NHRA Increases Membership Fees

Update 1 July 2009:

Well sports fans, the other shoe has dropped !  Last year to renew my competition number it was $25.  This year it is $50 for one year.  Couple that with the membership fee of $69 – required for a competition number – it now costs $119 annually to have a NHRA competition number. Few of you probably remember the days when a NHRA competition number was a minimal fee, with no membership required !

Sorry, but I just don’t believe the NHRA is subsidizing the Sportsman racer to keep our local bracket racing program going. In fact I believe it is the Sportsman racer that is keeping NHRA afloat through these tough economic times!
 
Roger Young

18 Mar 2009: I just got my NHRA membership renewal, and those fees have increased from $64 in 2008, to $69 today.

So much for NHRA holding down the costs to their members. While five bucks doesn’t sound like much, it is over a 7% increase for being allowed to be a member of NHRA.  Multiply that by the thousands of members across the nation and that is a significant amount of revenue to NHRA, provided their membership hasn’t been shrinking.

Your thoughts?

Roger Young

NHRA announces changes to competition fees NHRA – 8 Apr 09
We attempted to warn you on March 18th, now its official, they are raising fees across the board! – Roger Young

Reply from NHRA:

27 Apr 09

We appreciate your email and acknowledge your disappointment in the recent announcement. NHRA has seen a dramatic increase in legal costs, insurance costs, and operational costs over the last decade, yet most of these fees have not been raised in more than a decade. NHRA has made every effort to keep fees flat, despite these rising costs. Because of our commitment to sportsman racing, NHRA has funded these rising costs all these years but must pass a portion of these costs on to the sportsman racers.

We assure you that it was a very difficult decision to raise these fees. In most cases, it represents a $60 annual increase for an individual racer. When amortized over the length of an average schedule, the increase only equates to a few dollars more per event. We understand the economic times we are in as it has a direct impact on all areas of NHRA’s business and, as a result, led to the need to increase fees. These increases will assist us in being able to continue to provide premier racing programs at the national, divisional and local level. In addition, the recent profitability of the organization will allow NHRA to weather the economy we are currently faced with.

Again, we appreciate your note and wanted you to know that it was read and acknowledged.

Jerry Archambeault

NHRA

Related articles:

Up Front: The Mess That Is The National Hot Rod Association by Jon Asher – Torco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – August 24, 2009

“…Despite a very obvious decline in Sportsman entries at the national events as well as some Lucas Oil points meets, the NHRA further endeared themselves to their base by announcing an increase in fees for those classes in early April of this year.  That produced a firestorm of anger, which was dutifully reported by this and other publications – and completely ignored by the NHRA.  It would have been humorous had the increases not been so ill-conceived and poorly timed.  It was as if the organization was saying, ‘We giveth with the right hand, and taketh away with the left.’  In other words, we’ll provide some discount tickets to the national events (which we applaud the organization for having done), but make up for those losses by forcing our most loyal customers to make up the difference.  If anyone doubts that, despite public pronouncements to the contrary, NHRA’s management doesn’t sometimes operate under the unspoken concept of ‘We can do anything we want to the Sportsman because they’re not only powerless, they’ll do anything to race,’ you simply haven’t been paying attention.  Some Sportsman are fighting back the only way they can – be declining to enter NHRA national events…”

About Roger

Driver of our '57 Chev from 1972-2019, Vietnam veteran (A Troop, 3/17th Air Cavalry Scout helicopter Line Chief and later Cobra Periodic Inspection team leader), retired ASE rated automotive mechanic. Roger became involved in drag racing during his high school days and after his stint in the Army ran E & F/MP [Modified Production] here in Division 6 before switching to bracket racing when the '57 became obsolete for class racing. He often raced at Puyallup, Kent-Pacific Raceways, Bremerton, Portland & the original Mission, B.C. track.
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15 Responses to NHRA Increases Membership Fees

  1. Butch says:

    NHRA doesnt care about the sportsman level racers in my opinion, they are just a filler while the fuel cars and Pro cars are getting ready for the following round

  2. Roger Young says:

    I’m afraid Butch is correct. Some years back the finals of each Sportsman category were featured in the national event television coverage. No more!

  3. Butch says:

    If all sportsman racers and NHRA members who dont race NHRA but do join NHRA went on strike it would take away big money from NHRA and make them see the Sportsman ranks do more than they think they do
    Too bad we cant come up with a sportsman racer web site that is like a union,, That would force NHRA to care for the sportsman racers more then there may be some more sponsorship dollars for sportsman racers such as Super Stock and other class cars will not be gone like Pro Stock Truck etc

  4. Roger Young says:

    Butch, if memory serves me correctly, the Modified Eliminator guys tried that tactic because they were being paid less prize money than Super Stock.
    Guess what? NHRA retaliated and folded much of Modified into Super Stock and it didn’t work out well for anyone. But I see your point!

  5. Roger Young says:

    Raising the membership fees was not enough. Now NHRA has announced that competition fees, including your “permanent” number, are increasing across the board! Then give us lip service on how much they care about the Sportsman racer.
    At my age, perhaps I’ll just retire the ’57 and go fishing…

  6. Roger Young says:

    To: nhra@nhra.com
    Sent: 4/9/2009 11:49:10 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
    Subj: Competition/Membership Fee Increase
    Mr. Compton,
    It is difficult to stomach the increased mermbership/competition/ETI/permanent number increases in fees considering these tough economic times.
    NHRA made a substantial profit last year yet you decide to increase fees which will impact the entire Sportsman brackets.
    I fail to understand the reasoning or timing.
    Roger Young
    Seattle, WA.
    #6035

  7. Butch says:

    Roger,
    I agree, In these times we have i have seen $5 make a difference on purchases with people.
    Raising fee’s right now in my opinion is a bad mistake because it could cost the racer $25 more as an estimate (i dont think im too far off)
    They are also in the battle with race fuel prices and gas prices for travel.
    I think NHRA raised the fee because the FEE is TOO HIGH in the first place thus many people cant spend it in this economy so they are jacking it up on the ones who are already locked in to make up for the past who cant pay to join this year

  8. Roger Young says:

    I find the following within the NHRA statement hard to swallow:
    “…It should be noted that these fees, even as increased, do not cover the costs for Sportsman programs. NHRA will continue to subsidize costs to provide these programs. NHRA remains committed to Sportsman racing, and these increases will assist us in being able to continue to provide premier racing programs at the national, divisional, and local level.”
    We’re to believe that 64 Pro Cars are subsidizing the Sportsman categories? I DOUBT THAT! My guess is there are three main reasons for these across the board increases:
    1) Insurance has probably escalated because of the injuries/deaths in the Pro categories and the quicker Sportsman categories.
    2) Advertising in National Dragster appears to be down during these tough economic times.
    3) And as Butch indicated, there are probably fewer racers renewing their memberships.
    Of course this is all pure speculation on my part. But why did NHRA wait to announce these increases after the 2009 season was already underway?

  9. Paul Young says:

    Hey guys,
    I agree with you Dad why did they wait until the season was underway? Also, they indeed made a profit last year but remember some of the NHRA employees supposedly took a pay cut but who will truly verify that?

  10. Paul Young says:

    Dan Fletcher says: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so offended by anything in my life. Obviously, the fee increases won’t stop anyone from racing, but it’s the principle of the matter. We’re all struggling to just hang in there and they raise the price to participate. And then offer some BS excuse that doesn’t even come close to making sense. And then tell us how they’re really still doing us a favor. Thank God we aren’t all drinking in a bar together. It could get rather ugly.
    It’s amazing. Their business, like most any other business, isn’t doing as well as they’d like in this economy. But why isn’t it doing as well? Because people, both racers and fans, don’t have money to spend. But it’s like the friggin’ government. They raise the costs for those that are still there. How much more can the “taxpayers” bear?
    Believe me, Fletchburger understands fiscal responsibility. They have us print our own tickets, we no longer get medals when we win, they cut their payroll by 10%, they cut the amount of staff at events and fuel prices are currently surpressed (bonus) But then to raise the entry fee by 8% and DOUBLE other associated fees?
    Our “payout” was already cut severely with the tremendous drop off in contingency postings. Our cost was already raised when crew member tickets went to $85 per event. If they want to have totally pissed off customers, they certainly are off to a good start
    I don’t have any choice in the matter. They’ve got me over a barrel. This is how I pay the bills and there aren’t enough IHRA events for me to make ends meet. Most all of you have a choice. But let me say this…if everyone wants to collectively skip one event in protest (allow me to suggest Indy), I’m in.
    I don’t know to whom I’ll be writing a seething email to, but someone will be getting one today.
    And they don’t even sell us a tangible product for Christ’s sake! OMG!!!!!!!!!!
    __________________
    Dan Fletcher 1781 STK, SS, COMP, SG, SC”

  11. Roger Young says:

    Paul,
    Thanks for posting the comments from Dan Fletcher. He’s right on the mark!!!
    I’m still waiting to hear from from NHRA President, Tom Compton. But that will unlikely happen.
    And who knows why they picked this time to raise their fees? AFTER the season was underway!

  12. Roger Young says:

    Guys, you might want to read the article by Jeff Burk at:
    http://www.dragracingonline.com/burksblast/xi_4-1.html
    Jeff touches on some aspects about the statement released by NHRA we haven’t covered here regarding NHRA “subsidizing” Sportsman racers. Here’s the key points Mr. Burk makes:
    “…I suspect that most of the people working on Tom Compton’s management team are bright, college-educated professionals. However, they must think the NHRA members are a bunch of morons that can’t do basic math.
    “The NHRA has cut their operating cost by cutting the payroll 10 percent. They’ve cut travel, the number of staff at the races, and they released Don Taylor from his job in the tech department, saving that salary. Yet with the cuts in expenses and the revenue generated from the competitors, and sponsors the NHRA says they still have to dip into the general fund to support the sportsman division. Evidently when they sold the title rights for the sportsman series to Lucas Oil they didn’t get enough to fund the program.
    “So now they are going to make the racers pay more for everything to race with the NHRA to make up the sanctioning body’s cash shortfall. All of this despite the fact that there apparently are fewer and fewer sportsman racers at national and divisional meets.
    “The strange thing about this situation is that the NHRA, for at least the last 10 years, has made it harder and harder for sportsman racers to compete at national events. They’ve raised the number of grade points required and cut back the number of sportsman classes at many events. And now they say the sportsman program isn’t supporting itself and their solution is to make the racers they do have support the program by paying even more to race. Brilliant.
    “What really steams me about this whole deal is that for years the current NHRA management has spent money hand over fist building new towers, new track buildings, VIP seating, hiring more high-powered marketing firms, adding VP positions and increasing salaries for their executives. I’m damned if I can see the benefits from any of that to their rank and file ‘members’.
    “Even as the NHRA announced this increase costs for the sportsman racers to compete because of a shortfall of revenue, they also announced on the NHRA website they were adding expensive permanent seating to Indy. Great timing and PR, guys. Maybe NHRA could have forgone the expense of the new seating and cut their sportsman racers a little slack.”

  13. Roger Young says:

    27 Apr 09 from NHRA:
    We appreciate your email and acknowledge your disappointment in the recent announcement. NHRA has seen a dramatic increase in legal costs, insurance costs, and operational costs over the last decade, yet most of these fees have not been raised in more than a decade. NHRA has made every effort to keep fees flat, despite these rising costs. Because of our commitment to sportsman racing, NHRA has funded these rising costs all these years but must pass a portion of these costs on to the sportsman racers.
    We assure you that it was a very difficult decision to raise these fees. In most cases, it represents a $60 annual increase for an individual racer. When amortized over the length of an average schedule, the increase only equates to a few dollars more per event. We understand the economic times we are in as it has a direct impact on all areas of NHRA’s business and, as a result, led to the need to increase fees. These increases will assist us in being able to continue to provide premier racing programs at the national, divisional and local level. In addition, the recent profitability of the organization will allow NHRA to weather the economy we are currently faced with.
    Again, we appreciate your note and wanted you to know that it was read and acknowledged.
    Jerry Archambeault
    NHRA

  14. Butch says:

    QUOTE When amortized over the length of an average schedule, the increase only equates to a few dollars more per event.
    My Thoughts,,,
    If its only a few dollars more per event why charge it ?
    $1 more when you have 10,000 members = $10,000 so why dont the top dogs in NHRA just take a $100 cut each per year ?

  15. Nick Kupinski says:

    i think you are 100 percent right sportsman class is being stonewalled . they should boycot all events until they are treated equal compititors in this great sport. ps. i,m a vet also 6/37 mec.

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