If Firebird International Raceway were home to a professional football or baseball team, the team wouldn’t have walked out in the middle of the night. They would walk out in broad daylight for a better deal. Children play in sand boxes, not professionals.

If conditions are that bad, and they are, why does the Firebird International Raceway event remain on the NHRA Full Throttle tour?

Market. Nothing more. Nothing less.

If Firebird International Raceway were home to a professional football or baseball team, the team wouldn’t have walked out in the middle of the night. They would walk out in broad daylight for a better deal. Children play in sand boxes, not professionals.

If conditions are that bad, and they are, why does the Firebird International Raceway event remain on the NHRA Full Throttle tour?

Market. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The NHRA says Phoenix is an important market to the sport. Our question is, if the NHRA insists on farming this market and loses the support of the racers, is it really worth it? Is racing at Firebird a “Pyrrhic Victory, of sorts? A win at such a high cost, it's hardly worth the fight.

Eight Pro Stock drivers gathered together and came to the same conclusion after first round eliminations in the NHRA Arizona Nationals. The smart thing to do was pack up and go home. There was no glory in a Pyrrhic victory in Phoenix.

A Pyrrhic victory, a battle won with devastating consequences, was shaping up quickly. By the third day of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, two Pro Stock crashes and a sportsman mishap had even the most seasoned of drivers questioning if the risk was truly worth the reward.

Those eight Pro Stock drivers believed it wasn’t and pulled out. It was the smartest move they had made all weekend. And, there was nothing the sanctioning body could or should have done, other than to announce they would complete the Pro Stock portion of the weekend in Gainesville three weeks later.

There was no fixing the problems facing the Pro Stock competitors. The only reason fuel cars weren't turning over on a regular basis is the massive down force they create.

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Sadly, issues with the racing surface are not new to Firebird International Raceway.

In 1991, a bumpy left lane, forced track management to dig up the last 100 feet on both sides of the strip and replace it. The final straw being a high profile racer’s blow-over during their traditional preseason event, which was partially blamed on the bumps.

Weeks later, the starting line concrete began “chunking”, forcing the race to be postponed for a week while repairs were made.

Two years ago, Firebird Raceway replaced its starting line and shutdown areas. Given their history, is anyone comfortable enough to accept the job was done to minimum specifications? Certain tracks on the tour would have gone above and beyond requirements if faced with such embarrassing situations and received high praise for their actions.

No one we know is praising Firebird International Raceway.

The stands were packed all three days, despite inclement weather and despite less than a fan-friendly facility.

The race fans who come to Firebird Raceway, come because it brings NHRA Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing and certainly not the creature comforts. 

Not all of the fault lies with the management of the facility that sits on Indian lands and is rumored to be in danger of losing its lease soon. NHRA has a responsibility as a sanctioning body to set standards for the facilities on the tour. When the NHRA appears to be lackadaisical in enforcing a minimal set of standards, then they must bear a portion of the responsibility for sand boxes not fit for children, much less professionals.

Sadly, another set of racers and some of the same fans, will suffer through the same issues this week with the running of the Division 7 LODRS event. Pitiful fan amenities, pit conditions, and a racing surface that is highly suspect doesn't make for a warm welcome. Even the local media would rather cover barefoot pigmy races in a steamy jungle then spend a day working in the media center at Firebird, when the shades blocking out the scorching desert sun are prone to fall off the windows at any moment.

Bottom line, if the Phoenix market is as valuable as most believe it is, then Firebird, like the Phoenix of old, needs to rise up from the ashes or lay dead forever in the annals of history.

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