NHRA Limits Number of Cars per each Owner in a Category (2 Viewers)

[Cymon Sez]

Ok I really like this topic cus I have been against the multi-car teams since Tony joined Force back in '96.

Lets look at the wording:
“The definition of an owner group is any affiliated individual or individuals who have a direct or indirect form or amount of common, joint or shared control, ownership, financing, management or revenue sharing from a competing vehicle’s performance.”

First off “any affiliated individual or individuals” would rule out Father/Son or Father/Daughter owners because they are affiliated. This would also rule out family members. In my opinion this has its advantages and disadvantages that could limit the growth. The fix make Dad retire to the owner only.

I have no preference in which teams are forced to abide by this rule, I don't like the multi car teams regardless of owner. I like drivers, but most of the drivers i like are employed by one of the “team” owners.

As for the car counts, its hard to say if the multi car teams were limited would it increase the counts. My opinion is yeah it would because it wouldn't require so much sponsor money to get into the sport(or in Deans case back in).

As for “team” orders THIS IS BUSINESS PEOPLE if it were strictly racing it would not exist. These owners have a obligation to try and get the sponsor on tv to promote the product.

I could go on and on but I will step of the soap box for now

 

[FalconRacer]

I don't care "WHO OWNS THE CAR" I cheer an root for my driver!!!!!!! I'd still cheer for John Force if he was driving for DSR...

 

[FalconRacer]

Ok I really like this topic cus I have been against the multi-car teams since Tony joined Force back in '96.

Lets look at the wording:
“The definition of an owner group is any affiliated individual or individuals who have a direct or indirect form or amount of common, joint or shared control, ownership, financing, management or revenue sharing from a competing vehicle’s performance.”

First off “any affiliated individual or individuals” would rule out Father/Son or Father/Daughter owners because they are affiliated. This would also rule out family members. In my opinion this has its advantages and disadvantages that could limit the growth. The fix make Dad retire to the owner only.

I have no preference in which teams are forced to abide by this rule, I don't like the multi car teams regardless of owner. I like drivers, but most of the drivers i like are employed by one of the “team” owners.

As for the car counts, its hard to say if the multi car teams were limited would it increase the counts. My opinion is yeah it would because it wouldn't require so much sponsor money to get into the sport(or in Deans case back in).

As for “team” orders THIS IS BUSINESS PEOPLE if it were strictly racing it would not exist. These owners have a obligation to try and get the sponsor on tv to promote the product.

I could go on and on but I will step of the soap box for now

So a team owner decides one sponsor is better than the other an tells a driver to take a dive?? If your going to make your sponsor's happy you'd have to let the drivers drive an let the best team win.

 

[afx421]

im sure if anyone team $hunmacher will figure away around it if someone comes to him with money to sponsor a funny car. he will just say hes under my umbrella, hes not on my team, hes using my parts, tune up info and parks with us but hes not on my team. hasnt tony said before he wants to drive a funny car? as it is just finishing in the top 10 next year will be a huge accomplishment. there will be a few big names not on the stage in nov 07 and sponsors will put out because of it.

 

[.]

....for John Force if he was driving for DSR...

LOL!!! Excuse me while I go change my underbritches!

The rule creation tells me a 5th funny car was in the works.
Hmmm.........

So free enterprise tells us if one guy had 16 F/C's, that would be OK.
Ummm, yeah, it's ok, but is it in the spirit of where F/C racing came from?

Far's I'm concerned, 1 car per owner would be nice. Blower dynos be damned.

im sure if anyone team $hunmacher or John Force racing will figure away around it if someone comes to him with money to sponsor a funny car

Fixed it for ya.

... I have been against the multi-car teams since Tony joined Force back in '96.

Amen.

 

[Gordon]

Still on the Fence

I could be wrong - and I'm sure you'll tell me if I am, but isn't part of the problem the fact that most racers see themselves as racers, rather than as businessmen & women? We've all known for well over a decade that this is a business, not a hobby. People get into business to make money, plain and simple.

In the case of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, making money by selling and advertising a company's product (Brut, Quaker State, Castrol, etc.) ALLOWS a racer to run their car, or cars. If a good, or even great racer has no, or limited business savvy, they probably won't earn enough money to race - plain & simple. And unless they're independently wealthy, they won't be around very long, regardless of their talent - see Dean Skuza, KC Spurlock, etc. John Force, Don Schumacher, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, etc. have all figured it out and are very sucessful businessmen, regardless of how many cars they currently own and/or operate.

On the flip side, it's often times a case of, "You have to have money to make money," and that's where it gets tough to break in for folks who just want to race. How many of us out there are working payday to payday to make ends meet? Somebody out there may be the next Joe Amato or John Force, but in today's financial racing climate, it's not nearly as easy to 'break in' as it once was. And I'm not suggesting John had it easy - he's earned everything he's achieved, but even he would admit it was easier back then than anyone would have it today...

But back on the subject - I'm still torn as to whether or not NHRA should penalize someone who has the business skills to make money doing what they love to do. I guess maybe the bigger question is: Would limiting teams to one or two cars per class help reduce the overall cost of fielding a car? If the answer is yes, then I'm all for reducing the numbers, otherwise I'm still on the fence.

 

[Cymon Sez]

So a team owner decides one sponsor is better than the other an tells a driver to take a dive?? If your going to make your sponsor's happy you'd have to let the drivers drive an let the best team win.

Sounds great on paper, but remember there is soo much cross sponsorship these days its a win win for a sponsor to be on 4 cars in one class.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

I'm picturing the day that a four team owner has an associate sponsor who wants to step up to being a major and the owner has to turn them down because of this rule.

LOL, NHRA tries to compete against their own competition in the marketplace while putting this parity hurdle in place for their own participants. Why would they not want people to add cars however they could so that someday they could increase the size of their fields?

 

[d'kid]

From a FAN point of view.... I don't give a damn Who owns a team, as long as the driver I like has a ride. To the casual fan, this is entertainment, plan and simple, it's about the noise, the smells, The HYPE. I want to see Robert, Eric Ashley, Courtney, and John in floppers. I want to see Ron, Whit, Gary, Mike A. and whoever else Shoe can field a car for in floppers. I want to see Del and Phil, Franky, Tony and Cruz, Teach and Jack and TJ and Scott K and Bartone and Dean and the Cressey family And who ever else has the talent to drive a flopper in a flopper even if someone with the Business sense and the promotional skill fields ten cars. oh yeah, let's not forget Jerry T...

So flipping what if Pro racing is Fixed... ya'll think match racing wasn't fix back in the 60's and early seventies? It's the Show... run 32 floppers live on TV... it won't take any longer than a NASCAR race.

Here's the thing, if the NHRA really wants to cut the multi car teams, all they need to do is cut the number of races that count toward the Championship. Make everyone run divisional races along with 6 National Events. Winters, Indy one each in the southeast Northwest, Northeast , and somewhere along the gulf coast, to earn enought points to get to the World Finals. Whoever wins The World Finals is the Champion.

As far as the Tracks that now have National events, they get a WCS event and can put on a Show like Norwalks Night of Fire, or the old PDA meets, or OCIR's and Rockford's 'Manufacturer's' event which would work for both Floppers and Pro Stocks.

Are Muilt-car teams bad? I don't think so... I think the Promoters got just what they planted the seeds for when They decided to go from Sanctioning Body to Promoter/Track owners.

 

[Joker]

You know what, yall are right, this rule will help the NHRA. I wonder now how many supposed to be JFR/DSR sponsor's will now turn to being "The Official $$@#@# of the NHRA"

 

[Doug Randazzo]

There are some good arguments about how this rule will affect the future of drag racing. IMO, don't worry about it. If NHRA needs to adjust this rule they can, its their rule. But atleast it puts a cap on a situation that was looking to get out of control.

 

[Rajunz]

"Evan Knoll owns Ashley's team. Schumacher just manages it."
Evan and Don are rumored to be business partners, so I don't think NHRA is gonna buy this deal!
The new rule will still allow DSR and Kalitta to control half of the TF field and JFR and DSR to do the same in FC. If this rule transferred to NASCAR, major teams would be allowed to field TEN teams at each race!
If NHRA really wanted to encourage new investment in professional classes, they should have limited the Big Boyz to two teams in each class - JMHO

Then they wouldn't even fill up the field at half the races................

 

[Bullard Anderson]

I think 3 would have been better.

 

[Doug Randazzo]

I think 3 would have been better.

I think NHRA would have liked it to be three teams too. The reason they picked four is why this should be called the John Force rule. Why?

NHRA would have no problem telling DSR that Mike Ashley has to go. But they DON'T want to force the hand of JFR. With the A&E show, and all the press women are getting in motorsports, now is a perfect time for John to put Ashley in a FC. So I doubt they want to delay that another year or two. Or, I'm sure they don't want to push John into an early retirement, knowing that he is very high on his current two drivers.

Just a thought.

 

[T.Smith]

Then they wouldn't even fill up the field at half the races................

And why is that?...What came first? the chicken, or the egg?

 

[Rich]

I think NHRA would have liked it to be three teams too. The reason they picked four is why this should be called the John Force rule. Why?

NHRA would have no problem telling DSR that Mike Ashley has to go. But they DON'T want to force the hand of JFR. With the A&E show, and all the press women are getting in motorsports, now is a perfect time for John to put Ashley in a FC. So I doubt they want to delay that another year or two. Or, I'm sure they don't want to push John into an early retirement, knowing that he is very high on his current two drivers.

Just a thought.

I was thinking somewhat along the same lines. Although I would like to see the limit put at three teams or even two, I also understand that the NHRA would be cutting their own throats if they mandated that number just as Ashley Force is about to join the pro ranks. Ashley Force is to the NHRA what Dale Earnhardt Jr is to NASCAR, which is something that I am sure the Powers That Be in Glendora certainly understand.

 

[T.Smith]

I know there are some who could care less about driving for a DSR/JFR. I will never understand it b/c it makes you a championship contender overnight but whatever. I didn't mean it as a dig to your team at all however. Evan is being brought into this because if it wasn't for him owning/sponsoring a million teams then those guys wouldn't be able to race either all the events or even be competitive as much as they are really. I just think this rule hurts more than it helps. I understand trying to keep the competition honest, but you can do that with 2 cars much less 4. It keeps good drivers from getting better rides, it keeps lower funded guys from getting an opportunity etc.
Its like with Bill Gates. The man is a genius and he found a way to make billions of dollars and all our government has done is take him to court for having a monopoly and ordered him to pay millions of dollars. I say if he's smart enough to put himself in that position, he earned it. So if JFR/DSR can attract 10 multi million dollar company's to sponsor 10 cars, more power to them. And for the subject of sponsor pools or whatever, thats ridiculous.
Why would I want to work to find my competition a sponsor. That dont even make since, hell why dont you just send your tune up and race data over to them as well. Now what we are going to see instead of Capps thanking Brut, DSR we are going to here him thanking Brut,DSR,Torco,Knoll Gas,Gates,Shoe Electric,Mopar,Oakley,Matco Tools,etc etc etc b/c this rule isn't going to keep Shoe and Force from securing more $$$ they are just going to ship it around at: "Ok, instead of giving me $3 million a year to be primary sponsor of a car, give me the $3 million and I will make you a major associate on 4 cars." I know that happens now as well but its fixing to be taken to the next level.

Justin, put down the Castrol GTX koolaid, take off the Oakley sunglasses and unhook the Schumacher battery charger from your nipples.

Maybe you'll never understand, because you have never sweat, bled, cried, worked your ass off and gotten your ass kicked for something you believe in.

The road to drag racing success shouldn't depend on whether DSR wants to give you a job or whether if the check your bringing is large enough.

 

[T.Smith]

Ashley Force is to the NHRA what Dale Earnhardt Jr is to NASCAR, which is something that I am sure the Powers That Be in Glendora certainly understand.

Oh God...I've heard it all now.

 

[Doug Randazzo]

Justin, put down the Castrol GTX koolaid, take off the Oakley sunglasses and unhook the Schumacher battery charger from your nipples.

Maybe you'll never understand, because you have never sweat, bled, cried, worked your ass off and gotten your ass kicked for something you believe in.

The road to drag racing success shouldn't depend on whether DSR wants to give you a job or whether if the check your bringing is large enough.

That was beautiful Tony, almost brought a tear to my eye...then I realized I had the polarity crossed on my nipples.

 

[Rich]

Oh God...I've heard it all now.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr entered NASCAR there was a great deal of hype surrounding him because he was fortunate enough to be born the son of a stock car racing icon who was a proven winner. From the very beginning of his career Junior had great equipment to go along with his driving talent as well as a sponsor with deep pockets. And there is little doubt that NASCAR knew how to capitalize on what today is one of racing's most popular drivers.

This is not to knock either Dale Jr or Ashley Force. Rather, I only mean to say that I believe Ashley Force to be in a similar position to that of Earnhardt Jr when he entered the sport. It doesn't mean that Ashley can get by on her name alone, it just means that she is currently in the public eye and has name recognition that has the potential to benefit the sport of drag racing.