IHRA F/C 8 car field ? ! ? !

hey bill, is that race in the BHRA ,- bunnies hot rod assoc.

[ August 08, 2005, 10:00 PM: Message edited by: bruce mullins ]

 

The 92% rule did Nothing to make TAFC any cheaper! The 5.50 guys are running 9,800 RPM+, at 125% I know several teams that were shifting at 9,300-9,400 and still running low .60's! But with the split rules, TAFC will never grow!

 

bravo will, bravo. i get so sick of hearing that the screw blower destroys parts. you can trash a motor with a straight rotor blower if you dont have the proper tune up. my old car was over weight at 2360 and i shifted it at 9400 and it ran 4- 5.80 runs 3 years ago at maple grove and the exhaust temps never went over 950 degrees. thats why i know for a fact you could tack 100 lbs on one of these and it hurts. not parts just e.t.

 

Even with IHRA trying to drive away TAFC racers over the last 5-8 years with entry fees, distant races that make it more expensive to chase points, and now 8 car fields, there were still 17 cars in Rockingham and 19 in Virginia this year. NHRA does not draw near as many racers in that part of the country... I don't see how unifying the rules would be beneficial to the class (not TAFC in NHRA, but TAFC in general). Changing the rules would just further decrease the quantity of TAFC racers in the country.

 

You all keep saying the same thing, how about a little different perspective. Yes the 8 car thing is the dumbest thing they could do, but they raised the winnings that are available to the field. Yes, they had 17 cars at Rockingham and yes, they had 19 at Richmond, but all the cars that have entered the high car count races are cars that are looking at the winners purse. If they stepped first round money to 2000 or 2200 then a whole lot of under funded teams would start showing up looking for the extra first round money. That and that alone would bring back the 25 30 car fields and in the near future possibly a true class sponser and a 16 car field instead of 8. NHRA has been wanting cars and wanting cars but they wont do the odvious, more money. Division 2 has not had a full field in over four years, they pay 600 for first round loser, but it cost 300 to get your car driver and crew in. Then it takes 1 qualifying run and a first round run. Look at the logical thats 150 dollars a run not including fuel, food, loging, and travel expences(fuel ex). A highly ranked driver in IHRA told me at Rockingham that if he had to start his career with an 8 car field that he and many of the other top teams in IHRA would not be racing today. He said himself, who is going to carry the torch, No one is looking towards the future, I plan on being in the seat soon and Im debating what side series I want to run with(American Funny Car, War, Southern Fuel Coupes, or jump ship and go to Aust. They still run the same set up that IHRA ran in the early 90's. That set ran what low twenties high teens, if I'm not mistaking Bill Naves runs that set up now and has been as quick as a 6.02 at 215. what did he find that we didn't in the early 90's.

 

By eliminating the first round of a 16 car field, IHRA saves paying out $12,000 on raceday for the funnycar category. If you compare the increase in payout from before to now and subtract that difference from $12,000 they're putting about $6000.00 in their pocket. If they have 16 cars show up for an eight car field at an average entry fee of $500.00 per team that's $9000.00 in their pocket. From a business sense that is a very good financial move. They are still getting a bunch of cars out trying to make the cut and not having the responsibility of paying anything to the non qualifiers which I believe they do give a helping hand to the #9 & 10th qualifiers in top fuel. No matter what sanction or association you decide to race with, the racing is secondary to the "SHOW". I'm a firm believer in providing as much value for the spectator as possible because without them in the stands, everyone looses. Cutting the field back drops the entertainment value for the paying customer / fan and I don't know too many people that will continually bust their butts without at least some form of compensation even if it was a decent reduction in entry fees.

 

what it boils down to is this, if you want to run alcohol, you have a couple choices and you run with their rules and for whatever money they pay or you just don't race. is either sanction better than the other ? NO! complaining does nothing. boycotts will never work as long as some teams have sponsorships to honor. matchraces are done and gone except for the select few, but there are rules and games you have to play to get those few. (at least on the eastcoast) so thats not much better. so whats left, nothing as i said we either race or you don't.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with the IHRA over the next few years . Pro mod only had 15 entries at the last race if i remember correctly , I think some chose to run the ams race in columbus that weekend . Are the pro mods now on double top secret probation ?. Millican looks like he might be going NHRA racing which would be a big loss to the IHRA if he does not race their series . Clay is a very likeable person and is to IHRA what Force is to NHRA .

 

Bruce the problem with matchracing is that some promoters are putting on a show for very little money. So when the new guy tries to put on a race the track is not willing to pay the wanted amount. Will I agree with you, but I think it's wishful thinking to say that racers would switch to screw chargers. Atch would so he could try and save his sponsers, Thomas would call it quits and stick with the farm. Sickles would but tigges and mcmillen would be a toss up.

 

hello nappy (i know who you are). the other problem with matchraces is some promoters forgot how to promote. i would not want to see a funny car show when half of the funny cars can't run faster than some of the bracket cars. and i am not pointing at you. hell you guys fly on some of the worst tracks i have ever seen. i am not looking to start a war about matchrace cars vs. national event cars, just saying if a track is advertising 5 and 6 second funny cars and the group shows up with a couple of steel block chevy's that run 7's on a good day well the track and fans feel cheated and the circut gets a bad rap and races dwindle .so if you want to race a funny car your options just got smaller. i would go matchracing in a minute , and have made it known but i just don't fit the game plan (suposidly) . good luck at capitol this weekend. it's going to be hot!

[ August 11, 2005, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: bruce mullins ]

 

Bruce if someone was trying to put on a show of quick cars would you be interested in running, and what kind of money would you be looking for? I'm trying to put the money together for Frank Hawley's School in December.

 

why would you go to hawley's school when your dad has a f/c? i am not knocking his school, but your dad would be your best teacher, hell i have had more fun teaching my son to run a jr. dragster, i know its a far cry from a fc, but you can't buy that kind of fun. as for your other question i won't talk dollars on the site because it would make a thread go on for weeks with opinions. i am the one that got the pay raise out of royce last year when i said i wouldn't go for his payout. ask bunny she will tell you. oh well i better shut up before things i say are taken' wrong. this thread isn't about matchraces. its about the wonderful world of nhra vs. ihra.

 

Will, good points but I still have to disagree about the rule change. Racers being able to crossover is good, but it is a self-defeating cause if many racers are forced to/decide to quit in the process. It is nice to have a greater selection of races to attend, but every team has a limiting factor that is budget. A team that currently goes to 10 races won't spread itself thin enough to attend 15. Even if they hit a couple extra, it won't be enough to make up for the lost cars and will thus decrease the overall car count. The point: more attention needs to be paid to keeping the low budget racer at the track than the top cars if the priority is to increase/maintain the car count. Nappy's idea of spreading the money around at the bottom is right on, yet I realize that it is out of our hands. What can we do about it? I don't know. Though hoping isn't a realistic means to a solution, I hope IHRA reverses some of its decisions in order to salvage the class, because I remember it being a fun place to race. That's it for now, good discussion.

 

..damn.. I've got one of those things the fans get cheated on. Watching IHRA follow NHRA's lead and pound top alcohol into the dust, you think I'm moving up?

Sanctioning bodies close the door, and higher up guys crap on us wanna be's ( see above quote ) Sign me up!

Jay Mageau

 

Bruce can you imagine my surprise after ordering a new car last fall knowing I would not be able to take delivery until this year mid season, now knowing this car has to be built only with the best parts to qualify for a 8 car field, which when the car was ordered it was still 16
I almost fainted when I read it was going to 8 car field
Spending close to 90K to build this thing now because it now has to be one of the best
We are testing this weekend to try to get to the point where we have a shot at qualifying at Norwalk this month
Really not sure where this class will be in 3 years now with the cost rising as it has
Has me very uneasy about my investment

 

bruce mullins
Top Dragster
Member # 186

Member Rated:
posted August 11, 2005 06:40 PM
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why would you go to hawley's school when your dad has a f/c? i am not knocking his school, but your dad would be your best teacher, hell i have had more fun teaching my son to run a jr. dragster, i know its a far cry from a fc, but you can't buy that kind of fun. as for your other question i won't talk dollars on the site because it would make a thread go on for weeks with opinions. i am the one that got the pay raise out of royce last year when i said i wouldn't go for his payout. ask bunny she will tell you. oh well i better shut up before things i say are taken' wrong. this thread isn't about matchraces. its about the wonderful world of nhra vs. ihra.
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Bruce i know of a guy that tryed to teach his kid to drive ,kids today don`t listen to there parents, even if they know what there talking about, but if they take $5.000 out of there pocket,( The KID ) then maybe they will listen and learn, and frank hawley knows his stuff.

 

see, here we go with things i said taken the wrong way , so let me explane slowly and in small words. first off, itsprivate, if there is a group that all run steel chevy's and promote what they can do for a certain price, then great. like the southern fuel coups, when they ran the 4.50 index type circut. there are tracks that pay the money for that show, but what happen to that show. it died . to many tracks have quick 8 shows where door cars run 4.50's or4.40's. my problem with steel chevy's is when i am paid x-amount to run6.0's and the track pays someone the same money to with a car that can only run 7's but claims to be a 6 second car , its bull.
john 348, all i can say is good luck, and i mean it. it sucks that ihra cut the fields. i myself always thought ihra ( in the past 5 years ) couldn't tell the truth if their lives depended on it. ( management) i heard bill bader at virginia in a meeting about t.v. coverage tell all the a/fc drivers that the f/c class would never go anywhere period. he said we were part of the backbone that held ihra together. now look. you can ask any of the drivers that were there. mark thomas , scott weney, bunny burkett, and many others what was said in that meeting. i told myself after that meeting they were full of shit and have never raced at an ihra race since. that is just MY opinion. there are some great teams that fly in the ihra. thomas, atchison, sickles, and so on, its great the winnings you guys get but do you think it was worth cutting the fields?
finally , manmana, if my son won't listen when i try to teach him how to drive the f/c ( thats if he wants to )he won't ever sit in my car again. damn my coffee is cold now.

[ August 12, 2005, 08:18 AM: Message edited by: bruce mullins ]

 

Bruce, Did you ever track down Larry Dobbs?