A STREAM OF THOUGHT

I agree that the NHRA and IHRA rules should be the same. This branch of drag racing (Pro Mod) has enough problems without splitting up. Good call.

Now what do you think about the iCard being gone from NHRA? It was not in Dallas or Joliet. I was in Dallas and was told that NHRA and SPP have a "urinating" contest going about how much NHRA should get, etc, but have not been able to verify that rumor myself. As someone who just spent $500 (for the handheld and the one that dumps data into my laptop), needless to say, I am a bit peeved. At least IHRA plans on keeping it. To me, just another example of NHRA's mismanagement.

I absolutely must give Tom Compton credit, as he has done something that not even Wally Parks could do:  Have EVERY class of racer so upset they are ready to lynch him. From the sportsman classes (various parts of the enhanced experience; too long of a list for inclusion here) to Pro

Stock (telling them they are not a Pro Class) and even the Pros (fuel and funny car wanting more money) he has everyone's blood pressure up. Of course, might as well include the Pro Stock Pickup guys also.

The problem is that NHRA has not evolved to include the racers and race car sponsors (the people who spend the huge amounts of money and time) in the decision making process. They are trying to emulate NASCAR, who somehow managed to remain a dictatorship, and not the stick and ball sports which have been forced to include the athletes in the decision

making process.  I am personally concerned it is much more than just growing pains and we (the people who are involved in drag racing from the guy who sells peanuts to the large corporate sponsor) should be very, very concerned that our "benevolent dictator" has never had anything to do with drag racing and is relying on many people who also have no past in our sport. He absolutely must be forced to deal with the people who's money and lives are on the line:  the sponsors, the drivers, and the team owners. Whether a sportsman or a pro. Thus I hope PRO can pry some concessions.

Keep up the good work.

William D. (Dee) Kruse

SPECTATOR'S VIEWPOINT

I just wanted to throw in my assessment of the state of NHRA drag racing from a spectator's point of view. Having just attended the CARQUEST event at Joliet I can't help feeling some resentment toward NHRA. I feel this sanctioning body has forsaken the hard-core fan.

I'm 46 years old, and have done a whole lotta spectating since my dad first took me to San Gabe as a small boy. I watched from the stands much of the sport's evolution. Granted, most events I attended were local shows, but I'd trade two of today's NHRA events for just one Grand Prix at Irwindale. Today's NHRA events conduct much of the sportsman eliminations prior to Sunday. The pro fields are small, often only a few cars fail to qualify, so "last shot" qualifying drama is nonexistent, especially since the advent of Friday night qualifying where frequently track conditions are better than either of Saturday's sessions. I now watch race cars in the "Super" categories that bore me to tears, watching car after car practically idle from the launch to nearly half track. No longer can I cruise the staging lanes, which was the last place left to get a close look at the hot cars now that the pit areas are flanked by towering transporters. And while I still suffocate while standing in the pits when the fuelers warm up (not a complaint, I need my nitro fix) they now sound like they're running through mufflers. The 85% rule has taken away the cackle.

While I can appreciate the reasons behind the changes that have brought NHRA drag racing to what it is today, that does not change the fact that today the sport makes me feel that these days I pay much more for much less. And judging from the empty seats in the stands, I don't think I'm alone in my opinion.

I never did care much for folks who complain without offering a solution, so I have a few suggestions:

#1. NHRA officials need to put in more hours on Sunday. Stop already with trying to pare down the fields so that you can run the race in 5 hours or less.

#2 OK, you can have delay boxes and throttle stops in the Super classes, but make the stops fixed. If a racer wants to slow his car down, I'd much rather see a full run at 85% throttle opening than 1/3 the run at 10% and the rest at full.

#3 Kill the Friday night session. If you want a night-time session, make it Saturday night. Qualifying should build to a crescendo, not fizzle out and finish up as a test-and-tune session.

#4 Get rid of Pro Stock bike and replace with A/FD. Same basic configuration as top fuel, but no cubic inch restrictions. Who knows, might lead to A/FC. Leave the bikes to another sanctioning body.

#5 In T/F and F/C, if there must be limits, limit the blower, not the nitro percentage.

I have more suggestions, but since no one is really asking for them, I'll stop right here. Thanks for listening.

Ted Dohse