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Editor's Note: You can file this little episode under the heading of no good deed goes unpunished. On one side you have Jok Nicholson, DRO columinist, former track owner, and drag racer, trying to put together a team made up of racers from Cedar Falls International Raceway at the request of IHRA. On the other side is IHRA who is trying to find a way to satisfy the racers of Iowa, the management at Eddyville Dragway, and their own rules, regulations, and programs. Both sides had the best of intentions, but unfortunately for the racers and IHRA it just didn't work out. As always there are a lot of rumors about what actually happened. In an effort to set the record straight we present letters stating each side's version. The first letter is from Bill Bader/IHRA and the second is from Jok Nicholson.

Dear Cedar Falls Racers:

In 2000, Cedar Falls Raceway opened under the management and ownership of track operator, Greg Nickleski. He sanctioned with IHRA and signed a contract to host a Holley Sportsman Divisional race. According to insurance records, he hosted 2 Test and Tune events (April 15th and 16th), and 2 Summit Racing Bracket events (May 13th and 14th). Shortly thereafter the track closed.

Sometime the first of August, Jok Nicholson, former owner and current mortgage holder of CFR, called IHRA and asked about sending a team to the Summit Racing Bracket Finals. Upon investigation we learned that CFR did not meet the requirements to send a team. A minimum of 5 "points" races must be held in order to qualify. CFR only held 2 before closing for the season. We realize more were originally scheduled but only 2 contested.

It would not be fair for a properly qualified racer to be eliminated by someone that did not belong there in the first place. How would you feel if you raced all year at a track, qualified for the team, then were eliminated by an illegal entry? It would not be fair.

IHRA has done nothing wrong. The racers have done nothing wrong. The track did not qualify to send a team. That is the long and short of it. We would be wrong if we did what Jok wants us to do.

Let's cut through the chase, Jok wants to please the racers that have been calling him. His track did not qualify and he knows it. If CFR ran the correct number of events but did not buy insurance, we have no way of knowing that. Running without insurance would cause CFR to lose its sanction anyway. Jok would like to make it look like we are the bad guys. We are not. We are simply playing by the rules.

In the letter Jok sent on Monday, September 11th, he refers to scheduling 12 races and having 10 rained out. There is a big difference to 10 rainouts and closing for the season.

I am sorry we cannot accommodate the CFR racers. Understand it would be to our benefit to do so. The race would have more entries and be more profitable. However, it would be wrong to do so.

Sincerely,

Bill Bader

CC: All Track Operators Skooter Peaco

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Racers,
This (above) is the reply IHRA probably sent to you. They did not send a reply to me for some reason. Following is my reply to their letter. It covers exactly what happened and why I started forming the ET Finals Team for Cedar Falls Raceway in the first place.

I won't be writing about this again. I have done more than my part to get this team together, LEGALLY, for you racers and for my own race team.

Unfortunately it isn't going to happen. I will be sending your entry fee checks back to you. Hope you can change any vacation plans you might have made.

Good Luck and hope to see you at Tri-State this Fall,

Jok Nicholson