Deconstructing Stock

[Mark Yacavone]

I was having this discussion with another forum member the other day. He was telling me about a couple, well in their 60's and now retired, that are wanting to dabble in Stock Eliminator after being away for over 30 years!

Lately, with the advent of the factory ringers (for this discussion, let's call them Supercars), we are seeing some new faces and some returning faces, but not necessarily many young faces.

We see a bunch of second gen. racers and kids rising up from the Jr.'s, but those efforts are mostly parent backed and sponsored , at least in the beginning..

So ,what will it take to attract the average ,young gearhead to NHRA style racing?
Stock, in it's current form is just too cost prohibitive for the youth to jump into.
I won't even mention entry fees, membership fees, permanent number fees,$12 gas, and so on, in this discussion, but they are part of the equation too.

Bring back Pure Stock?

Sealed crate motors ?

Split off Junior Stock again?

Index classes..(not overly successful in Div 2)

As my buddy from The Bay Area would say ... Come on NHRA, what's the plan? Do they even have one? Are they making it up as they go along?


Thoughts please...and let's keep it reasonable. We may be the ones who save our sport that we helped build.

[chris ok]

1 word. Imports

Sorry, I know........

[jmantle]

When we started racing stock back in the 60's, the idea was to find a "combination" that would work and be competitive without breaking the bank. I think that can still apply, there are lots of competitive combinations ot there that can be put together for less than the cost of the average junior dragster.

Jim Mantle U/V/SA 6632

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I was having this discussion with another forum member the other day. He was telling me about a couple, well in their 60's and now retired, that are wanting to dabble in Stock Eliminator after being away for over 30 years!

Lately, with the advent of the factory ringers (for this discussion, let's call them Supercars), we are seeing some new faces and some returning faces, but not necessarily many young faces.

We see a bunch of second gen. racers and kids rising up from the Jr.'s, but those efforts are mostly parent backed and sponsored , at least in the beginning..

So ,what will it take to attract the average ,young gearhead to NHRA style racing?
Stock, in it's current form is just too cost prohibitive for the youth to jump into.
I won't even mention entry fees, membership fees, permanent number fees,$12 gas, and so on, in this discussion, but they are part of the equation too.

Bring back Pure Stock?

Sealed crate motors ?

Split off Junior Stock again?

Index classes..(not overly successful in Div 2)

As my buddy from The Bay Area would say Come on NHRA, what's the plan? Do they even have one? Are they making it up as they go along?


Thoughts please...and let's keep it reasonable. We may be the ones who save our sport that we helped build.

Well Mark, I know you didn't want to mention the big four, but reducing them would be a big start (let's say 2/3's of it)! Those younger racers mainly drive imports, and they have their own series (that I was able to win the bracket portion of this past January in Tucson...it's called "Import Face-Off"), that allowed domestic fwd's like mine to race against front & rwd imports. I believe my entry fee was $25 bucks, and I won $150! Granted that pales big time to what NHRA pays, but there was no membership dues to pay, no competition number to pay, and definitely no $305 dollar entry fees (even for their fastest class...which had cars in it that would've given the dp's and the cj's a run for their money)!!! Furthermore, many of those cars were able to run pump gas, and even the price of premium unleaded was just over 1/3 the cost of VP race fuel (and it's gone down a lot lately...when is VP, Sunoco, and the others going to drop their prices on our race fuels?)!

NHRA shot theirselves in the foot also by lowering our indexes, and changing the altitude correction factors from the former Stock/Super Stock standards, to what the .90 classes use!

Btw, the "Import Face Off" challenge is much like "Super Chevy Show", and other racing series like that. They had quite a good turnout for that event, and although there were more show cars than race cars this year, they had a good turnout, and the event was a success for them. I think that NHRA could help theirselves grandly by lowering their fees for all of their races to mid-90's level prices, and re-instate the performance standards from then as well. The other ideas you mentioned could help too, but I think these ideas of mine will help more....AND FASTER!!!

That's my .02

[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

[Mark Yacavone]

Thanks,Gary...I agree on the fees, but I'm looking for ideas on restructuring the class, or building off it .
If there was an affordable place for the newcomers to go, with a different pay structure, maybe NHRA would see the light....I know...fat chance.

[Andys dad]

I am almost afraid to say this but in the early 60s we did almost all of our racing on the streets in Indianapolis - to be old enough to remember that you would be 18 (in 64) + 48 you would now be 66

Racing has become more civilized

We earn more and can afford more for our hobbies and toys and our forms of entertainment - technology is a fact not a mirage

I do not think trying to time warp us back to 1965 is realistic - those are historic by gone days

I prefer to be where my kids have gone with progress and growth - nothing stands still

I know I will be attacked for saying this but I also am entitled to my opinion

Ron

[Notch1320]

Most of what has been stated above is my reasoning for seriously considering moving away from Stock Eliminator and the NHRA all together. Unless something changes, I will be going either Heads Up racing, or just doing "True Street" style events and Hot Rod's Drag Week.

[will prater]

[QUOTE=Len Imbrogno;333115]

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.

I haven't really seen too much of this and I believe that is actually part of the problem. Lack of availability of cheap older muscle cars after those TV car auction shows making people believe they have a gold mine sitting in the back 40 hasn't helped.

I see more young people trying to race at unsanctioned tracks than anywhere else. Low entry fee, decent payback, more liberal tech inspections if at all. I'm not saying I agree with this method of operation but it does draw new racers.

[D.Johns]

Originally Posted by 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

That is it right there! Spark something within them by just having the opportunity there. Promote it. The heart of our sport is passion for cars and acceleration. The competitiveness comes later. The younger group has to gather a taste for it before they ever decide to build a class specific car. I think that's where it needs to begin and build off of that. Without passion for the sport no one would be doing this stuff. It's usually a very poor investment on money. The passion and genuine love for the sport has to be there for people to continue racing. The competitvness is what forms classes or else we all would just be going to test and tune sessions for a hobby. The classes come later has the people become more and more involved with drag racing.

BTW I'm not young at 29 years old. The CJs is what got me to even pay attention to the other NHRA classes below the Pro classes. Even though I knew of the classes somewhat thanks to Evan Smiths' articles on "Project Stocker" in MM&FF. I was more into the NMRA Heads up cars. I do not have a sponsor yet nor do I come from money. Just good ole hard work and lots of overtime.