2008 Proposed Schedule - let us know your thoughts!

Discussion in 'Pit Buzz' started by Will Hanna, Sep 18, 2007.

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  1. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    Hey everyone,

    NHRA has released the national event schedule after Indy, so now each division is putting their schedule together. I think everyone will agree this year's divisional schedule sucked. Instead of just bitching about it, I've put together a mock divisional schedule that will be much better for everyone involved.

    Here's a link to the column I wrote about it at DRO
    http://dragracingonline.com/columns/hanna/ix_9-1.html

    Emails:

    Len Imbrogno – limbrogno@nhra.com

    Bob Lang, Div. 1 – blang@nhra.com

    Bill Holt, Div. 2 – bholt@nhra.com

    Jay Hullinger, Div. 3 – jhullinger@nhra.com

    Craig Hutchinson, Div. 4 – chutchinson@nhra.com

    Rob Park, Div. 5 – rpark@nhra.com

    Jonathan Adams, Div. 6 – jadams@nhra.com

    Mike Rice, Div. 7 – mrice@nhra.com

    Graham Light, Senior VP of Competition – glight@nhra.com



    Proposed 2008 Schedule​

    A – denotes Alcohol Classes

    C - denotes Comp Eliminator



    Feb 7-10

    Pomona National – A,C



    Feb 22-24

    Phoenix National - C



    Feb 29-Mar 2

    NHRA Div. 2 LODRS Valdosta, Ga

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Las Vegas, Nev

    We wait until March to kick off the divisional season. This gives teams all over the country a little more time to prepare, and lets things warm up around the country. Cold weather usually equals wrecked parts in the alky classes and wrecked indexes in Comp. Not to mention more wrecks in general on colder tracks. In keeping with our policy to not stack divisionals and nationals on top of each other at the same track, we’ve started the year in Vegas on the West Coast and Valdosta on the East Coast.









    Mar 7-9

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Belle Rose, La.

    The Division 4 Party starts in Belle Rose, La. Great track, great atmosphere. Only track with a bar in the bottom floor of the tower! The track name is “No Problem Raceway” and the slog an is ‘We’re going to have a party and a drag race might break out.’



    Mar 13-16

    Gainesville National 1 – A,C

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Tucson, Ariz.



    Mar 21-23

    EASTER WEEKEND



    Mar 28-30

    Houston National – A,C



    Apr 4-6

    NHRA Div. 2 LODRS Bradenton, Fla.

    Should be nicer weather and un-cramp the D2 schedule a bit.



    Apr 10-13

    Las Vegas National 1 – A,C



    Apr 18-20

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Shreveport, La.

    Getting this race out of the heat should make it much more favorable to all involved.



    Apr 24-27

    Atlanta National – A,C



    May 2-4

    St. Louis National - C

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Fontana, Calif.

    Should be a good weekend for racing in SoCal.





    May 9-12

    NHRA Div. 2 Orlando, Fl

    NHRA Div. 6 Boise, Id

    NHRA Div. 5 Great Bend, Ks.

    We fire Div. 5 & 6 off here. Orlando & Boise are ‘O’Douls’ races, non-alcoholic..



    May 16-18

    Bristol National - C

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Dallas, Tex

    May comes to the south, and so does the heat. So move the racing to when it was meant to be, at night. This event would be a Friday-Saturday night affair.



    May 23-25

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Indianapolis, In.

    NHRA Div. 6 LODRS Seattle, Wash.

    Division 3 kicks off in Indy. Should be warm enough by now to go racing.









    May 30 – Jun 1

    Topeka National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Reading, Pa

    Division 1 kicks the year off Memorial Day at the Grove.



    Jun 5-8

    Chicago National – A, C

    Jeg’s All-Stars, all eyes on Rt. 66.



    Jun 13-15

    NHRA Div. 2 LODRS Gainesville, Fla.

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Columbus, Ohio

    NHRA Div. 6 LODRS Woodburn, Ore.

    Division 2 goes back to it’s roots with a night race Friday & Saturday in Gainesville.



    Jun 19-22

    Englishtown National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 5 LODRS Denver, Colo

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Bakersfield, Calif.

    We generally try to keep divisionals and nationals separated, but Denver has no problems packing the house, so no need to change a good thing here. Bakersfield under the lights, should bring back some memories.



    Jun 26-29

    Norwalk National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 6 LODRS Medford, Ore



    Jul 4-6

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS West Lebanon, N.Y.

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Houston, Texas

    NHRA Div. 5 LODRS Brainerd, Minn

    July 4th, Drag Racing and Fireworks. With the 4th falling on a Friday, maybe a track could experiment with a Thursday night – Friday night show.



    Jul 11-13

    Denver National - C

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Madison, Ill.

    Night race for the Div. 3 guys.



    Jul 18-20

    Seattle National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Atco, N.J.

    Night race.



    Jul 25-27

    Sonoma National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Stanton, Mich.

    NHRA Div. 5 LODRS Cordova, Ill.

    Night race in Cordova.



    Aug 1-3

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Richmond, Va.

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Memphis, Tenn

    Two more night races.





    Aug 7-10

    Brainerd National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 2 LODRS Atlanta, Ga.

    NHRA Div. 6 LODRS Acton, Mont.

    Two more night races.



    Aug 14-17

    Reading National – A, C



    Aug 22-24

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Bowling Green, Ky.

    NHRA Div. 5 LODRS Topeka, Ks.

    Topeka’s event has been a night race for the past two years. This year’s event had a solid crowd on Saturday night for eliminations.



    Aug 27-Sept 1

    Indy National – A, C



    Sept 5-7

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Rising Sun, Md

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Rusk, Texas

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Fallon, Nev.

    Lighting may not allow these facilities to run at night. We move Earlville from it’s traditional date to give the racers a much needed week off.



    Sept 11-14

    Gainesville National 2 (??)

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Norwalk, Ohio

    NHRA Div. 5 LODRS Earlville, Ia.

    Should be cool enough to go back to the traditional day schedule.



    Sept 18-21

    Dallas National – A, C

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Atco, N.J.

    NHRA Div. 6 LODRS Mission, B.C.

    Mission closing out D6 in September could be a barn-burner.



    Sept 26-28

    Memphis National

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Sonoma, Calif.

    Sonoma in September should be fast!



    Oct. 3-5

    NHRA Div. 1 LODRS Englishtown, N.J.

    NHRA Div. 2 LODRS Reynolds, Ga.

    NHRA Div. 3 LODRS Chicago, Ill.



    Oct 10-12

    Richmond National

    NHRA Div. 4 LODRS Noble, Okla.



    Oct 17-19

    NHRA Div. 7 LODRS Phoenix, Ariz.

    Phoenix moves back to it’s traditional spot at the end of the year, and so should the championship battles.



    Oct 30-Nov 2

    Las Vegas National 2 - C



    Nov 6-9

    Pomona National 2 – A, C



    Divisional Schedules


    Div. 1

    May 30-June 1 – Reading, Pa.

    Jul 4-6 – West Lebanon, N.Y.

    Jul 18-20 – Atco, N.J.

    Aug 1-3 – Richmond, Va.

    Sept 5-7 – Rising Sun, Md.

    Sept. 18-21 – Atco, N.J.

    Oct. 3-5 – Englishtown, N.J.



    Div. 2

    Feb. 29-Mar. 2 – Cecil, Ga.

    Apr. 4-6 – Bradenton, Fla.

    May 9-12 – Orlando, Fla.

    Jun 13-15 – Gainesville, Fla.

    Aug 7-10 – Atlanta, Ga.

    Oct 3-5 – Reynolds, Ga.



    Div. 3

    May 23-25 – Indianapolis, Ind.

    Jun 13-15 – Columbus, Ohio

    Jul. 11-13 – Madison, Ill.

    Jul 25-27 – Stanton, Mich.

    Aug 22-24 – Bowling Green, Ky.

    Sept 11-14 – Norwalk, Ohio

    Oct 3-5 – Chicago, Ill.



    Div. 4

    Mar. 7-9 – Belle Rose, La.

    Apr 18-20 – Shreveport, La.

    May 16-18 – Dallas, Texas

    Jul 4-6 – Houston, Texas

    Aug 1-3 – Memphis, Tenn.

    Sept. 5-7 – Rusk, Texas

    Oct 10-12 – Noble, Okla.



    Div. 5

    May 9-12 – Great Bend, Ks.

    Jun 19-22 – Denver, Colo.

    Jul 4-6 – Brainerd, Minn.

    Jul 25-27 – Cordova, Ill.

    Aug 22-24 – Topeka, Ks.

    Sept 11-14 – Earlville, Ia.













    Div. 6

    May 9-12 – Boise, Id.

    May 23-25 – Seattle, Wash.

    Jun 13-15 – Woodburn, Ore.

    Jun 26-29 – Medford, Ore.

    Aug 7-10 – Acton, Mont.

    Sept. 18-21 – Mission, B.C.



    Div. 7

    Feb. 29-Mar. 2 – Las Vegas, Nev

    Mar 13-16 – Tucson, Ariz.

    May 2-4 – Fontana, Calif.

    Jun 19-22 – Bakersfield, Calif.

    Sept 5-7 – Fallon, Nev.

    Sept 26-28 – Sonoma, Calif.

    Oct 17-19 – Phoenix, Ariz
     
    #1
    Will Hanna, Sep 18, 2007
  2. GFRACING

    GFRACING New Member

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    Do not like the Friday Saturday racing in Division 2 because we cannot get out of school those extra day's to attend.:mad::eek:
     
    #2
    GFRACING, Sep 18, 2007
  3. bryanbrown

    bryanbrown Member

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    Houston in July doesn't sound all that fun, but it looks pretty good and spread out, at least in our area
     
    #3
    bryanbrown, Sep 18, 2007
  4. wolfgang

    wolfgang New Member

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    Indy

    Will, this won't work.

    This is Memorial Day weekend, and there is a little event in town called the Indy 500.

    ORP always holds a night before the 500 race with midgets, late models, etc, which takes up a huge chunk of parking on the "pit" side.
    Also, many people camp there as well.

    Now, if you can convince the folks at ORP to maybe work a cross promotion on Saturday with the drag qualifications and the night race, that may be a good idea, but I don't see the mgt there going for it.

    Wolfgang
     
    #4
    wolfgang, Sep 18, 2007
  5. Doug Randazzo

    Doug Randazzo New Member

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    OK. I'm another guy with Div. 3 blinders on, but I'll throw my hat into the ring anyway. Rather than start Div. 3 off so late, why not run the race on April 18-20 in Bowling Green? It won't be 105 degrees like this year, and you might even get some out of division cars heading to Atlanta for the following weekend. I've for years wondered why the two southernmost races are held in the two hottest months (July and August). Why not start in the south and work your way north? Maybe run the second race at St. Louis a couple of weeks before the Nat event there. That will make it two races complete before Memorial Day. Then you can continue on with your one race per month strategy in each division if you want. I would also suggest keeping away from Chicago in early Fall if you are interested in getting more fans. There is too much competion from the stick and ball sports at that time.
    Will, when you say night qualifying, are you talking about 2 qualifiers on Fri night and eliminations Sat. night? I don't know if Sun night elims will help anybody out. Thanks for your efforts to think, rather than saying, "Here's how we did it last year...".
     
    #5
    Doug Randazzo, Sep 19, 2007
  6. jwsamuel

    jwsamuel New Member

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    One reason the how we did it last year is so common is that the tracks also have to plan for all the other events they have going on throughout the year. It's a lot easier for them to just hold the same weekend open every year for the points races than try to move around other events to open up dates.

    Jim
     
    #6
    jwsamuel, Sep 19, 2007
  7. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    'draft 1'

    i had no doubts there would be conflicts. I was also informed LVMS has their nascar race the weekend I scheduled their event, so I'm sure I've missed on a few. A few dates could easily be juggled around.

    To clarify the night races....I think the 2 qualifiers Friday night/ elims Saturday night is a great format for summer time racing.

    Bowling Green in the spring might be a good idea.

    In reference to LVMS and other nascar/nhra tracks, what about piggy backing the LODRS the week after a major race. Every spectator through the gate gets a free ticket.

    Often times an 'outside' idea such as mine can be useful, it gives a fresh perspective. I think with some coordination, a MUCH BETTER schedule could be reached.

    Then again a regional series may fix alot of the scheduling problem.
     
    #7
    Will Hanna, Sep 19, 2007
  8. Doug Randazzo

    Doug Randazzo New Member

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    Jim, I certainly understand what you're saying. But, Ive watched year after year of Div. 3 openers (Indy or Joliet...take your pick) being all or partially postponed, having qualifiers lost, or cars sent down a track that was probably too cold to be considered safe. So while I DON'T think making a schedule is in any way easy, I do have to question the repeated attempts to schedule a northern event in mid-late April without trying something totally different.
     
    #8
    Doug Randazzo, Sep 19, 2007
  9. Blown Chances

    Blown Chances New Member

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    Can't agree

    Don't overlap a D7 race with Denver. 3/4 TADs in the semi's were D7 runners.

    Ever drove in Montana in the dark? Ask O'bannon, Chesterman, Dejoria how they liked it. Oh yeah and saturday night is always the world of outlaws race. Tough to compete crowd wise.

    Vegas' track sucks balls when it gets cold. TAD saw 1 AFD 1 BAD in both finals. Thats the great equalizer track that favors neither combo at that time of year. In feb./mar. rename it to AFDVMS. If it moved to then, it should go back to the daytime format. Hell I'd like it to go back to the daytime format anyway. Racing that late at night cuts into Troy's beer time.

    I could go for the Pheonix at the end of the year deal. I love it when every hitter from every division loads up and brings it to D7 for the last ditch divisional push. 25+ cars for 8 spots. Love it!

    I'm just full of opinions today.

    I appreciate your ideas cause I can see how it is hard for alot of us to spend 1 1/2+ weeks on the road or arrange flights back and forth. But if you have to go to the place twice flying back and forth is usually cheaper than driving the rig at 3+ a gallon. This could just be me since I live on Utah island which has a great airport but no races within 400 miles of home. Oh yeah and my crew doesn't even fill up one row on a southwest puddle jumper. (IE less tickets to buy than you non-a-holes that have more friends on your crew.)

    Flash on.
     
    #9
    Blown Chances, Sep 19, 2007
  10. jwsamuel

    jwsamuel New Member

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    Doug,
    I am not saying that repeating last year's dates is the best way to do it. I'm just saying that there are not that many open dates on the schedules of many tracks and that it might be difficult for them to move other events to accommodate a points race.


    This year in Division One, we had five weeks between the Lebanon Valley race and Cecil County. That was too long a time.

    Jim
     
    #10
    jwsamuel, Sep 19, 2007
  11. The Zone

    The Zone Member

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    division 6 schedule looks excellent. I have been trying to get the Mission race in the fall for a while

    Dean
     
    #11
    The Zone, Sep 19, 2007
  12. WADE RACING

    WADE RACING New Member

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    Jackson County Divisional ! ! ! ! Bad Deal Dude !

    Having Drag Raced in White City ( Jackson County ) since 1957 with the exception of 1962 to 1980 when it was shut down, I can tell you that the 4th of July or anywhere near that time is Hotter than a half scr_ _ ed Sheep....Not Good for competitors OR "Spectators" who are very rare here ! Very Poor Judgement on someones part !............................Happy Trails, The Oregonian.
     
    #12
    WADE RACING, Sep 24, 2007
  13. Joker Racing

    Joker Racing Super Comp

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    Bakersfield in June? Good luck getting an Alcohol car down the track in the heat. It is hard enough getting a Top Dragster down the track. Phoenix at the end of the year would be nice.
     
    #13
    Joker Racing, Sep 26, 2007
  14. HEMIdude

    HEMIdude New Member

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    Might be neat to do a Div. 3 race in conjuction with Bader's Night of Fire at Norwalk.

    Also... it would be a great idea for NHRA to make all divisional directors to visit ITA at least twice a week!
     
    #14
    HEMIdude, Sep 26, 2007
  15. Argon

    Argon New Member

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    There's alot of fans that would like to see the alcohol cars return to Orlando, even if it was a 1/8th mile race.
     
    #15
    Argon, Oct 3, 2007
  16. nitrohawk

    nitrohawk New Member

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    Houston in July HOTTTTTTT!!!

    Man I can't even emagine racing on the July 4th weekend at Houston!
    It could be over 100 degrees. Hate to pass on our Local track but the thought has occured to me if it is held in July. This year the division 4 schedule was about as good as it can get as we didn't race in July and August.
     
    #16
    nitrohawk, Oct 4, 2007
  17. Dan Lynch

    Dan Lynch Member

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    That place is a death trap just waiting to happen....
     
    #17
    Dan Lynch, Oct 4, 2007
  18. Woodchip

    Woodchip Top Alcohol Dragster

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    I thought Richmond was alternating out Alky for this season only. now I see theres no alky there for 08? I thought it was pretty exciting for the alky cars last year. ( all them blown twenties) what happened?
     
    #18
    Woodchip, Oct 5, 2007
  19. BOBBY MARTINDALE

    BOBBY MARTINDALE TA/FC

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    Rich.

    YES, AND WE NEED RICHMOND BACK,AND MAYBE BRISTOL.:cool:
     
    #19
    BOBBY MARTINDALE, Oct 5, 2007
  20. lugnut

    lugnut Member

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    I Can Say If They Had Alcohol Cars There This Weekend I'd Be There,since They Dont No Desire To Go!!!!!
     
    #20
    lugnut, Oct 6, 2007
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