Ragging on the NHRA television coverage

Burk, Re: 7/26: We thought you were going to give it a rest. Or is grinding away at NHRA so much fun that you can't give it up?

For whatever reasons, they are not listening to you, nor to their fans and racers. I am not sure what it will take to wake them up - major sponsor withdrawals, major team withdrawals - nothing seems to have much of an effect on how they want to run the operation. I suppose when the rank and file membership has finally had enough and demanded that their local track come up with insurance somewhere else - maybe that will hit them.

I am not holding my breath though.

Charles Rutherford
Montpelier, Virginia

Is there life at NHRA?

Burk, man, you spend a lot of time wondering. I am glad you do. I spend as much time wondering if there is intelligent life in the sanctioning body universe. It seems to be in a dead galaxy.

Yeah, the ticket prices are too high, and the economy sucks, but the show is as much to blame as anything. There was a time I would travel to Denver, Vegas and Pomona at the drop of a hat. The MFRC (Millionaires Fuel Racing Club) has evolved into a bunch of boring, same old same old, every week show of egos, that can’t fill a field. This leads us to cost and safety. People love nitro racing. Unlimited cost is showing us that it perhaps doesn’t provide the best drag racing. This seems to be a virus with no cure. Nostalgia dragsters have the same fatal virus, hence all the new Nostalgia Floppers. Mr. Force’s body is the perfect example of cost out of control. He has the best parts someone else’s money can buy. I can’t blame John, as long as a sponsor wants to give me the money to purchase 50K bodies, I would have a few myself.
 
We need to lower the buy in of this poker game, so more people can play. I would drive to Denver to see Pulde’s War Eagle and that group run any day. Hence the annual trip to Bakersfield. A 5.50 – 6.0 fuel show will pack the stands. I want to see 38 cars trying to fill a 16-car field. That is why I would be there on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Wheel standers and jet cars wouldn’t be needed if there was A/Gas, Junior Fuel, Pro Fuel 1, 2 and 3, and Top Alcohol. Let the Stock, SP, SG, and all the other classes race at the Divisionals. Jok can’t tell me he has any fun sitting around for hour upon hour waiting to race at a national or divisional race. Heck, I would even consider building a Junior Fuel car if I had a place to run it. It just seems like a snowball headed for hell to me.

Earl Helm
Salt Lake City, Utah