SOME ANSWERS
Burk wrote: Can someone explain to me in simple terms why NHRA hasn't adjusted the indexes so that cars don’t have to run a second and a half under the index to qualify?
...or rather, why don't they police the rules so that people don't have to cheat to go that fast and “keep up with the Jones”? There's a big difference between what's legal and what "passes" teardown. Truly legal cars that are factored properly cannot run a second under. Some call it the "grey area" of the rulebook. Some call it "legal cheating". "Everybody's doing it."
Burk wrote: Well, in my opinion, if you want to be part of the pro show on Saturday or
Sunday and get your sponsors some ink like the pros then you should be held to the same standards they are.
The ink is nowhere near the same, the oil-down penalties are not the same, Sportsmen and their crew pay entry fees, and they pay for the Pros insurance. (If the insurance surcharge wasn't due to the Pros, then why is there no such charge at non-National events?) Equality doesn't enter into it!
Spill your drink accidentally at McDonald's and see if they charge you $25 to mop it up. And if they did, would you go back?
Then again, the argument is simply a matter of principal to me. I voted with me feet years ago - I run IHRA.
Always enjoy your column!
Michael Beard
Seagrove, NC
DOUBLE STANDARD
Regarding oil-down fines for sportsman, you say we can't have it both ways. Well, NHRA don’t treat us like pros in any other way: we pay entry fees, pro's don't; pro's get 1 free oil-down, we don't. There is a difference between pro and sportsman.
Darrell Steiger
Indianapolis
BIG MONEY
Ya know, I LOVE Ashley Force. She's a hottie, but like anything, too much is just too much. Let the kid learn to drive the car. Give her 10 seconds to collect herself before sticking a mic or a camera up her posterior. She waffled another body. That’s not news. She’s done that a few times before. How about giving some air time to the WINNER of the round?
Burkart is looking for a sponsor. A long time friend and Kia auto dealer ponied up for that race. There’s a bit of a story there. Is it because Toyota is throwing cash into the ring, that NHRA was basically muting Burkart’s advancements?
NHRA is losing ground every day. That’s OK, so is NASCAR. You protect the Big Money, and the Little Money will never give you the Big Money.
Jeff Parker
Syracuse, NY
CHECKING THE PERCENTAGES
For clarification: As to imports vs. American cars, the way I understand it, 74% of the parts on an import come from outside the country while 44% of the parts on an American car are imported. Also, labor is a small part of the overall cost of a car, so assembled in the USA doesn't quite have the same impact. Finally, the profits on an import car go to a company from outside the USA.
Tom Ales
Larsen, WI
