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What’s a sportsman to do?

Jeff: Your recent editorial hit the nail on the head. As an NHRA and IHRA national and divisional event competitor, IHRA has been "sliding downhill" since Bill Bader left. It's very obvious Aaron Polburn isn't up to the task. And it seems that NHRA continues to "milk" the sportsman for all our worth. The idea that they are "subsidizing" us is a blatant and outright lie.

Competition in motorsports is needed, and IHRA's lackluster programs surely aren't giving NHRA anything to worry about. Unfortunately, I don't see it getting better anytime soon.

Jim Kaekel, Jr.
Watervliet, Michigan

Blamin’ Bader

In regards to your latest editorial and critique of IHRA, let's put the blame where it belongs -- not with Feld Entertainment or current IHRA management (flawed as they may be) -- but with Bill Bader, who made IHRA a very nice, very small, very unimaginative little business. Yes, it turned a profit, but under his tenure, the credibility gap between IHRA and NHRA expanded to the point where IHRA top fuel was in its own sub-universe and IHRA fuel funny cars were a thing of the past.

Let's not forget his astonishing comment that, "We've got funny cars, but ours run on alcohol." Possibly the single most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard -- and I like alcohol funny cars!

Polburn and Co. inherited an IHRA with a single, severely depleted fuel class, but still went ahead and brought back the fuel flops, even if it didn't last forever.

If you want to lay blame for IHRA's current state, look back to the days when IHRA attracted (or paid) NHRA's biggest stars (it pretty much goes without saying that the fuel categories are the public face of drag racing) and then look at when that changed -- for IHRA, the Bader years did it in. 

David Hapgood
Portland, Oregon

A little ‘Bush’ support

Agent, RE: 'Monster Jam' meets 'Nitro Jam'...

Having Mr. Feld at the helm of IHRA makes about as much sense as having 'Brownie' at the helm of FEMA. "You're doing a heck of a job, Feld."

Arnie Hauswald
Houston, Texas, USA