Since my name is mentioned specifically...

And to answer you questions:

NHRA Drag Racing itself DOES NOT SUCK!! I love NHRA Drag Racing as much or more than anyone and personally feel that it is the best motorsport there is, especially from a fans perspective. It's not the sport that has been disappointing lately. I just don't agree with NHRA's handling of some situations that have arisen lately. No matter what NHRA does they can't diminish my loyalty to the drag racing itself and the competition.

Yes, I still have an NHRA Competition licensce and will probably do so as long as I'm able to compete mentally and physically. Besides, living in California there isn't much of a choice. Though I would still have one no matter where I live since I wouldn't want to limit my opportunities to race at various tracks. And while I think NHRA could do a world of lot better job in their treatment of Sportsman racers at national events. I cannot speak highly enough of NHRA as a sanctioning organization that provides competitors with a basis for fair and safe competition.

__________________
Greg Stanley
2007 NorCal Top Comp Champion

Just an FYI, most tracks who have a NHRA sanction require an NHRA license if you run faster than 9.99 at any race not just Lucas Oil or PowerAde (Full Throttle) events. Last time I checked you can only get a license with a current membership number.

I'm sure that Greg would have no problem racing in IHRA if the tracks he raced at on the west coast were sanctioned by them.

__________________
SG 596
SC 5961

Fair enough.

Sidenote:
It's the membership, not the driver's license that protects you with the benefit insurance. I get a lot of value out of the National Dragsters, tech articles, classified ads, some fun articles, and heck, even some of the sponsors ads. I have gotten my values worth out of the membership, it's not something I mind paying and usually subscribe for three year turns (just because membership, like everything else, keeps going up)

Will I get "Moon Flied" if I ask:
"Just who works for whom."

With the NHRA, it seems everyone else only works for them from their stance.

__________________
"The Doctor"
www.wannaberacing.com

Please, explain to us all that don't understand your vocabulary, what is "Moon Flied"?

It seems to me, that NHRA trains their employees/track workers to know thier job and only their job. I don't know if you've ever asked a somebody in a powerade blue shirt where you would get something taken care of, but it's very rare that they know stuff outside of their job requirements. It's not always a bad thing, because their discretion is limited to the scope of their job, but it can be.

I waited over 3 hours to get my crew credentials at Gainesville this year.The big question is how does NHRA "Run out of tickets"?? They have the entry lists well in advance,this shouldn't be a problem.

Their pit was right next to where I was and I wondered why there were 3 cars sitting there all had written in shoe polish "DQ'D ask me why?". I never went there and asked, but have the basic story now. Sounds like a comedy of errors on the part of both sides (no disrespect intended with the phrase 'comedy'). NHRA wants people to race, I know that. This seems very unfortunate for everyone involved.

You wait in line, then they don't have what you need do to there lack of planning, it is there JOB to bring it to you. Not yours to keep going back till they get it right.

Maybe they're just being "outspoken." By suggesting that they're bashing, aren't you bashing them?

That would be like insulting entire groups of people for simply having political views that differ from yours.

__________________
The faster you drive, the further you have to walk to get back to the road.

I was also pitted just down the road from Hughes and stopped by to see what the deal was. I will say that NHRA has gotten better over the last few years, but this year at Topeka was a slight down turn. The parking was all kinds of messed up, they waisted about half the "plug in" spots due to poor planning. The Tech was also messed up, I had all kinds of trouble getting teched in (so did about ever racer around me). I had an issue with my brake lines running through the chassis (has since '96, and our dragster before that since '88). I looked and EVERY DRAGSTER around me was the same way. They decided to let me run but what a cluster. I think the guys meant well, they were polite, but it just seemed like the entire sportsman side of the "race" was a little off their game.

__________________
Nemo

Exactly !! Simply amazes me at the number of sportsman racers who continue to show up, pay money, get treated like crap, gripe about it but then go to the next race over and over. If it wasn't for the ET bracket finals once a year I would let all my membership and licenses expire.

"Moon Flied"!!!! Bobby, you've out done yourself this time!!!

Anyone of us who regularly attends and competes at NHRA National and Divisional events, clearly understands the quantity and severity of incompetence that is in place in official positions at these events at any one time. We love the sport, and we love competing at the highest level; so we learn to roll with the flow, figure out who, what and when can expedite our "experience" with the minimum amount of roadblocks and speedbumps, and do our very best to get pitted, teched, waivered, credentialed, fueled, and in the lanes for our first hit.
Usually it goes smooth enough, I mean, if I make the back of the lanes for first time run, with seconds to spare...great!!! I forget about all the hassles. But when It goes bad, you darn well know I'm going to throw a fit, and let everyone know!! We simply spend too much time and too much money doing this to allow mistakes made by a few inept or uncaring people ruin a whole event for you.

I have NEVER assumed anyone was a f-up at any time for any reason, regardless of the uniform they happen to be wearing, or thier station in life. Everyone I place in that category, has earned thier way in by consistantly making bad decisions at the wrong time.

I feel bad for The General, and the whole Hughes team...its a horrible way to end a race weekend.

The brake line on my bracket dragster goes through the frame rail and that's never been an issue in any of it's SFI inspections. Since we have a reason to need a deflector plate to protect/separate the driver from the engine, I'd think we'd WANT to have the brake line protected by the frame rail tubing as it passes the engine.

I did once have an INSPECTOR point at my deflector plate and ask why it's so short (top of my shoulders). I told him "Because the radiator is behind the engine?" He looked confused, then asked me "What does the location of the radiator have to do with anything?"

I had another complain about the lengths of heater hose I had going from my water pump to the radiator. He started quoting, as if out of the rulebook "No more than 12 inches total of rubber line, for connection purposes only." I finished the quote with "Except for NHRA accepted woven pushlock." The quote he was quoting me was from the FUEL (line) section.

Do you think I got an apology for that guy trying to apply the wrong rule to the wrong part of my car? Hell no! What I got was "Well, I can always just deem your car to be unsafe" which got me in his face saying "Then we need to go into the tower and have a talk with management because, you have a LOT of cars here that are going to have to be deemed to be unsafe."

I'm not going to generalize an entire group of people but, I've definitely encountered incompetence among a few NHRA tech inspectors, including another who made himself into a proven liar in front of witnesses at a B&M race. He tried to say an event promoter said one thing right after an incident, when he told me something completely different and, the inspector hadn't BEEN with the promoter since it happened. When he said "George Howard doesn't want that car running here" and, I said "Well, that's funny because George just told me that if I fix this, I can buy back in." the man just got a "deer in the headlights" look, turned, and walked away.

__________________
The faster you drive, the further you have to walk to get back to the road.