NO Top Fuel 2nd round qualifying at Sonoma (1 Viewer)

[onfire]

This isn't the first time this has happened at that track. Whoever made up the run schedule for this weekend ought to be skinned. If I were a paying customer there last night and my favorite class got boned out of a shot to show their stuff....I would be royally pi$$ed.



Late....................

 

[TK]

We made the trip from NY for the race and I guess I should of listened to to you guys about the cold, actually the wind was the problem. We felt like we were back in Syracuse!
We left during the bikes, I figured we would be up for over 24 hrs if we were gonna stay for the nitro runs. Let's hope for a good day today.

 

[none]

Maybe they should stop racing at places that have a curfew. The show brings in a lot of money.

10 PM is a reasonable curfew.
But NHRA wants to run every class under the sun .....FAULT NHRA !
I'll bet there are some PO'ed BIG $$$ Top Fuel sponsors UNHAPPY !!
But NHRA got the junior Pro Stocks in.....top sportsman bracket cars...

 

[T.Smith]

It's just amazing around here...NHRA are bunch of jerkoffs if they cut some sportsman cars and then their jerkoffs for running sportman cars.

Then their jerkoffs for racing at a track with a 10pm curfew, but then also their jerkoffs for racing at a track to late.

Where were all the threads about the supposedly bad Sonoma schedule format before last night? Maybe I should ask someone in Vegas to let me pick the football games after they have been played.

...and quite frankly folks, with the rapidly dropping track temp, it wouldn't have been much of a top fuel session anyways.

I'd also bet if it were up to the racers, there would be no night sessions!

 

[rocketman]

I know its not easy promoting and running a drag racing event but this is not a time where NHRA can afford these types of issues. NHRA needs to find a way to streamline the race to eliminate these types of problems. Perhaps the Bikes need their own circuit? Perhaps the time has come to split up the pro and sportsman series? I'm not sure I like the last option but I think NHRA needs to look at their program to make it more appealing at a time where they seem to be losing spectators to a bad economy. They had all day to run two rounds of fuel, this never should have happened. I understand the curfew issue and it should have been taken into consideration when planning the event.

 

[mick]

regardless of whether or not a track has lights, any track with a curfew
should have it's last pro sessions scheduled at least 2-3 hours prior
to accomodate changing schedules and conditions.
too bad if the sessions are not completely 'under the lights'

nothing wrong with noise ordinances.

 

[Jer]

yea those t-shirt throwing guys are annoying lol. Put that stupid tractor away that provides way to much down time.

 

[timebombkal]

10 PM is a reasonable curfew.
But NHRA wants to run every class under the sun .....FAULT NHRA !
I'll bet there are some PO'ed BIG $$$ Top Fuel sponsors UNHAPPY !!
But NHRA got the junior Pro Stocks in.....top sportsman bracket cars...

One day that NHRA runs under the lights in Sonoma, the city or county should left them run the night session without the curfew.The fans were the ones that were short changed, Not NHRA or Sonoma. Most fans are there for the night session on friday.

 

[Huge]

It's just amazing around here...NHRA are bunch of jerkoffs if they cut some sportsman cars and then their jerkoffs for running sportman cars.

Then their jerkoffs for racing at a track with a 10pm curfew, but then also their jerkoffs for racing at a track to late.

Where were all the threads about the supposedly bad Sonoma schedule format before last night? Maybe I should ask someone in Vegas to let me pick the football games after they have been played.

...and quite frankly folks, with the rapidly dropping track temp, it wouldn't have been much of a top fuel session anyways.

I'd also bet if it were up to the racers, there would be no night sessions!

Tony maybe they should change the name of this site from nitromater to the NHRA BASHATHON. When they try to run a late session under the lights so the fans get a good show this is going to happen some times. Nhra can not forsee every thing in advance.

 

[Jer]

OK so give the people there a 10.00 credit towards next day,since when it rains they give credit and they cant control the weather.

 

[joe1946]

SONOMA, Calif. - SONOMA - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:
8:56 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 63 degrees, relative humidity 67 percent, barometer 29.92 inches, adjusted altitude 844 feet, track temperature 83 degrees.

9:39 p.m. The Asphalt Zamboni makes a few passes to ensure that the next pair gets a fair chance at qualifying.

Two good leaves with great incrementals until just before the 660 lights where both cars spin the tire on the now cold track.

Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.884 sec., 330ft-2.296, 660ft-3.347/218.16 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.893 sec., 330ft-2.306, 660ft-3.411/197.02 mph.
Left Lane: Tim Wilkerson Runs 5.515/126.44, Now #8
Best prior run: 4.188/293.09, Was #8
Right Lane: Bob Tasca III Runs 4.130/304.39, Now #5
Best prior run: 4.152/300.73, Was #5
Two Fords come to the line to wrap up tonight's qualifying.

The track temperature is all the way down to 74 degrees now.

Tasca shows that his earlier pass was no fluke, as he takes his Quick Lane Mustang right down Broadway on a great pass to end the day. He picks up a little ET and almost four MPH and stays #5.

Wilkerson was right with him until near the 660 light and then has the tires go up in smoke.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.358, 660ft-3.795/147.50 mph.
Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.900 sec., 330ft-2.338, 660ft-3.327/260.61 mph.

9:44 p.m. Jack Beckman is number one at 4.063 and Jeff Arend is on the bump spot at 4.253.

Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals FRIDAY FUNNY CAR


BTW I remember the 1975 NHRA Summernationals at Englishtown NJ were I was at the starting line shooting photos for Hot Cars Magazine and Top Fuel was run at 1AM Tuesday !

One race after NHRA national events first received backing from Winston, two other historic firsts marked the rain-delayed 1975 Summernationals.

Jim Bucher became the first to win in Top Fuel at an NHRA national event with a big-block Chevy-powered dragster, and the legendary "Jungle Jim" Liberman further cemented his notorious reputation with his only national event victory.

After intermittent rain showers Saturday and Sunday, eliminations finally commenced at 7 p.m. Monday. Bucher got past a troubled Marvin Schwartz, 6.61 to 14.57, a shutting-off Dale Funk, 6.81 to 7.04, an off-pace Grant Stoms, 6.35 to 6.77, and 1974 NHRA world champion Gary Beck in the final. An oil leak caused Beck to spin the tires just off the line, and Bucher won with a 6.57 as the event finally concluded at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Liberman not only won the event closest to his Pennsylvania home surrounded by his most loyal fans, but in qualifying No. 4, he unintentionally showed everybody why he was so revered — "Jungle Jim" carried the front wheels to half-track on a 6.37, 218.44-mph run. Don Prudhomme, who would win the first of four straight Winston Funny Car championships in 1975, qualified No. 1 with an early-shutoff 6.22. Gary Burgin was No. 2 at 6.29, and Kosty Ivanof was No. 3 at 6.34 with his Boston Shaker.

NHRA 50th Anniversary: Great Races

 

[JB3]

That is true Eugene, but do you think any new fans that attended yesterday's festivities without the "loud cars" under the lights will come back again?

Think about going to outdoor concert but the headliner you came to see has to cut their show short because of curfew issues. How would you feel then? Happy? Ready to come back to that venue real soon?

Time out Bill ... If the actual posted schedule had held (Session 2 was slated to start at 7:15), there wouldn't have been that much darkness anyway. Sunset was not until 8:30. In theory, the whole session could have been close to over by then. Not really a night session.

However, if you think scheduling a days activities for 500 cars is easy when you have set advertised show times ... you are way wrong. As soon as you plan for downtime, it never happens and then you have a dead track because you could never start the show before the advertised time. Imagine the blood letting by the fans if that occurred? Quite simple, the best schedule is only as good as the paper its printed on. Stuff happens during a race day and it cannot be foreseen. Just the way it is.

 

[JB3]

You're right Jim. I shouldn't have commented since I have no experience in this sport. Sorry for the bother.

We are all well aware of your experience in the sport Bill ... which makes me wonder all the more. You commented about NHRA losing fans would didn't get see all the Pros under the lights. Well, my point was they really weren't ever supposed to. If the nitro session started at 7:15pm as advertised / posted and went according to plan, THERE NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN NITRO UNDER THE LIGHTS !! The sun would still have been shining when it started.

Bill, with your experience you should lnow better and not join the masses who want make this into an NHRA bash thread and find fault with everything they do. What occurred was unavoidable, stuff happens. Nobody got screwed although many here want to see it that way.

 

[Huge]

That is true Eugene, but do you think any new fans that attended yesterday's festivities without the "loud cars" under the lights will come back again?

Think about going to outdoor concert but the headliner you came to see has to cut their show short because of curfew issues. How would you feel then? Happy? Ready to come back to that venue real soon?

I,m not disagreeing with you that I would be disappointed, but I would also take in to consideration that unseen events took place to cause the show to be cut short due to the fact that the promoter was trying to give me a better show. I still feel that nhra is the best drag racing organization out there. But they are not going to make every one happy every time, and they are not always going to make the perfect decision. But I do enjoy nitro mater because you do get a lot of different views, and a lot of the time I can get news here before any of the teams have it. Plus I have met a lot of cool maters at the track.

 

[.]

Gosh that was poor Friday scheduling at Sonoma. (again)

I wish NHRA would bring back the alcohol cars to the show and improve the Friday schedule so I can go back and spend my money with them up there.

 

[DG]

Just to add fuel to the fire, the third qualifying sessions for Super Stock and Super Comp had already been cancled earlier. The Pro Stock Bike session was almost an hour long.

Today, we are on schedule for the first Pro session by postponing the first round of Comp. Eliminator eliminations. The second session is scheduled almost back to back to the first one and we will get most of the scheduled Sportsman eliminations completed before tonights 6:30PM curfew.

You can't have the PA system active or start engines before 8:00AM on Friday and Saturday [Not sure about Sunday].

All this being said, Infinion is a great place to race!

 

[Nick Name]

It doesn't have to be dark to see header flames. Usually starting an hour before "official" sundown, you can have a decent fire show.

I am sure you could have seen flames at 7:15.

 

[The Little Lizard]

Just note to this conversation: I been to allot of the Sonoma events especially Fridays, it's my favorite day. I have as a general rule never seen the last pro nitro qualifying session start on time. They are ususally running a tad late. At dusk they start turning on the lights, this has been the general practice, and lights are appropiately positioned at the track. I have never not seen the lights come on in the last Pro Nitro session. With running a tad late, toss in a few oil downs, stopping the event to check the down track area numerous times with the trucks/quads and incidents that usually occur, and F/C & T/F run under the lights. That's the standard unremarkable deal for Friday night at Sonoma, and I've never observed otherwise.

 

[Huge]

Gosh that was poor Friday scheduling at Sonoma. (again)

I wish NHRA would bring back the alcohol cars to the show and improve the Friday schedule so I can go back and spend my money with them up there.

Paul, I just had dinner with Keeter Ray and his dad last night and we were discussing that topic of how cool it would be if they had alcohol classes at the Sonoma national event again. They would probably have to start sportsman classes on Thursday though.

 

[Jer]

Why is there a curfew,i dont see anything around it that would be disturbed?