolutely shocked if any of this will ever happen. There will be other classes cut long before the Alcohol classes are touched.

 

[D]

If NHRA was to drop the alky classes at national events I would be thru attending them. I am building a top sportsman car so my main venue would be the LODRS events anyway.

I went to Denver last year and the event sucked in my opinion without TAD or TAFC. I have long been a HUGE fan of both classes and will always be. I guess we can only wait and see what happens.

Here, here!! I love Bandimere, its home, but it sucks that the only national event I could get to this year had no alcohol cars and some years has no comp as well. Here's a thought, maybe Fridays and divisionals aren't well attended because they're NOT PROMOTED. Oh yeah the first nitro sessions of the day suck at non alcohol events because there's not as much rubber down and the nitro crew chiefs don't get to watch similar cars run to get a good gauge of track conditions. I've always thought the alcohol folks were getting the short end of the stick, given the amount of money it takes to run a car versus how they're treated.

S/F
D

 

[BlueStangGT]

This ain't happenin'. From ITA:

The rumor claiming that TAFC and TAD will no longer be contested at NHRA POWERade National events is absolutely false!
Someone also claimed that a "professional racer" had met with an HPD executive who made this statement. This too is a false claim. No HDP executive has yet to have any meetings with an NHRA professional racer.
The FACTS are that the Top Alcohol categories do play an important role in NHRA Drag Racing and will continue to be part of NHRA national events.

Len Imbrogno
NHRA Director of Sportsman Racing and Member Tracks.

 

[HEMI6point1]

Exactly. I thought everyone understood that NHRA was keeping the sportsman deal and the new owners bought the pro deal only. Did anyone think the two would mix on race weekend?

Pro only dragracing is only about ten years too late.

Jay

I LOVE watching the alky cars and super stock and Comp when I go to a national event. Losing them would be a major bummer.

 

[Rexfiles]

This ain't happenin'. From ITA:

Oh oh.............Rumorous interruptous

REX

 

[HEMI6point1]

This ain't happenin'. From ITA:

Oops, didn't see this post. *sigh of relief*

 

[Randy]

The signed contract with the "Partners" includes a 10 year clause for TAD and TA/FC. Meaning, they are guarenteed for at least 10 more years. This is per Mr. Compton.

I can't imaging with the kind of money and support Knoll Gas and Lucas Oil Products injects into our sportsman programs that anyone with an ounce of brains would make a decision to get rid of any class as significant as TAD and TA/FC.

I spoke to one of the major parts manufacturers today that supplies the Nitro and Alcohol categories. He said his business would be greatly impacted if his business was reduced to nitro cars alone.

The only perk the alky teams have is being able to run at national event prepped tracks. I bet most alky racers would hang it up and buy a bass boat rather than just running divisional races. Remember when they stopped running top fuel at division races? It was because the divisional type tracks were not capable of safely handling the speeds and et's. Here we are many years later and the alky classes are significantly quicker than the nitro cars were when they stopped running divisional events yet they are required to do it in order to run national events.