The first meeting of the newly formed NHRA Sportsman Racer Advisory Council (SRAC) was held Friday, March 14, during the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Several of the 35 committee members attended in person, and the remainder participated via teleconference. NHRA President Tom Compton, NHRA Executive Vice President/General Manager Peter Clifford, NHRA Senior Vice President-Racing Operations Graham Light, and each of the seven NHRA division directors -- Bob Lang, Bill Holt, Jay Hullinger, Craig Hutchinson, Rob Park, Jonathan Adams, and Mike Rice -- were in attendance.

SRAC was formed in December to provide a means for discussing and evaluating rules and regulations pertaining to Sportsman racing at NHRA events. The committee consists of Sportsman drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners and is divided into five subcommittees: Top Alcohol, Comp, Super Stock-Stock, Super Comp-Gas-Street, and Top Sportsman-Top Dragster. Each subcommittee has one representative from each NHRA division. Hullinger has been appointed as the overall committee chairman, and Lang serves as the secretary. The other division directors also play integral roles in SRAC, serving as chairpersons of each subcommittee.

Compton opened the meeting by welcoming each of the committee members, then emphasized the continued importance of NHRA's Sportsman racing program. A short time later, Light explained to the group that the main purpose of the initial gathering was to establish the structure of the committee and discuss the procedure that will allow for open lines of communication between NHRA, the committee members, and the rest of the Sportsman racing community.

“When the Sportsman Racer Advisory Committee was formed, our main objective was to lay the foundation for continuing advances in NHRA Sportsman racing, and this initial meeting should be evidence that we're serious about honoring that commitment,” said Light. “We're strongly encouraging each of the committee members to be active in the community and to seek input from their fellow racers. When they have a specific issue that they feel needs to be addressed, they should first discuss it within their subcommittee. Depending on the nature of the issue, if the subcommittee feels that further action is warranted, it will be distributed to the entire committee where collectively, we can decide what action, if any, is necessary.

“I also want the racers and committee members to understand that there are virtually no limitations to what can be discussed,” Light continued. “The committee members are free to voice their opinions on any topic that relates to NHRA's Sportsman program. The lines of communication work both ways. Through the SRAC, we will be able to better explain our position relating to a number of issues and not keep the racers in the dark.”

Light's sentiments were shared by many of the racers and committee members who attended the Gainesville meeting.

“I'm really optimistic that we'll be able to make this deal work, and this was a good start,” said veteran Super-class racer and former national champion Steve Cohen, a member of the Super Comp-Gas-Street subcommittee. “Now [Sportsman racers] know that we have the proper channel to go through when we have issues that we feel are important to us. I believe that as long as we continue to cooperate and communicate with each other, this will be a very positive thing for everyone involved.”