What is SPORTSMAN CLASS ????

Here we go ago again!!!! Another Sportsman National without the top sportsman class. Good move NHRA.

 

Will,
Its just the fact that they are doing this. Remember what they said about No Problem last year. They said they were just trying the race out but would prob. include TAD this year. Don't hold your breath. There are some really ticked off racers in this class and that includes some heavy hitters who may hang it up. Guess NHRA finally may achieve their goal for this class.
LOWER CAR COUNTS AT NATIONAL EVENTS.
Merry Christmas.
Are you going to be at home for the holidays?

 

Sure, I can always eat. I'll even buy!
Give me a call when you get home.

 

Nitrohawk what I dont understand about your post is top sportsman is primarily an IHRA sportsman class (I thought anyway) so why would it be included at and NHRA sportsman event. (I havent been keeping up with the class so if it has been adopted by NHRA I havent been paying attention) I know in some areas the track owners have run the class at NHRA divisional events in the past but is this now an official class?

 

Hey Nick, I think nitrohawk was referring to THE top sportsman classes in NHRA,{tafc,tad} not top sportsman in IHRA. Are you coming back to N.H. for christmas? If not have a Merry christmas and a happy new year. David Beard

 

I suppose the question is: Would the alky guys rather be bottom of the totem pole at the big show, or the headliners at a Sportsman nationals.
A Sportsman Nationals with alky cars sounds like a divisional race to me.

The day may come when Sportman Nationals may be the only national events they are allowed to run.
Which side of the fence would you want to be on?

 

We were just discussing this whole thing here at work. The biggest conflict is that the race is the same weekend as the Sonoma National Event.
If this race is supposed to be a "major" National Event, how can they have two "national" events the same weekend?
If a company like ours is going to send people to a race, do we go to a National event that is a "National Event" or a National Event that is nothing more than a "Divisional Event"?
IHRA has a National event in Cayuga also. The following weekend there is no conflicting races. Confused yet.
And, who owns National Trail Raceway?

Raise your hand if you remember when the "Sports Nationals" at Beech Bend was a must go to event for any sportsman guy in the country. Now that was a real race for sportsman.

Oh well. I'll go back to drinking my egg nog....................

 

Now for the "rest of the story". Last year they had a reincarnation fo the Sportsman Nationals held at Bell Rose LA which is called NO Problem Raceway. The race was highly publisized by NHRA.
Now this is a very good racetrack and is long enough and safe enough to run TAD & TAFC's on.
It is a great location as it is situated 1/2 way between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. I don't believe there was any competing National event.
The div. 4 race prior to this event had about 23 TAD's entered. We were told that these classes would not run because it would increase the purse to much. However they then went out and hired in a top fuel car, jet cars, pro mods, and pro stockers so they would have some fast cars to advertise in the major markets. They also said if successful the class would be included in the future.
Like I said "here we go again". There are a lot of racers in every class that spend ungodly amounts of $$$ so how much you spend has no bearing on wheather you are pro or sportsman. Performance also has no bearing as the TAD is the third fastest NHRA class. The problem is that it seems the class is to fast and quick to be included with the sportsman class as NHRA has designated or to costly even with the meager purses offered. NHRA

 

T. Howell raises a good point. Do we want to be the top cars at the sportsman nationals which will probably have a spectator count similar to a divisional. Also if you consider that tracks who host nationals and divisionals have evne lower spectator counts at the divisionals, Columbus wil not be a big draw. If we are looking to bring sponsors into the class than we are better served to be at the big show with the large spectator count and the TV coverage. Think for a minute if NHRA is going to go live TV they will need enough cars to fill the time. I would throw out that there is a chance alcohol could be in the mix on the national side. It is a better filler than dai in cars because people understand it, and the association of alcohol cars to fuel cars is much like Busch to Nascar. So al that I would rather be at the big show, running with the big boys, and have an opportunity to get some $$$, which frankly we all need to run these beasts. Merry Christmas.

 

A couple of years back Gainsville's pits were swamped from rain. NHRA sent most of the sportman cars to Orlando to compete. TAD, TAFC, and (maybe) Comp stayed at Gainsville. (Did comp go to Orlando? Anybody recall?)
The show went smooth, I think NHRA liked what they saw. The next year they reimplimented a "Sportsman Nationals". Now, next year there are two. Could more be coming?

Merry Christmas all.

 

I think maybe I am not a very good commuicator. This race at No Problem in 2004 all contestants received national points. The purse would have been the same as national event. There was a big spread in ND and NHRA website and I believe ESPN had it on TV. It is not a question of weather you had rather run a national event or not. I was not there but was told the spectator count was good. They have the best spectator count of all races in div. 4. The question is why would you have a Sportsman National without the two top classes.
Should be the racers option to deside if the benefits of running this race are important enough to be there. I think it is a given that sponsors and manufacturers think the winner is important enough to spend their advertising dollars on. When you look at the car counts at some nationals it certainly would have attracted more intrants as there would surely drop the limit that NHRA imposes at a national event. It would also give racers in the south and eastern part of the country another race to compete for national points. Enough said I will get off my soap box and thanks for enduring my ramblings.
Hopefully No Problem and NHRA will include the class this year. They are good people with an excellent race track.

 

i myself am happy that columbus is no longer one of our races, i really like the fact that we can go to joilet twice.??? the track and the facilitys are a heck of lot nicer at joilet so i like the move.