More BS for alcohol cars in Division 4

I'll bet this is a test, if it works out for him, You can rest assured that all the other tracks will do the same, Make sure you have a jar of Vaseline in your trailer, Just in case.

 

This 180 degrees out from what they should be doing! The tracks need the faster cars to put on the show the fans would want to see if the fans knew about the show in advance.
Will is exactly right - the tracks need to promote these events. It is also a responsibility of the NHRA to seek more support for publicizing the Lucas Series.
The racers cannot pay for everything.
I'm gonna' quit now before I write something I'll later regret . . .
Cheers,
Ed Arcuri
www.rockymountainsuperchargers.com

 

This really tics me off. As if it doesn't already cost enough to run these cars. I noticed last year at the first division race in Houston there weren't many spectators. The next div. race in Houston free tickets were given out. I gave away 100. The crowd turnout was much larger than the first. People at the track equals income for the track. Our car count is already down. Are they trying to get rid of alcohol racers all together? I gotta stop...I am really getting mad!

 

They should stop adding in so much sand, in the vasiline.

The ADRL know's exactly what the are doing, and that is why they sell out
everytime.

 

system

Maybe it's time to do away with the grading points system and open up all the nationals to 25 spots.Use the previous years national points standing to fill the first 16 spots and lottery the rest.Personally, I can think of a better use of $1500 than driving to Bradenton to pay for the grading point.If the tracks don't want us anyway, why are we being forced to go?It would be cheaper to rent a nearby track for testing anyway.What a divisional pays for 2 qualifying passes and 1st round, I can't beg a car to take a 2 run deal closer to home! Oh well, good luck!

 

Will, do you have access to this e-mail? That would be an interesting read. Is it common for division directors to go rogue and suggest dropping entire eliminator categories from their division events despite the wishes and general policy of Glendora?

 

I agree and applaude your comment Will,...

Its always the greed that fills someone elses pockets that belong to the hra
rather than to the racers who dont even get compensated, and
these cars are the show using a majority if not all of their own money.

Hra needs to start showing a little more,..I mean alot more respect for the
racers that put the money in their pockets.

They can start by not charging alky cars entry fees, and raise the purse 3k.

 

In addition to my comments here I sent an e-mail message to the Div. Director.
Cheers,
Ed Arcuri
www.rockymountainsuperchargers.com

 

What I dont understand is that NHRA is doing this in the Div with the lowest Funny Car count.

 

This is probably illegal as the competitors that have silver and bronze cards won those in 2009 under a "contract" with NHRA regarding what they would be entitled to in 2010. Would this not then be a breach of that contract?
To me there are 3 elements at play here: a show, a venue and a promoter. It seems that the promoter has gone missing. If one is not found, the other 2 elements will also go missing.
Jeff Johnsen

 

Not Supprised !!!!

Will.
I am glad to wee you unload on NHRA and the division director.
This is just aout the last straw the camel can carry. We are just sending all our safety gear out for recert. and updating all the new new rules that have been thrown at us for 2010. Some needed and others BS. These rule changes will cost in the thousands of dolars to impliment.
It is really sorry how the alcohol class is openly now not considered a sportsman class but now wil be treated worse than any of the sportsman classes.
Even though div 4 has at least 6 alcohol dragsters capable of winning any national event and has the quickest car (Todd Odems) in the country it is a shame the tracks will not advertize these races and bring in spectators like the ADRL does. They have the show to advertise but don't seem to care as all they care about is the back gate. I'm sure with a little reworking of the qualifying and eleminations they could come up with a hell of a two day program that would bring in the spectators.
It costs a lot of money to run a top alcohol car and as I mentioned before this might be the last straw for this race team in this economy. This is really a slap in the face to all top alcohol racers.
The sad part is that the racers or even the racers reps seem to have no input concerning these matters. Here is one car sitting here race ready that will probably only do testing this year.

 

cards

If you read on the card it says only good for National events. Doesn't even spell out what you're gonna get, I guess that way they can change it anyway "they" see fit. Any benefit at the divisional level is up to the track owners.

Take Take Take Take, just like the government until we have nothing left to give. Any track owner that wants alky cars at thier divisional should let them in for free. If not, the racers should just say no and not support that track. If more people were willing to just make a stand and stick to it then we could actually get somewhere. As long as people are willing to take thier $100k race cars and pay to race them at shitholes we're going to continue to have to put up with it. I for one am willing to stand up and just not go to tracks I don't feel comfortable at, but there are always people who go, so it just goes on. It really is okay, you'll survive if you boycott that racetrack, might even find something else fun to do with your time / $$. We're racing for nothing anyway. Same $600 bucks to qualify and $2500 to win that we were getting what, TWENTY plus years ago? That must have been a real burden on them to pay that much back when $600 was actually worth something!

Shit, now I got myself all stirred up, gotta learn to just let it go!

 

boise

The last year Boise ran alky cars at thier divisional I was excited to go. I had not (and still haven't)ever raced there because I usually wasn't ready to go that early in the season. Several years ago, we planned to race there, got all ready to go and called up to pre enter at least two weeks prior to the race date. Mr. New informed me that I could cut out the entry form in the National Dragster and mail it in with my check. I thought he misunderstood and reiterated that I race a TAFC and we get in for free. He said that the deadline had passed and that if I wanted to enter I would have to send in the form with about 350 bucks and he'd see me there. I asked if the field was full and he just didn't want anymore cars. Fact is that they only had six cars entered and that is all that showed up. I told him it cost a lot of money to put these cars together and run them and I'd be damned if I was going to tow eight hours to pay someone to race it for thier show. He did not care, I have never been to Boise, and that was the last year their LODRS race featured alky cars as they have chose not to ever since.

The point is this, we CAN JUST SAY NO. If it isn't right, just don't go. If you choose to put up with it then you need to choose not to bitch because it is your own fault if you put up with it.

 

Hey there Clint: we raced that last event at Boise and were runnerup to Bucky. They did everything that they could to screw us over; charged entry even though we had preentered; we pulled up for our second qualifier and were informed over the PA that our first pass was DQed. Nobody said a word tous and I have that run on video and it was fine and passed weight and fuel check. Note it was the tower, not the starting crew nor Div Director that said we were DQed. Anyway we qualified #2 on that second pass and I went to the tower and told them we would not make a third qualifier due to their bogus actions. Just thought I'd add my experience there to the one you got. They have way too much slack in their rope in my opinion.
Jeff Johnsen

 

Bad Deal

We are thinking about claiming Div 2 or 5 instead of 4 for this reason. I hate to do this but it just isn't right. If we ban together, we can make a difference but we must stand together not as individuals.

 

Clint,

I hate to play Devil's Adv. here but we saw the opposite side of Boise's situation that very race. It was the only time we attended and were pitted next to a TAD that shouldn't have passed tech, or had a chassis tag. He told us laughingly that he was there because he got in for free and his kid could race.

http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=79685&Filter=Year2002#indextop

On the flip side. I completely agree with Will about being pissed about this. A racer can't get a card unless they attended at least 3 in division races the prior season. That means they probably supported the tracks the hard way for the first season, maybe paying entry's plus every crew member's ticket. The fact that they will let in a Stock guy with a bronze card but not an alky guy with a bronze card is upsetting. Sure a top 10 in stock requires more round wins, but no one works harder at a race than alky guys. IMHO

Flash

 

Craig Huchinson is a moron and the single most reason as to why we quit running our funny car.

We enjoyed running the Oklahoma event because our business was usually slow during that time of year and it was only about 500 mile from home. We got the car all ready and pre-entered like always and I sent my crew out on a Thursday. They were one of the first alcohol teams in line. They got to the ticket booth and got all of thier credientials and then were directed to park the rig in the muddy grass. My crew asked them why the mud and not one of the paved spots that were avaliable. They said that Craig said save the pavement for the Division 4 cars. My crew called me and I told them to turn around and come home. I called the NHRA headquarters and filed a complaint on Monday. They were shocked that he did that and said they would get it corrected. The following year we were allowed to park on the pavement.

Then in 2006 business goes in the tank and we raced very little that year. We decide to run in Oklahoma again. The whole family goes and we make a vacation out of it and get away form the stress. We have a good time and the car qualifies. Then Sunday it pours down rain. They cancel the race but say they can not run the following weekend as the track has another event scheduled. The weekend they pick is the same weekend that we have my grandaughter Baptized. So obviously we could not return. I wait for 4 weeks and do not get a check for our qualifying effort. I call Craig and ask why. He says we did not return so they did not have to pay. All righty then, another f***ing from Craig.

I thought it was called qualifying money. I guess not, in Division 4.

After that I decided that I didn't need the NHRA fix any longer and sold the car.

Today we have this damn thing called a Pro-Mod ... we have races all over the place and we are having fun again. Glad I made the decision I made and don't ever see me returning.

Who needs the NHRA bullshit .... not me.

Good luck to all of you. You have to have thick skin to play their game.

 

Here an idea for the teams in division 4. Why not by way of a protest organise amongst yourselves this deal. There are five div 4 events I see. Why not organise among yourselves so there are only two teams (2 tads and 2 tafcs) at each race, run one qualifier each, and then you would have one round of elims. I am guessing the payout in the division is 2500 to win and 1500 for r/u.
At least then you get a little back for your entry. They might pay attention. I do believe there are a couple div 4 tracks that appreciate the alky cars.

As far as points go, it will of course complicate things nationally and divisional points as well, but you can go to div 5 or 2 if need be(travelling teams can schedule their div races around their national event they race at.

Remember the big picture is: even nationally the winner and r/u recieve bucks and recognition everyone else in the NHRA's eyes is revenue.

Even if you took it one step further and were willing to make this stand for the year and only compete at those races, a five way tie for first and second would be talked about for a long time.

Extreme measurs for sure, but they (the track managements and the NHRA don't really get the passion the two classes posess.

The class has for years been made up of too many who are only interested in themselves (and by that I mean not worrying about the class as a whole, just worrying about your own deal. (think of the group as a whole entity)

This suggestion is really there to make a point to the NHRA. THey have to make the tracks take the divisional series more serious for the alky cars.
And the races can be successful if the effort is put into it.

The tracks that have nationals and divisionals back to back are done soley for back gate potential. They don't care about promotion (Vegas is the exception as that back to back is exceptional and a necessity)

Many tracks love the alky cars and treat them like they deserve to be treated.

Food for though maybe, as long as the food is not tofu.

Dean
SpeedZone Magazine