Watch what you wish for...
 

Racers wanted the AA classes in Stock so there could be a place to race aluminum frontend Mopars without having to add a lot of weight. NHRA justified the class by saying it would be a place where Detroit could show off their new models. It turned out that racers only used the AA class to move up and hide from the fast A/SA competitors. That is until the new Detroit iron actually showed up to race. Now there is nowhere to hide.

All those who campaigned long and hard for AA need to remember the old saying…..

"Watch what you wish for, it just might come true!"

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

The only thing that remains the same, is change. The new iron is coming and more of it.

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

AA was brought back because the OEMs wanted (wished for) it and nhra saw an opportunity to further their own agenda. It's all about the money and getting rid of the older cars. Pretty simple!

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

If NHRA were out to get rid of the "old" cars they would be racking up specs on the new ones right? Where are the specs for the Marauder? There could have been big competition with the Impala SS in their day.

NHRA only wants the info and specs when it is sent to them. This is an unfair procedure as we have all seen for years and are still seeing it. I feel a "general" spec can be drawn from several of the car testing magazines of the times, draw a base line and then factor as needed. This can give more chance for diversity of cars and combo's and would leave it all in their hands.

Of course as this thread states, Watch what you wish for.....

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

Rome was not built in a day. How competitive are the old class cars against the new "Stockers"? Many new "Stockers" are on their way to populate the lower classes - down to G or H. The old class cars are becoming expensive bracket cars. Who are you guys?

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

NHRA didn't create aa/s for the three aluminum Mopars that race, it was created when they realized that the GM fuel injected cars could be dialed in with a computer to run as fast or slow as the driver wanted it to go.

JimR

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

You are right about the spec's need to be given to the sanctioning body. There was a long period of time when the people at Ford could have cared less about drag racing. They spent all of their money and attention on NASCAR . The sportsman racer was not even thought of, unless Ford Racing could sell them chrome valve covers. This is why a lot of the combinations are not in the rule book and the reason a lot of the Ford combinations were never raced. Plain and simple, it was left up to the racer to get engine and body accepted. Too much work for most people when you can race a GM or MOPAR. I knew there was a change coming at Ford when Jack Roush got back into drag racing with the NMRA. Jack hasn't paid attention to drag racing in a long, long time. Enter Brian Wolfe and the team he has put together at Ford racing. He has interest in the sportsman racer and will promote combinations that were not accepted before. Don't be surprised to see a naturally aspirated engine for the 08 and 10 CJ's in the near future. After all Chrysler has 3 engines for their car that are all sanctioned. Let's face it guys these new cars are here to stay. Ford is in business, as is GM and Chrysler to sell new cars. Nobody loves nostalgia cars more than me but your going to be racing new cars with new technology. The more engines that the OEM's make available, the more classes they will be made legal for. If I had a clean piece of paper, I would build one of these new CJ roller kits that Ford Racing is selling or a Challenger kit, if you can still get one from Fiat. Just my two cents.

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

You're absolutely wrong here too, Jim. There are only a very few GM EFI cars that can even run AA/S or AA/SA. Only the high HP LSx cars can get in. AA classes had nothing to do with GM EFI cars, nothing at all. The people who asked for it didn't have a GM EFI car in the bunch. It was mostly big block Chevy racers, with a few Chrysler racers and a couple of Ford racers. Trust me, I was there.

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

Alan is correct. It was absolutely ridiculous to have to add 300 lbs to a 427 vette or camaro, or street hemi, just to run the top class in stock. That was why alot of us wanted to have AA, it reduces parts breakage, and yes it gave the really fast guys a place to hide. As for hiding from fast cars, thats not really an issues. there are just as many fast AA/SA cars as fast A/SA cars at most races.

Re: Watch what you wish for...
 

Guys, there were over a dozen big block guys asking for the AA classes but their words were falling on deaf ears until the OEMs got involved. The 10.90 index told the story - it left many of the guys who had been asking for the AA class scratching their heads until word got out about the new cars.