with the price of fuel I will never make it out to the left coast
if you were a real racer...
As consumers we get screwed lots of ways. Whether it's the tax structure, or a building permit, or the cost of deisel fuel vs gas, we get hammered. Secondly, it's not fair to say someone is a real racer except that person and his peers. I've been in this game for 25 years and remember when I started people would say how bad NHRA was and political BS a person had to endure to race. And it's gotten worse. As much this sport costs, it doesn't make much sense to whine about the cost of belts, or re-certs in general. But to some, like me, it's just the principal . And no doubt, some of this safety stuff is needed. If the NHRA didn't take such advantage of the sportsman racer, actually paid some decent prize money, didn't expect us to pay more so a few at the top could live like kings, this debate wouldn't be so intense. I am and have always been a fan and that's what made me want to race. It's been hard the last 3 years to be able to compete at the level I have, but that's my choice, and unlike many, I pay cash for my racing "Jones". It would be nice if NHRA got back to what racing is all about for the racer, and IMO that's to compete at the highest level a person can afford. If they keep making that goal harder to attain, they will become extinct. I hope not, but it's up to them and us. Rant over!
We race in the PSCA. The second day that the news broke that we were going with the BAE hemi/alcohol the rule that added 100 pounds for an inner cooler evaporated. We fought the head of PSCA for 2 years to convince him that this rule sucked but to no avail until we took ours off. Because of this we have to carry an addition 100 pounds over what we figured our combo had to weigh. Nitrous Outlaw cars were allowed to remove 175 pounds. When we ran nitrous he wouldn't budge an inch. He allows tube chassis cars. Ours is a real Outlaw backhalf. He allows non steel roofs-another thing that goes against the real Outlaw idea. And on and on. Rules suck but the only way around them is to find another hobby.
