[Len Imbrogno]

Mark, you are correct in your statement that the overall costs to compete in Stock for a "newbe" racer are prohibitive.

Step one in trying to get younger gearheads involved in NHRA style racing should be to develop a good nationally based street legal program starting at the NHRA member track level. If you think back to how many of us first got involved in the sport back in the early days, it was with the cars we drove to school and work in. Just think about the hundreds of thousands of older model (70's, 80s ) Camaros and Mustangs in the hands of young kids cruzing the streets today. This sport is based on passion and in order for anyone to want to build a Stock category race car (or any class car for that matter) requires passion for the sport as well as dedication. The best way to create such desire is to make it as easy as possible for young racers to first be exposed to the sport.

A nationally organized street legal program with rules close to "pure stock" as you indicated, would be a good first step to give young potential racers a chance to see what the sport is all about