10/31/05

Editor's Note: We at DRO misplaced several letters that came in with the 10/13 batch. Here they are now, and we apologize to our readers for the inconvenience.

WE FEEL YOUR PAIN

The seats that Bob Stange was trying to sit in have in the past been set aside for the racers and manufacturers. It is the last section on the pit side of the track. It has been a meeting place for all with Credentials, but NHRA in all their GREED decided to take it away without warning, leaving only upgrade option or 30 minutes to go and return to the spectator side of the track -- very inconvenient for racers and sponsors to make this trip every round. How considerate of NHRA -- after all, they already have everyone's MONEY and we all know the desperate need for more reserved seating on pit side. I am sure that at least 20 people were in that section that has in excess of 400-500 seats, section T.

Route 66 Raceway people have NOTHING to do with seating at NHRA events. The greed and arrogance of NHRA never ceases to amaze everyone. They seem to go out of their way to alienate the racers and sponsors.

Merle Mangels

GLAD TO BE APPRECIATED

Ian: Thanks for the kind words about Maple Grove Raceway and the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals! We take pride in what we do here and have a great staff that really does care about the racers and fans.

George Alan Case
Maple Grove Raceway

RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS LETTER

My wife, Fran, was talking to bracket and class-racing great Scotty Richardson at a recent three-day at Huntsville Dragway, and he told her something that was very prescient -- talking about people who win and those who lose, he said, "If they aren't winning, they're not working hard enough."

That comment directly pertains to the recent letters discussed in DRO about bracket racing. Nothing has gotten out of hand. Or better said, the same situation exists today that existed 10 years ago, that people are using electronics and going fast for various reasons. With electronics, No. 1, now, ANYBODY is capable of winning a bracket race, and No. 2, electronics like the delay box has effectively done away with a bad system of starting two race cars off the starting line, and that is the Christmas tree. Remember the old days of five yellows flashing in separate sequences, and if you know the system, you know that you must leave on the first flash of the last amber light, and you must stage in a certain place in order to cut a good reaction time, and you can't be influenced by the guy in the other lane and HIS tree counting down, and? ... it goes on and on.

Thankfully, the electronics makers stepped in at the request of the bracket racer and effectively did away with this horrible way of starting and handicapping two race cars. Me, I'd like to see a four-tenths, handicapped Pro tree starting system for each lane, but that is for another letter and another opinion.

As for going fast, I believe that many cars DEMAND that they be hit hard off the starting line, in order for them to work to their full potential. As for the cost, I've seen plenty of $5,000 to $10,000 door cars win big-money bracket races.

It gets back to what Scotty told Fran: If you want to be really successful at this bracket racing game, you gotta work hard at it.

One more thing: At most big-money bracket races, like George Howard's Million and Chris Phillips'/Anthony Oehler's Montgomery Motorsports Park's big-money races, final round cars ARE teched in. The man doing the tech is one Jerry Hallman of Birmingham, Alabama, a long-time Stock and Super Stock racing champ.

Oh yes, and one final thing: If you don't like electronics bracket racing, there is always Footbrake, which around here sometimes rewards the Footbrake winners with big money. And if you don't like that, there's the 10.5 racing, or nostalgia racing, or front-wheel-drive racing, or motorcycle racing, or even racing with your kids in Juniors.

Final comment: No. 1, we can't go back again; No. 2, any sports or hobby endeavor requires hard work; and No. 3., these ARE the good ol' days. Enjoy them before another local track is closed, or governments interfere, or gas prices go even higher.

Dale Wilson
SP/Super Comp No. 218D