[Steve1118]

Drag Racing is fine. It's not going anywhere. However, it is changing.

A local drag strip, or even a drag strip that hosts national events is a business. So many seem to lose sight of that. It needs support from the locals. Some of the guys complaining here wouldn't be caught dead at their local track, but complain and moan when it closes.

We sponsor a little Nostalgia series at our local track. It is very, very successful and we have cars coming out to the track that have been tucked in garages for years. We have Nostalgia SS, Nostalgia Gassers, and old type Modified Production cars. It has worked beyond our imagination. The Nostalgia thing works....period correct cars. Technical rules loose, to make it easy to race, and easy to get the old iron out there. Always cool. Draws a decent spectator count, too.

The same track is PACKED on special Street only Saturday grudge type race days, no classes, just locals coming to the track in their whatever-they-drive, and the place is jammed. "Grudgement Day" is a very successful venue. Newer Hemis, Turbocharged Imports.....some of them are pretty doggone fast, too.

They have large Alky funny car events, "Night of Fire", all kinds of stuff going on, something for everyone. Wheelstanders, jet cars. A Show.

Local Brackets for the local rank and file.10.5, whatever. It's a busy place.

A lot of guys seem to be waiting for the day when each track has local class eliminations, as they did in the past. Those days are gone, and they are not coming back. Like any business, the tracks are going to adjust, as any business has to. The ones that do, as well as the racers that do, will be just fine.

Personally, I like it. Although it's been my home track for years, I love racing and being there now, and would much rather do that than travel as we did in the past. I get to go home, eat a ham sandwich, use my own bathroom, and sleep in my own bed. At this age, I've found I really like it. I wish I would have done it sooner.

As I understand it, Etown's local participation and support for drag racing was down to nothing. A National event, and a divisional that draws, and the rest of the racers who race at those never coming otherwise, won't cut it, financially. Add to that the Napp's constant stream of litigation, as well as a guaranteed payday, and well, it's easy to see why they threw in the towel.

If you want racing to continue, support your local track. It's what's happening, and you'll even find some extra $ in your pocket.