my home track is NHRA again, after being IHRA for 8 or 9 years. when it was IHRA, first round buy back's were allowed, but got no points for subsequent round wins, and had to race only other "buy back's". The last guy left went to the final four ladder, to race the "best light" bye runner, if there was one, or the "best ET" car, and a chance to get paid round or win money.
Now, under NHRA, all the buy back's get right back in line, and race staging lane order until the final 4, then the ladder is set by ET with lane choice by best light. Those of us, in super pro (elect. combo) or sportsman ET (foot brake) that are chasing division points, don't care much for this system but it puts more money in the track owners pocket, so we are stuck with it. The track is still racing under a "provisional" sanction from NHRA, so the District director of competition (div. 2 ) will not even get involved. It's just more political bull stuff. Seems to me, that if you ain't a pro in the show, you ain't shit to the NHRA.
It's a good thing Mr. Parks is gone, I don't think he would have liked what the NHRA has become, at the local level. JMHO, Paul