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Sanctioning
Body Affiliation
Recently,
there has been a lot of buzz in the world of drag racing with regards to
sanctioning bodies. With some tracks switching sanction and others having
their sanctioning removed for violations, maybe it’s time to get a
definitive answer regarding what it means to have a sanctioned race track.
Today,
the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the International Hot Rod
Association (IHRA) are the two largest sanctioning bodies in drag racing.
The IHRA sanctions approximately 100 tracks while the NHRA sanctions
nearly 140 tracks. Both organizations sanction tracks in the United States
and Canada. The IHRA also has tracks in Aruba and Australia, truly living
up to its “International” name. The
first thing that many drag racing fans think of when looking at a race
track is whether it is under the IHRA or the NHRA banner. It is important
to note that each body sanctions far more tracks than just those that host
national events. Those are the “halo tracks” as they provide the
highest amount of visibility for each of the organizations and also carry
a lot of weight about fans’ and racers’ opinion of the organization as
a whole. That’s why there is such a storm when one of the national event
facilities from either organization decides to switch to the other. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Let’s
start by looking at what being a member of the NHRA organization means to
a non-national event facility, taking for granted that it is understood a
member track of either organization is required to follow that sanctioning
body’s rule book.
In
order to get the best look into this situation, we contacted Len Imbrogno,
the NHRA’s Director of Sportsman Racing and Member Tracks. In this
position Imbrogno is responsible for working with the member tracks at all
levels to help them run successfully and represent the organization well.
According to Imbrogno, the first step in becoming a sanctioned track does
not even directly involve the NHRA. “The first thing that has to happen
is that the facility must meet insurance guidelines,” he said. “We do
not have any say in safety matters at all. The insurance company is
responsible for that. Even if someone is building a brand new facility we
really cannot advise them on a lot of things. Again, the insurance company
has guidelines that must be followed.” a
d v e r t i s e m e n t
According
to Imbrogno the major responsibility of the sanctioning body is to insure
that the benefits of being a member track outweigh the cost of joining.
“To us, it’s all about value,” he said. “We can provide a lot of
support in the areas of event marketing and we provide numerous programs
for local tracks to use. For example, we developed several programs during
the NHRA’s 50th anniversary season that were designed to
allow all of our tracks join in the celebration. Those programs were so
successful that we still provide them to tracks today. Things like the
National Dragster Challenge, the King of the Track Program and the Junior
Dragster program were all big hits with tracks. [NHRA President] Tom
Compton was very adamant about developing programs that made people want
to become members of our organization. The last five to six years have
really seen us put a focus on member tracks.” a
d v e r t i s e m e n t The
cost to become a member track ranges from as low as $1,000 to as high as
$2,500. Imbrogno said that the cost is based on the number of race dates
that a track has on its schedule. When asked if many tracks maintain an
open dialog with the “home office,” Imbrogno had this to say: “The
division directors provide the front line for us in the field. That’s
where the majority of the dialog takes place. If it is something that
falls outside the jurisdiction of the division director it would then go
to the field marketing department. This is a group of people who exist
solely to help our member tracks. I visit as many tracks as I can as I
like to see tracks under different circumstances, be it a Summit Series
event or maybe a Wednesday night grudge racing event. It helps to see our
operations in all of their different forms.”
Building
a new drag racing facility is not a realistic proposition in many parts of
the country. Land costs are too high, noise issues are often contentious
and restrictive and local support may be non-existent when it comes to
introducing a track into a community. To this end, sanctioning bodies have
a large stake in preserving the tracks that are currently in operation.
When asked about this, Imbrogno said, “It is an expensive commitment to
run a drag strip. We really try to generate value with our sanctioning
agreement. We have a vested interest in keeping these tracks open. The
NHRA name carries a lot of brand awareness and many tracks find that when
they become a member track they get more cars through the gates. We are
constantly looking at tracks across the country in order to grow the
organization. More importantly, our backing goes a long way when working
with city and county officials about any issues that may arise. Knowing
that the facility has backing puts people in a better position when
dealing with local issues.”
Most
of the smaller drag strips across the country are not huge money makers.
They operate on a tight margin and many are working at a break-even level.
Because of that, many need the media clout and help that a sanctioning
body can provide to grow their clientele. Probably the biggest factor in
the day-to-day operation of a race track is insurance, the cost of which
can be astronomical if a track is an “outlaw” or unsanctioned track.
The reality is that tracks such as this may not be carrying nearly enough
insurance, if they have any at all. “Not
all insurance is created the same for drag strips,” Imbrogno said. “I
really believe that ours is the strongest package in the industry. We are
not tied into one company so tracks have some options when they look into
insurance. There are several large companies out there that provide motor
sports insurance. If a member track finds a company that they want to work
with and that company meets the NHRA’s guidelines regarding insurance
than they could use that company.” All
of this goes to the next level when talking about a national event
facility. Although the NHRA is unable to actively advise on safety issues
regarding track design, they do have a framework to use when evaluating a
track for a national event. “We have ingress and egress requirements,
parking and paving requirements, requirements for media facilities and
other basic functions, Imbrogno said. “The track needs to be able to
handle the crowds and car counts that we get at these events. Even outside
of our national events, it is not uncommon for divisional races in
divisions 1 and 3 to get car counts in the 600-700 range. That is a large
amount of cars for a facility to handle and work smoothly.” So
how active a role to the sanctions play in policing their tracks for
compliance? Mostly it falls to the insurance company to police facilities
for violations and it is a job that they do well. Recently, Hallsville
Dragway in Texas, an IHRA facility, was dropped from their list of member
tracks because of “insurance violations.” In a statement on their web
site, a track official explained that it was a misunderstanding with the
insurance company that led to the problem. “Bleachers five tiers or
higher must have a protective barrier behind them (such as railing or
fencing) or they must be disabled or blocked off from public use. The
smaller bleachers on the pit side do not have this fencing so we have
closed them off from public access with cyclone fencing (which is what
[insurance provider] Wisenberg told us to do). They told us to send them
pictures showing them this, and they were sent to them in June.” The
insurance company claimed that they did not get the photos. The problem is
now being rectified.” So
a sanctioning body is more than just the sign on the timing tower at your
local dragstrip. It is an organization that is backing your track and
giving it more strength in areas where it may be lacking. Although it is
very controversial when a major track makes “the switch” one way or
another, both the NHRA and the IHRA are there to grow drag racing and by
doing that they are helping your local drag strip survive in the difficult
motor sports climate in the United States today. |
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© Competitionplus 2005
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