Over 30,000 at CHRR?

[SundayNiagara]

Too bad the "person who was running the show" cannot fit in a Friday evening nitro qualifying session for over 50 real nitro racecars at their own "World Finals" for Heritage Series racing.

I believe there was an official social activity on Friday evening. I believe that explains it.

 

[Project Paladin]

Not sure there is enough of them for a class without allowing the transformers in.

For an 8 car field, I think you could get 14 plus cars that would be " Classic Fuel Altereds" under their guidelines .

 

[Muddy]

I believe there was an official social activity on Friday evening. I believe that explains it.

Friday night is a very neat deal. They reconize and honor some of the pioneers, have a social hour and cackle a few cars. Remember this was never about the racing but was billed as a "gathering of geezers" aka the California Hot Rod Reunion. Best I remember it benefits the NHRA museum.

 

[glofria]

Too bad the "person who was running the show" cannot fit in a Friday evening nitro qualifying session for over 50 real nitro racecars at their own "World Finals" for Heritage Series racing.

Why doe say that?

What's wrong with the format being run now?

The day's activities is long enough for everyone, chances are most will not want to stay into the night. Besides, the Double Tree was jumping on Friday night.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Cindy "Cinders" Gibbs calls the CHRR a "Love Fest."

 

[Ugly one]

Friday night is a very neat deal. They reconize and honor some of the pioneers, have a social hour and cackle a few cars. Remember this was never about the racing but was billed as a "gathering of geezers" aka the California Hot Rod Reunion. Best I remember it benefits the NHRA museum.

Then let Steve and his 200 or so Geezer buddies go to the Cacklefest at the Double Tree and leave the other 12,000 people to watch a second round of nitro qualifing under the lights.
These teams race all year and get short changed at THEIR finals for a small group that wants to watch grass grow & concrete cure.
Think how much less the museum is making when all those people from the surrounding area can't show up after work on Friday to buy a ticket because it's already over.
I realize that 8:00 pm is really really late for most of them, but not for Nitro Under the Lights.

It has become 2 events CHANGE IS GOOD...........
Change it for next year

 

[Project Paladin]

There's the issue. There's people who go to race and then there's people who go for the history.

 

[Raconteur]

Best I remember it benefits the NHRA museum.

That is the way it used to be, according to the 2011 NHRA Tax Returns, the $880,000 that the Reunions racked-up went into the general fund of the NHRA.

There is nothing preventing attendance to the Friday night festivities at the Doubletree, the majority of Friday's drag strip attendees do not pick up and head for town with an arbitrary 5:00 PM end to racing for the day. The racers deserve better treatment.

A Friday night nitro qualifying session can certainly be optional for any racer, but wasting another twilight nitro session, something that could be it's own attraction is simply short sighted, pick the show you want to see.

Tradition be damned.

 

[Ugly one]

There's the issue. There's people who go to race and then there's people who go for the history.

Nothing wrong with history at all and Steve has done a magnificent job through out the years of keep drag racing heritage alive and well BUT, this is also a race for the championships that NHRA has put on the table for the racers to race for, not cackle.

LET EM' RACE

Question: Who won the Cacklefest ?

 

[Project Paladin]

I concur.

 

[glofria]

Question, how many racers knew what the format was well ahead of time before entering this event?

Answer, all of them.

Every racer has an equal chance to qualify, yet not one has complained.

Here's a though, Darr you should promote a finals event and Keven you should offer to be the title sponsor. Problem solved.

 

[Raconteur]

Why doe say that?

What's wrong with the format being run now?

The day's activities is long enough for everyone, chances are most will not want to stay into the night. Besides, the Double Tree was jumping on Friday night.

Gino, you may be confusing a small gathering at the Doubletree with the large crowd that enjoys and the top fuelers and funny cars that race the series all year. Having a Friday night nitro qualifying session would not interfere with anything going on at the Doubletree at all. You are deciding how long the day should be? There were over 50 nitro RACECARS there!

On most nights, Saturday Night Nitro, at the same Famoso Raceway runs well into the evening, sometimes finishing at midnight. We are only talking about a 2 to 2.5 hour optional nitro session starting at twilight and under the lights... naw, never mind nobody would be interested in something like that.

 

[Raconteur]

Question, how many racers knew what the format was well ahead of time before entering this event?

Answer, all of them.

Every racer has an equal chance to qualify, yet not one has complained.

Here's a though, Darr you should promote a finals event and Keven you should offer to be the title sponsor. Problem solved.

How many nitro racers were complaining about two qualifying sessions, many of them. I didn't just make this **** up.

 

[Ugly one]

question, how many racers knew what the format was well ahead of time before entering this event?

Answer, all of them.

Every racer has an equal chance to qualify, yet not one has complained.

Here's a though, darr you should promote a finals event and keven you should offer to be the title sponsor. Problem solved.

i am a sponsor

Boise/ Bakersfield Blitz 1yr
DRO Funnycar Challenge 4yr
Outlaw Fuel Alterds 2yr
West Coast Fuel Alterds 3yr
LON 260 Club for N/FC 1yr
LON 265 Club for N/TF 1yr
Jim Dunn Racing 16yr
Steve Plueger Racing 16yr
Randy Goodwin Racing 24yr
Winged Express 3yr
Rat Trap 3yr
John Hale 3yr
Pure Hell 3yr
Don Nelson 2yr
West Coast Funny Car Factory (FOREVER)
Bang Shift 1st timer
DRO 4yr
Competition Plus 4yr

Hope I didn't forget someone

Come visit me at SEMA booth #50241

OOPS, forgot classicfunnycarboard.com

 

[Mike]

Can't wait till next year! Will be my 20th reunion.

 

[Muddy]

I have a couple of questions for those that want to change the reunion:

If 30,000 attended the reunion then how many normally attend heritage series races and how many do you think would attend if they separated the 2 events?
Would either event survive on its own?

Most of the folks I know who go don't normally go to the heritage/nostalgia races and wouldn't even consider traveling from Texas/Okla area with out the reunion activities.

 

[Muddy]

I have a couple of questions for those that want to change the reunion:

If 30,000 attended the combined weekend then how many normally attend heritage series races and how many do you think would attend if the finals were not held at the same time as the reunion.

Would either event survive on its own?

Most of the folks I know who go, won't travel far to attend heritage/nostalgia races and wouldn't even consider traveling 1200 to 1700 miles without the reunion activities. Perhaps that's why the crowd is much lighter on sunday after most reunion activities are over. Please understand I enjoy nostalgia racing but that's not why I go to the reunion and I'm not suggesting there isn't a possible solution to this. I'm just saying you should be careful about biting the hand that feeds you.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Then let Steve and his 200 or so Geezer buddies go to the Cacklefest at the Double Tree and leave the other 12,000 people to watch a second round of nitro qualifing under the lights.
These teams race all year and get short changed at THEIR finals for a small group that wants to watch grass grow & concrete cure.
Think how much less the museum is making when all those people from the surrounding area can't show up after work on Friday to buy a ticket because it's already over.
I realize that 8:00 pm is really really late for most of them, but not for Nitro Under the Lights.

It has become 2 events CHANGE IS GOOD...........
Change it for next year

Do you understand the meaning of the word, "Reunion?"

 

[Ugly one]

I have a couple of questions for those that want to change the reunion:

If 30,000 attended the combined weekend then how many normally attend heritage series races and how many do you think would attend if the finals were not held at the same time as the reunion.

Would either event survive on its own?

Most of the folks I know who go, won't travel far to attend heritage/nostalgia races and wouldn't even consider traveling 1200 to 1700 miles without the reunion activities. Perhaps that's why the crowd is much lighter on sunday after most reunion activities are over. Please understand I enjoy nostalgia racing but that's not why I go to the reunion and I'm not suggesting there isn't a possible solution to this. I'm just saying you should be careful about biting the hand that feeds you.

Weather permitting the March Meet is better attended.

I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bath water, but when you have grandstands that are filled and the fence is 5 or 6 deep on Friday at 5 why do you pull the plug on the rest of the evening for 200 or 300 hundred that want to go to the Double Tree to watch Cacklecars.
During the entire race you can wander around the Grove & pits to see the cars talk to the owners about the cars history, get autographs & take pictures.
We produce products for several of these cars and I know the owners very well and most of them agree with race on Friday, Cacklefest on Saturday.
Saturday night at the CHRR is awesome and is their time to once again take centerstage. It took close to 2 hours to honor all of these restored racecars, hear about their heritage and watch the push starts in front of FULL grandstands. That's the respect they deserve.
The crowds are always lighter on Sunday. most people don't like the down time in between rounds and at this time of year you're fighting the NFL.

Mr. English another standing O, great job all weekend

Mark B; Réunion (French: La Réunion) is a French island with a population of 837,868 inhabitants (as of Jan. 2012) located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island.

 

[glofria]

Kevin,

I am not going to argue with you, especially on a chat board. However, your estimation of the Double Tree attendance is considerably light. More to the tune of 2,000 to 3,000.

I don't understand why you and Darr come on here and complain about the format that has been working all along. Why not take it directly to the source? Complaining here gains you nothing.

There are a lot of things I don't like about the CHRR (even more so the March Meet), but I've learned that that's the way it is.

Sorry to say I don't attend SEMA. I've been told it's more about "the bling bling" than performance products. We did have dinner with the guy (name slips my mind) who originally started SEMA many years ago though. Come to think of it, it was after a presentaion at the Double Tree during the reunion. Good luck, I'll make an effort to come see another time.