SPORTSnationals? What SPORTSnationals? 5/2/05
But (and with me you know there is always a "but") for the second consecutive year the race omitted the quickest and fastest of NHRA's so-called Sportsman classes. Once again there were no Alky Funny Cars and no Alky Dragsters. So here's my problem. NHRA's SPORTSnationals events are evidently going to have Pro Modified, SS/AA shootouts, Pro cars testing and every Sportsman class that NHRA offers except the supposed stars of the Sportsman categories, alcohol Funny Cars and dragsters. I know "fair" has nothing to do with drag racing, but this situation isn't fair. The two so-called SPORTSnationals held this year will offer racers all of the benefits and perks of a national event: class run-offs, record runs, Lucas Oil Series championship points, a national event purse and those valuable grade points that are required to get an entry at national events other than the Sportsman variety. Unless you happen to be a TAD or TAFC racer, then "no perks for you." When the organizers of the Louisiana race opted to delete those two classes from the inaugural event last year I went along with the deal. I understood the added cost of 16-car TAD and TAFC fields was just not economically feasible. So I sided with the promoter and the NHRA decision and took my lumps from the Alky racers of which I am one. So, now here we are in 2005 and once again the SPORTSnationals at Belle Rose didn't offer the premier Sportsman classes a place to race and, more importantly, according to NHRA's Len Imbrogno, there are no plans to have those classes at this year's second SPORTSnationals event at Columbus. At the risk of ticking off my friends at Jegs Performance Parts, who support Sportsman racers big time and stepped up to be the title rights sponsor for these two races, I'm having a little trouble as an editor and fan accepting these two events as true national events for the Sportsman racers. I feel sorry for Sportsman alky racers like Ashley Force, Todd Veney, Frank Manzo, Bob Newberry and many others, and their sponsors. Many of those racers have devoted their entire careers to supporting NHRA's Sportsman program. Just as most Sportsman racers, they've [Ashley Force excepted] spent a good portion of their lives sleeping in bad motels, eating junk food and giving up their weekends to race instead of having a real life. In a lot of cases these racers have sponsors who have also supported them and the classes in return for little exposure outside of National Dragster and the NHRA Sportsman television coverage. And what is their reward for their dedication? When NHRA throws the big dance they don't get an invitation. That, in my estimation, is a sorry way for NHRA to treat their customers and members. If Ashley Force had an invitation the track probably would get John at the race as a bonus. That alone would put some butts on the boards. What is to be done about this? In the words of one NHRA official whom I asked how the alky classes could be included, "If they find a sponsor like the Pro Mods have, to pay the bills, we will put them in the show." So, the bottom line is this. The only way for alky racers to be a part of the NHRA's SPORTSnationals program is to find a sponsor for the classes -- and they'll probably still be required to pay an entry fee. Here is my suggestion on how this situation could be resolved. First, cut the field to eight cars in each class, make them pay an entry fee and then NHRA should approach some of the sponsors that support the class like MSD or Comp Cams and ask them to underwrite the alcohol classes. One thing is sure: the SPORTSnationals as it is now formatted simply
is not a race for all the Sportsman racers and is a slap in the
face to some very loyal NHRA racers, sponsors, and fans. |
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hey just completed the second annual Jegs.com-sponsored Cajun
