Rickie Smith said he has raced for 48 years, and what transpired today in advance of the D-Wagon NHRA Pro Modified Shootout is the most unprofessional act of a professional race series he's ever witnessed. It's also the reason why he opted out of the shootout with $10,000 in prize money. 

With the pairings already set for the inaugural running of the race-within-a-race, a last-minute change in the format revised the first round pairings from a traditional qualified program to one of a chip draw.

Smith said there was a meeting presenting the format change to the racers was done, and he wasn't there to vote on it because of a prior commitment. And it wouldn't have mattered, he added, because he would have been outvoted. In his eyes, imagine the uproar had the NHRA changed the format of the old Big Bud Shootout on the day of the event.

"This was decided months ago, where you would run off of a 16-car ladder, or in this case, a 12-car ladder," Smith explained. "It was based off of the points from qualifying; you earned your starting spot."

Smith contends if this weren't the plan, the NHRA wouldn't have distributed the pairings earlier this week with them. He said to change the format on the day of the event is as unprofessional as it gets.

"Then they decided they were going to draw out of a hat? That's BS. I think it's wrong on NHRA's part to allow it because the money and everything has to come through them. For this to happen, they had to approve it. The rules were established, and they should have stayed that way. NHRA is just as much at fault for this as anyone."

Smith was initially supposed to run Doug Winters, the No. 11 seed, due to his No. 2 points ranking. Instead, the No. 7 ranked JR Gray singled into the second round.

"You have a bunch of millionaires out here racing to win and are willing to let an extra $1500 to $2000 dictate what they are going to do," Smith said of the last-minute addition to the purse, which he alleges was enough to change the format.

"Basically, someone got bought off to change the rules; that's what it amounted to. I don't know what NHRA is trying to accomplish here; this isn't grudge racing. It isn't outlaw street racing. If NHRA is going to cater to these people, then what has happened to legal drag racing in the NHRA?

"We are supposed to be professionals, not gambling people. This is not Street Outlaws. This is the most unprofessional display I have ever witnessed in this series."

CompetitionPlus.com reached out to the NHRA for comment but, as of this posting, has not responded. Once this statement arrives, it will be added to the story.