WIN-WIN SITUATION
The Pro Stock teams accomplished their goal here. Nobody in contention to win the championship showed, saving all the teams the expense of traveling to another country. I don't think their intention was to get a raise in purse; they're just trying to hang on. NASCAR has lost one major team car with Ganassi parking the number 40 car and DEI is on the ropes.
It is time to adjust. I think everybody benefited; the race saved the purse, most of the Pro Stock racers avoided a 5,000 mile journey and the fans got to see Nitro Harleys.
Steve Earwood
ADRL HAS THE RIGHT PLAN
Jeff, you have a fabulous online magazine...
I think it could be too early to see if the IHRA boycott did any good for the racers. Will they pull it off again? As much as I have hated NHRA for 40 years, I hate to say the IHRA is not much of a challenge. No crowds, etc... The AHRA was a serious deal to NHRA in the day. You know yourself from the great events held at SLIR.
Anyway, I see the ADRL is a great challenge to Mr. Compton. They have a refreshing way to go to market. Let them take on the IHRA Pro Stockers. There would be a place to race, with packed crowds, and much more chance of obtaining more sponsors. The ADRL should create two Sportsman heads up eliminations (equal to 9.90 and 11.90 in 1/4) also... let it be a 32-car field, so move quick! Three new eliminators, packed houses...
Let’s give Wally’s world a fight! Wally already used up all of the deposit checks, let the rest of the boys make some money!
Donald A Spencer
Houston, Texas
TOO FAR TO GO?
I know I'm pushing it with two letters in one week, but this will be a quickie. Jeff, I think you may have missed the point of the IHRA Pro Stock boycott. I'm not involved, but it seems the Pro Stock boys were simply trying to tell the IHRA they were not going to travel to a race that far away. Since only one car showed up, sounds like the boycott was a complete success! There may be no way economically that the IHRA can pay enough incentives to take racers that far from home. To me the boycott told the IHRA “that's fine, go ahead and have the race - we just aren't going to be there”.
Maybe if the other pro classes had done the same thing, the IHRA would not be scheduling races at the other end of the universe. I think the Pro Stock guys got their point across crystal clear.
Ron Tursovsky
Reading, Pennsylvania
PRO STOCKS = SLOW PRO MODS
I was at the race in Edmonton this year, as I and many friends and family have been to every RMN's: 15-20 people, motor home section, 1000' mark, so we see it all. I am also a Pro Stock fan (IHRA, FIA, NHRA), so, yes, I was upset. But after that display I have no respect for them.
The funny thing is, this was probably the worst race for them to do it at. Because this race is only a few years old, there hasn't been much time to build up a fan base. To the average spectator, they look like slow nitrous Pro Mods. It didn't look like anybody missed them. Good way to get IHRA to find class sponsors.
As far as attendance goes, advance tickets were up 20% over last year and if you look at the photo galleries (speedzonemagazine, dragracecanada) when it wasn't raining the fans were there.
Bottom line is this is supposedly their most successful race of the year, so I don't think they'll give it up.
Re: ban the blower. When I first read this, I thought crazy idea. But the more I thought about it the more sense it made. Other possible benefits could be reduced fuel usage, less chance of cutting tires from exploding blowers, and in the funny cars, fewer blown off bodies, smaller fires and not so many parts landing in the drivers lap.
And maybe the big one: could you actually cycle them through quicker???
Eldon Pohl
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada