Sportsman National

This really opens old wounds. How can NHRA just keep on punishing us step children! When the first race was held at No Problem we were told that this was just a trial race and if it went over ok they would include the TAD & TAFC
classes the next year. Of course as everyone knows it was a huge success and thus they added the second race last year and now the third. How can you have a sportsman nationals without the top classes in the sportsman racing program?
These races would have been a great opportunity for TAD & TAFC to be the featured classes at this very important race. They would have counted for National points and have TV coverage as well. They will continue to do the same thing to draw spectators and that is pay in dragsters, funny cars, jets,
pro stockers etc. so they will have some fast cars to advertise to draw spectators. What they pay out would go a long way in covering the purse for TAD & TAFC. Notice how much coverage this race gets on the NHRA website and in ND.
I think I am the only person out here who gets upset over this situation but feel oblicated to say something.

 

Nitrohawk, you are 100% correct. "Sprotsnationals" without The Top Alcohol cars is an insult to everyone that has poored so much effort into these cars.

 

Slap In th Face of All Alcohol Cars

It is such a slap in the face of all Blown Alcohol and Injected Nitro cars that it makes one feel like bastard step children. How can NHRA tout another SPORTSNATIONAL event without us as their top attraction. Our cars are representative of the top level of Sportsman racing and are the stepping stones toward the Pros, but yet we are not afforded the opportunity to headline a Sports National event for what ever reason that NHRA has or may say thay have. Obviously it is related to the increased payout required for our cars. What NHRA is doing is suppressing the Sportsmen who want to move on to the Pro ranks a place to prove their skills in front of national audiences. For those Sportsmen who simply want to be able to race at a prestigeous race that is headlined by their class, it is a slap in the face - Don't need you, stay home, but show up at the Divisional races for now until we figure out how to get rid of you'll altogether. Thank goodness, there is another organization that still features our cars in a professional manner and has stepped up to include more opportunities to move up; not suppress the top classes in the sportsman ranks.

 

Have Your Cake And Eat It Too?

Quarter-Mile Record Holders
Updated 11/16/2005 Professional Categories
Class E.T. Speed Date Driver/Car Location
TF 4.437 10/01/05 Tony Schumacher - Long Grove, IL
'04 R.E.D. Hadman Joliet, IL
TF 336.15 05/25/05 Tony Schumacher - Long Grove, IL
'05 Hadman R.E.D Hebron, OH
FC 4.665 333.58 10/03/04 John Force - Yorba Linda, CA
'04 Ford Joliet, IL
PS 6.633 208.23 03/19/05 Greg Anderson - Concord, NC
'05 Pont Grand Am Gainesville, FL
PSM 6.968 07/30/05 Andrew Hines - Brownsburg, IN
'05 Harley Davidson Sonoma, CA
PSM 197.45 03/19/05 Andrew Hines - Brownsburg, IN
'04 HD V-Rod Gainesville, FL
TAD 5.110 11/01/04 Mitchell Myers - Hermiston, OR
'98 URC Pomona, CA
TAD 280.66 10/01/05 Bill Reichert - Owosso, MI
'97 R.E.D. Bowen Joliet, IL
TAFC 5.519 10/03/04 Jay Payne - Claremont, CA
'04 Chevrolet Joliet, IL
TAFC 262.33 05/18/03 Frank Manzo - Morganville, NJ
'03 Pont Firebird Englishtown, NJ
NHRA does not say you are SPORTSMAN racers!!

 

Will we know the cold hard facts!!! Just venting frustration with the current situation. Maybe these races would draw more spectators with the TA cars.
Problem is they wan't get out of this back door mentality to even give it a try.
I guess if the purse gets to great in TF at some races they will eliminate them from certain nationals. Just being sarcastic as I know that would never happen. The problem is with NHRA. If a condition of holding the race was the inclusion of TA they woud do it in a minute. We got know one on our side!
Enough said I will not beat this poor horse any more.
Bob Holley

 

The way developers are buying up land, I think ya`ll should be happy that there are places left to do the voodoo that ya`ll do so well. You know how much it cost to race any drag car, much less top alky funnies and dragsters, if you get the powers that be to pissed off they can just say, ok lets faze them out, like i think will happen to ihra alky funnies, just think about that , they don't have top alky dragsters so as not to take away from top fuel, what do you think they are going to do after next year when they see the stands empty when they run? Who want`s to see an alky car run 5.60 @ 250. when they can see a nitro car run 4.70 @ 330. it don`t cost the spectator any more money. so here`s the deal quit bitchen, keep raceing, don't worry be happy till the fat broad sings, it`s all about T.V. TIME

 

The class within itself does need to find a marketing guy who loves TA racing and can go out to find a sponsor. Then events can be hosted by the sportsnat's track, and can be funded the way the AMS was.
NHRA will never force the operaters to pay a purse that the TA classes deserve, because they are happy to have the sports nat's races as back-door (gate) operations so to speak.

I hate to say this but the two classes have become a bit stagnant (performance wise, except for the A/Fuelers) and let me say this clearly "IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE TEAMS, IT IS THE FAULT OF THE NHRA ITSELF".

They are a bit difficult to market, because the NHRA has handicapped the two classes. TAD (blown version has shown mph gains but no et gains in the last six years)
In TAFC, very little improvements have been logged in recent years.
Yes I realize they changed the rules in the class, and since the OD changed they have picked up a tenth in the last four years. But this year no improvement, again not the teams fault, they have though outside the box, but when the box is on dimensional (IE: NHRA again),
Their envelope for improvement is so miniscule that unless the budget is 500K per, the gains are not seen.
NHRA says they want to keep the costs down, but look what it is costing the A/Fuelers every year to compensate for nitro %.
The nature of a heads up class is to go faster and faster, it is the animal that is inside of every TA crew chief out there.
It is not a dial in class NHRA,
The teams in the class won't be upset if you give them new technology in a responsible manner. If the teams were to improve their performance then the fans would find it a bit more exciting.
Look at the hype for the PM's to run in the 5's, it is pretty big.
The same could happen for the TA classes to hit the fours.
So what if they are running in the same zone as the TF classes.
Don't they deserve a bit of a bone for all the effort they have put in over the years???? Manzo has been in the class for three decades.
Others similar length.
They deserve to see improvement in their classes.
If they (the owners) were concerned about the costs in these two classes, they would have stopped running them a long time ago because they are the two classes out of EVERY NHRA class that sees the least remuneration for their investments. Yet they still do it.

Sorry for the rant.

Dean

 

Zone....Your ranting doesn't hold water. The PM cars were used at both sportsnational events in 2005 and according to the track operators, did nothing for bringing in fans. So much for your go faster hype theory.
And, yes, both tracks did spend money promoting the events. Improving the performance of TAD and TAFC cars would do nothing to improve their spectator appeal.
You are right about one thing, the classes have become stagnant. Perhaps its time for NHRA to completely rethink both categories. 1- Making TAD an all A/F class would be a hit with track operators because they would then have a real nitro class to promote at division events. 2- TAFC???? Lets get creative with that one....

 

Oh it would? I dont know what your packin your crack pipe with smokey but you better find a new drug, Division 4 is almost all a/fuel save for 2 cars and the class doesnt appear to be a "Hit" with any promotors. And what do you propose the sixty or more blown TAD racers do with their cars? Throw them away? This would be "good" for the class? You sure seem like an uninvolved uninformed A/Fuel fan-boy to us.

Oh and NHRA already had "real" nitro class cars to run at their divisionals. They are called Top Fuel and ran at divisionals during the seventies. THAT didnt work out for the promotors either.

 

Woodchipper...which word did you not understand? Quote "they would have a real nitro class to promote at division events".
TAD is not an all nitro class so therefore division tracks cannot promote it as a nitro class regardless of how many show up.
Running top fuel at the divisons didn't work out in the seventies???? Let me tell you something woodchipper boy, I ran a fuel car back in the 70's and tracks were actually paying for fuel cars to show up. Why?? Because they could promote nitro classes (AA/FD and AA/FC) that brought in spectators! FACT: Just ask any track operator and see the response you get.

 

promotors paid top fuel cars to run at Divisionals?Are you sure about that? Maybe you mean built into a purse structure. Your talking about SHOWS then not divisionals. And the top fuel cars at shows tended to wane off when funny cars got top billing. Top fuel "shows" in the north east anyway ENDED in the late seventies. (didnt work out) And you never answered my question as to what to do with the alcohol cars you propose to wipe off the face of the earth.

oh and "FACT" import cars are drawimg in fans by the thousands. Raceway Park made more money during their two import races than they did with the gate at the supernationals. The fans came empty handed and they had to restock the consessions twice. So while im no fan of the imports they appear to be more popular than all your FOOL cars combined blown or not.

 

YES..tracks would pay selected AA/FD and AA/FC cars to show up at division events. YES...they did bring in fans. All it took was one or two big name AA cars, a good promoter and the fans were there.
Import cars draw in fans by the thousands??? So do NASCAR races! Who cares woodchipper boy, it's a totally different market! What are we debating here?? Was this not a discussion about TAD?
Since you mentioned it though, how many fans do you think your imports would draw in D4 since you mentioned that divison earlier? FACT: You could have shot a round of cannon fire through the stands at the last import national event in Dallas and not hit anybody!
What would current alcohol dragster racers do? Just what more than half the field has already done; race A/F, TAFC, or...