Shortened PS Schedule for '18? (2 Viewers)

[Huge]

That's an inherent problem with all kinds of racing. Over time, everyone gravitates toward whatever is believed to be the best combo.

They do the same thing with the race haulers. If you look around the nitro pits you will see mostly Featherlite, Competition, or Pegasus spread axle trailers hauling the cars. But, in the Pro Stock pits you will see a lot of triple axle single tire haulers, and in the sportsman pits you will see a lot of totorhomes pulling a stacker trailer.

 

[DrRocket]

......and in the sportsman pits you will see a lot of totorhomes pulling a stacker trailer.

I remember seeing the beginning of that transformation. I remember when most of the sportsman teams used a heavy-half pulling an open trailer.

So, that begs the question. Do all these fancy rigs really help them stay competitive, or are they just "nice to have."? And where does the money COME from for all of that?

 

[Fireball]

I remember seeing the beginning of that transformation. I remember when most of the sportsman teams used a heavy-half pulling an open trailer.

So, that begs the question. Do all these fancy rigs really help them stay competitive, or are they just "nice to have."? And where does the money COME from for all of that?

Just keeping up with the Joneses.

 

[Jeff]

I remember seeing the beginning of that transformation. I remember when most of the sportsman teams used a heavy-half pulling an open trailer.

So, that begs the question. Do all these fancy rigs really help them stay competitive, or are they just "nice to have."? And where does the money COME from for all of that?

David, we are on vacation when we are at the race track. This is what we do for fun, it's not war and its not business. Do you drive around nice neighborhoods thinking everyone is a drug dealer?

My current rig is a 2008 45' Renegade and a 2012 lift gate stacker, 88 feet tip to tip ... if I were to sell it today I would lose maybe $100k(that excludes maintenance of course). That's for an asset that I've used for 10 years of racing logging almost 20k miles a year. The stacker trailer I had before this was sold for $28k more than I bought if for after a $20k refresh. I work hard in the CPA firm I own part of, and the fabrication business I own with my son. I race 100% with after-tax money. I really don't think my situation is that different from many out there, we are all chasing a passion and having fun. At almost every national event I spend 2 or 3 hours showing casual fans anything they ask about, they often sit in my wife's racecar, I'll show them how I analyze runs on the Racepak, and show them where we live 80 or so nights a year if they want. Yes, there is a fair amount of capital tied up in race assets, but the net cost is not that much worse than other hobbies I have. I just work hard and play hard. Come by sometime .... rig and trailer are covered with flames, we are easy to find .... nothing evil not up to our eyeballs in debt, just out having fun.

 

[Huge]

I remember seeing the beginning of that transformation. I remember when most of the sportsman teams used a heavy-half pulling an open trailer.

So, that begs the question. Do all these fancy rigs really help them stay competitive, or are they just "nice to have."? And where does the money COME from for all of that?

I don't think it is about helping them stay competitive, it is more about what works good for their operation. I think the sportsman have the toterhome and stacker trailers so that they can carry their race car and a driving car in them and stay at the track. That eliminates the cost for a rental car, hotels and eating out every night...and yes it would definitely be more convenient and comfortable, but I don't see anything wrong with that. With all of the back to back races we do during a 24 race schedule and all of the parts a nitro car uses it is definitely more feasible to have a semi hauler to transport everything from race to race. For example, I just finished doing a 6 race stretch Topeka, Epping, Englishtown, Bristol, Norwalk, and Chicago before I had to go all the way back to California to reload. That is a pretty substantial savings for fuel, shipping, and wear and tear on your equipment. The teams based out of the Midwest can go back to their shops more frequently, but when they are out on the west coast they will usually leave their haulers there and fly home before the next race, and some of the teams like Worsham and Diehl will leave theirs on the east coast or the mid west and fly home. The money comes from the same place it would come from if you were pulling an open trailer with a 1968 pinto...you just need a little larger budget. But, if you manage your budget and logistics right the larger transporters can be more cost effective and can save the teams money in the end.

 

[DrRocket]

David, we are on vacation when we are at the race track. This is what we do for fun, it's not war and its not business. Do you drive around nice neighborhoods thinking everyone is a drug dealer?

Didn't mean to imply anything like that at all, and I think you know that.

Thanks for the explanation from your end guys. It does make more sense to me when I think of it from your perspective.

 

[Jeff]

Sorry for assuming otherwise David. Today the world is full of so much more stuff than it used to be. If you shop right and be careful with your money its nice to have. Just seems like some think people do things to impress others rather than simply enjoy themselves, their family and friends. I've been out sweating in the shop (live in Houston) all evening working on the racecar and listening (some watching) to All Access. Prepping everything for a race isn't as fun as racing but I enjoy it. Finish putting the engine and tranny back in my wife's car tomorrow then mount up two new steering axles tires on the rig ... seen too many front blowouts on social media lately and our next two races are Topeka and Brainerd .... those "old" 3 1/2 year old tires will make good spares and we'll run new stuff up front.

 

[mick]

from jon asher's bandimere wrap-up comments over on complus........
Yesterday we repeated the rumor we’d heard that Mountain Motors could be coming to Pro Stock, so today we sought out the man with the answers, NHRA competition director Graham Light. “We’re looking at a multitude of options,” he told us. “A lot of those options have come from the race community. Obviously there’s a car count problem in Pro Stock. We did a 20-year history of the class, and entries have basically been in decline. If we do nothing we’re going to be facing the day when we have to do something drastic, which we don’t want to do. NHRA, the racers and the sponsors want Pro Stock to survive, so that’s what we want.
the last sentence.......why?....i get why for the racers, but the nhra and sponsors?......no.....there is not one sponsor that thrives
soley because of PS; their money would be just as good with most likely more exposure in the nitro classes.
PS owners have it made.....free mello yello pocket change to race for in front of empty bleachers and little tv coverage.
with 14 and 15 car fields......while nitro independents stay home cuz there's not enough guaranteed money. and leave the fans
watching barely full nitro fields......writing is on the wall.....fans are there for nitro, mello yello is most likely not going to
increase their annual funding. use the money you have in the best places.

 

[Jimbo]

I guess there are many different reasons why people have stopped attending National Events.
I have always loved watching the alcohol cars run and when they were dropped from many National Events I just decided it was time to do something else.

Jim Hill
www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[Nunz]

I wouldn't say people have stopped going to national events. In fact, I think this year has been pretty strong overall, obviously some are better than others. An example would be this past weekend's Mile Highs, huge crowds all 3 days! It's been talked about a ton, but trends have changed and all Motorsports, not just drag racing, have felt it. Having said that, the Denver race certainly proves that if promoted correctly, the fans will come out in big numbers. The Bandimere family deserves a big congrats for putting on what looked like another very successful event.

 

[DrRocket]

An example would be this past weekend's Mile Highs, huge crowds all 3 days!

The stands looked really full!

It's been talked about a ton, but trends have changed and all Motorsports, not just drag racing, have felt it.

If anyone watched last weekend's edition of the Brickyard 400, you'd have noted stands that were completely empty by turns 1 & 4. They showed some video from past Brickyards, along with photos, and they used to pretty much pack the lower levels in the early days.