NHRA SOLD?now what ..

You are correct hotrodA...there "was" a story in the paper (and online) about Bruton "wanting" NHRA. Let me know tomorrow if there is another write up about his "acquisition." Bruton has tons of money, but sometimes you can't have everything you want.

This rumor is only a rumor until it is proved otherwise.

 

N= NO
H= HOT
R= RODS
A= ALLOWED

any questions

 

My driveway is 1750' long, I race my dogs up and down it every day...do you think he would want to buy that?!

 

Rumor has it George Steinbrener bought NHRA.....

 

Wake me when this one is over.

 

Just to get this out of the way first, I'm not "taking" Smith's side on this. BUT.......... when he bought Bristol the plan was to raze the tower and pave the Dragstrip and make more parking for the Nascar race.
The dragstrip had become a complete mess, not to piss off the Carrier($$$) family who owned it but damn, spend a little money on it.(Hell I even sponser wall signs at our local track in Newport TN).
It had a IHRA(best thing it had) event here and there, the place was on its way to ruin and falling apart.
Smith and the NHRA folks had a few meetings on what it "could" be.
Then you heard "he will ruin it anyway."
Next thing you know.............WOW! Have you seen the track lately? I have wanted to run on that track since the 70s and now during the summer months they host run what you got nights (sometimes 2 nights a week)which is cool as hell on the track now. I have run bikes, cars and one "Redneck tubbed S-10", everything shows up.
I don't know "if" he can buy it(non-profit,buy the Red Cross?)but I was told the NHRA were VERY VERY happy with the way Bristol worked out.hmmmm.
Don't know his plans but the man knows how to make a buck and he sure as hell saved THUNDER VALLEY and for that I'm glad.



And whoever said that about the Vegas track (4 lanes) I heard that also.

 

Scooter, it wouldn't surprise me the museum didn't know what's going on. There was just a good article about the board of directors being in an uproar. Think they voted Wally out, if I remember it right. Had something to do with him promising in his will to donate megamillions to the museum. The board didn't want to wait, they wanted it NOW.

 

I would think the four lane thing might allow racing to continue while there was an oil-down or debris on the other track. Might speed up the show with faster starts, and shorter down times between races. Kind of a two ring circus. I'm not a Bruton Smith fan but he can build/rebuild a race track.

 

That was the reason I heard for it also, for TV time.
John

 

NO wonder it was so difficult trying to sneak into the drags last weekend...

 

As someones signature stated on the HAMB.
The road behind my house has no sanctioning body.
But I do race Div 3 super street and et series and sometimes it seems the sportsman racer gets the short end, if this rumor is true I hope it doesnt get worse.
Later Shoe

 

I'm not saying it can't happen, but I'm on several drag racing lists and this is the only place I've seen ANYTHING about a NHRA sales. How do you buy a non-profit organization?
It doesn't really matter to me cuz dragracing should be a participant sport, not a spectator sport. Stuff like the HAMB drags and local races are a lot more interesting than a national meet to me.

 

Kids, when I said this rumor started on April 1st, I was tellin' ya that April 1st is APRIL FOOLS DAY and the kooks at DRO was pullin' your leg. NHRA is a non profit and as long as Wally is alive it ain't selling. If I was the moderator, I'd lock this thread before word gets out what a bunch of FISH hang out here.

;-)

 

If nhra is ever sold it won't effect anybody here unless they race a sportsman or pro car at National events. The only effect an nhra sanction has on a local track are safety and insurance requirements and the sanction fee. Ihra safety rules are essentially the same as nhra.

At least in this part of the country, there is plenty of drag racing going on that has nothing to do with nhra. The $10,000 10.5 race that happens every weekend is going to continue regardless of what does or doesn't happen between B. Smith and Glendora. I expect it's the same story out west and up north.

Four lane drag racing has been done on both coasts. It's not new but it can be entertaining. Running on 2 lanes while the 2 adjacent lanes are being prepped isn't going to happen. Regardless of sanction, cars aren't going to race at 300 mph while safety crews are on the track.

A not-for-profit company like nhra still works at making a profit. That's the only way they can stay in business. They just don't pay taxes. If the company changes hands there will be tax consequenses.

If you run a top fuel car these rumours might be worth your attention. If not,
just continue doing what you've been doing.

 

It supposedly will be annouced at Bristol. Don't think that Bruton Smith will ruin NHRA. He owns several Drag tracks and Nascar tracks.

The thing that drives this home to me is the Pro-Stock truck owners assn. has been sueing NHRA for years over the dropping of the class.
It was just announced that the suit had been settled,I was told that no-one would buy a business with a law-suit pending so NHRA had to settle to make way for the sale.
Remember NHRA owns several tracks also and Bruton Smith will have something like 7 drag tracks if this goes thru .
When they tried to take away one of the NHRA Vegas events years ago he threatened to start his own Racing organization and that would leave NHRA with several holes in their schedule,So he has been able to keep NHRA steppin' and fetchin.
IHRA is no better , they are owned by Clear Channel and are the Red-Headed step child of there programing and scheduling.

As far as Non-profit goes, this only menas that at the end of the year all the extra $ will be paid out in bonus's to the NHRA big wheels.They don't have stockholders so most of the disclouser stuff doesn't apply.

Nothing stays the same fellas,don't let it ruin your day.

 

Yes it may not effect alot of people but,IRP is owned and operated by NHRA and also Gateway intl,National trail .So it would probl effect me.Thats three tracks in my div.I think in these parts most of the quality tracks are nhra sanctioned if they are not they are outlaw tracks race at your own risk.However there are some really good non sanctioned tracks that are better than some nhra.

I was at one of the outlaw tracks one time as a spectator and a car lost control and flipped.The 2 people who where working the starting line area took off running for the ambulance.Hit the key and the battery was dead.The track had their own ambulance to save money on hiring a real service I suppose.The person in in the car did nor have serious injury or this could have turned bad real quick.Yes I do believe NHRA doesnt always take the right course for the sportsman racer but can rest assured that your saftey does appear to be highly ranked while at one of their tracks and this is good to know if your a racer.I think that if NHRA is sold you will see it effect the grass roots racers such as myself.We will just have to wait and see good or bad.
Plus this is all purley speculation at this point so its a useless point till its announced.
Later Shoe

 

The quality tracks are run by quality people and vice versa. Changing the letters on the sign won't make much of a difference. The sanctioning body owned tracks are among the elite facilities. The format of their national events might change with a new sanction, but I just can't see much a detrimental change happening with the weekly programs. The local nhra owned track runs a similar schedule as the Indy and Vegas tracks. Mopar Day, Super Chevy, NSCA all run their races at these tracks. That won't change because they are successful events, and the tracks want them there no matter who owns the sanctioning body

 

Just searched LexisNexis and some other places--doesn't look like anything visible is happening with NHRA.
Drama and soap opera is the future of public racing--I think the WWF is the model that will be followed. Heros in white hats, villains with lipstick and black hats, fake drama before the fake runoff...
We see this developing in NASCAR and on American hot rod already. Racing for amateur participants will have to be a wholly separate enterprise in the future...nothing is on right now, but I fully believe that NHRA will someday soon look just like NASCAR.
And what about Primedia's acquisition of HAMB?? Thank goodness I made THAT up.

 

Smith didn't build or rebuild the Vegas Speedway. He bought it.
He has added seating and sold the complex my shop is in since buying it.
He is a good promoter.

The Vegas Speedway was built by my old boss Richie Cline using Ralph Englestat (Imperial Palace) and Bill Bennet's (Sahara Hotel) money to do it.

Richie was fond of saying " I took two billionares and made millionares out of them" while it was being built.

 

Some of you guys are spreading rumors like a bunch old wash woman at the line. NHRA says no sale. Maybe there will be one soon, who knows. Stop the doom and gloom crap till we see it all work out. If Bruton Smith does get it there will definitly be changes. Have you seen the Nascar Tracks he has built or owned. Top Notch. Go to Charlotte. Thats a nice place. If he sticks it to the sportsmen guys like most of us I think IHRA's phone will be ringing of the wall. It will not be the end of Drag racing. Keep your fingers crossed. I do not know Wally Parks but I get the feeling he will not sell the NHRA to a circus type of guy, of course hugh amounts of money will make even the most ethical gut wander. My 2 cents for what it's worth.....Kidd

 

It was Common knowledge that Larry carrier really didn't like NASCAR very much...what he DID like was the $$$ that rolled in....

 

All this DRAMA is sure to wreck the April FOOLS joke that started this rumor. April FOOLS jokes aren't supposed to last into the end of the month.

cp

Get a damned clue, kiddies.

 

If it means me seeing one less FUNNY CAR- so be it .
I havent seen real human beings drag racing their own cars since HAMB DRAGS '04.............

 

I'm glad i only posted to this thread once already....aw SHIT this makes it twice then DOH!

 

Hey wasn't Blackie Gejian doing that at Raisin City back in the 50's. I saw a HotRod mag article a few months back about old tracks and there was a pick of 4 slingshots smokin the tires with no guard rails in between. YIKES! Didn't those guys get pretty squirrely back then?

 

Maybe we'll see an influx of new dragstrips. Dragstrips along with a new racing organization, one that is more "run whutcha brung, average Joe" friendly. Things will be really cool, the new organization will become more and more successful and, guess what?! Hey, it's only natural for the big "players" to follow the money.
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SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY at the Walllmart Super Dragway, Akbar the Butch'r vs. The Bone Crusher!! Come see all the slap-down grudge races, bring your camera-phone!

 

I never said Smith built or rebuilt Vegas, I said he's good at rehabing race facilities. He seems to pick larger tracks as his ego won't fit in a small one.