'SPECIAL" TREATMENT

First let me say I agree with you that NHRA did the right thing in Gainesville moving the sportsman racers to Orlando. I was not there this year but if I had been I would have raced in Orlando rather than drive the 1000 miles home and not get to race at all. In 90 or 91 I spent three days in Memphis and never got on the grounds before being sent home so I have been there and understand that the weather is not something we can control. With that said I do wonder why you keep referring to the .90 racers and never mention the special and super special racers.

From what I have see on the internet special and super special are doing the crying. I am sorry nobody in Gainesville got to see a super special car do a wheels up leave and run a performance class with no mufflers but stuff happens even to the backbone of NHRA. I hope all the shoe polish non-muffler performance orientated special and super special racers figured out that NHRA doesn't need them or the .90 class racers because the spectators don't care what we do they come to see the PROS. If the special and super special racers keep crying like they have been for the last several years there will be no sportsman racers at National events, and I would think that special and super special would be the first to go as they are the ones who are labor intensive with all the rules and teardowns. NHRA dumped Pro Stock Truck like a hot potato and the sportsman racers could be next. I am sure a judge would die laughing when we went to court and said we are the backbone of NHRA and it's our right to run National events. That's my opinion.

Bob Bommarito

DON'T FORGET STOCK AND SUPER STOCK

I read with interest your article about the Gainsville fiasco. Many of the points you made were indeed valid, but I must take exception with something I saw in the article that bothered me a great deal. It was my understanding that not only the .90 guys were sent to Orlando, but so were the Stock and Super Stock racers. I was also to understand the afore-mentioned racers were the ones fighting with the NHRA officials. Jeff, as you stated you were there I was not, but in your article it made the .90 racers out to be thugs and hooligans. I know for myself, I can only run a limited amount of races due to economic and vacation time restrictions, this being the case I would be terribly disappointed to have traveled a 1000 miles to be told to go some where else, but being the type of person I am I would have gone.

I agree that NHRA did the what they thought was best and the racers had to live with that decision. Was it the right choice? I don't think I am qualified to make that call. Thanks for the opportunity to have my voice heard, just try and take it a little easier on my .90 brethren. If you are planning on going to the Vegas Nationals next week, stop by and allow me to buy you a beer, that is unless it's raining and we are going to Palmdale, Ca. to finish the race there.... Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Randy Balough

NHRA OVERBOOKED

Normally I read you column with respect and a sense of insight I don't have since I'm not at every event, but obviously you wrote this article to save your credentials bacon with the NHRA powers that be cuz Burk, you are full of s***. I was at this one and thank god I only live 60 miles away so I was not inconvenienced or put upon by the cretins in charge. Being told to move on or be towed is not a way to endear anyone. This whole debacle could have been avoided, handled with some aplomb and dignity, with some respect and been a win-win for all. Not only were there .90 classes put out but Stock and Super Stock also, which were overbooked by the greedy bastards at NHRA.

The fact is there was not enough pit room to begin with, rain or no rain. The pros spread out into the "swampy" area like a plague, they didn't mind having the extra room and not having the sportsman there. NHRA could have notified Carl [Weisinger, Orlando promoter] and his crew much earlier of a pending decision and Carl would have gotten the word out to sit tight in Orlando until some things were firmed up, stay away from Gainesville and then have a meeting telling everyone why, where, who, what, when. A little salesmanship would have gone a long way, especially if it had come from Div. director Bill Holts mouth, not some flunky, lackey rent a bum picking up trash and parking cars at the event. The way it was handled was magnificently poor, the reasons were marginal at best and compounded by greed and pathetic planning.

Burk, you don't get it because you don't get sportsman racing, get you head out of Force's ass and smell the bull****, NHRA was slathering it on and you bought into it, shame on you I thought you were smarter, alas, I was wrong.

Nick Dennis

NHRA IS A CHARITY?

I generally liked the editorial and since I haven't read the National Dragster coverage yet, it was quite informative. The only part I would disagree with were the parts referring to the NHRA as a business, not a benevolent association. Last I heard, the NHRA is a non-profit association that exists to promote drag racing for the benefit of racers. I know it is run, and has to be, like a business, but it's not supposed to be run to put money in someone's pocket, unlike the IHRA.

It sounds like the NHRA did the best they could in the situation, but the tone of your editorial seems to forget the mission, as I understand it, of the NHRA.

Brian Gustafson