Today's Stockers are "Gassers"

[Mike Schwartz]

Quoting Jeff Burk's Op Ed piece in the current Drag Racing Online:

"Could we all agree that there is so little factory stock parts remaining on a NHRA "Stock" Eliminator car or a Super Stocker and that today's Stock and Super Stock cars are nothing more than what we used to call gassers? Why not have a Stock/Super Stock combo eliminator and then, to get new racers involved in the NHRA, start a new Stock Eliminator class where the cars can't be more than 10 years old and the only modification allowed are headers, wheels and tires…period."

He may be right about the Factory Stock cars, but I don't think that the rest of the 'showroom-based' Stockers are anywhere close to what were classified as 'Gassers' in the '60s & '70s.

[Billy Nees]

Just kinda goes to show that either Jeff doesn't spend a whole lotta time hanging around the Stock/SS pits or he doesn't know what the he() he's talking about. Or both!

[cgall]

Didn't NHRA try that back around 1975? As I recall, Truman Fields won the first event.

[James Perrone]

Why is everyone looking to make it easier to get into stock and SS $ is always the rule whether you run class or brackets.all you keyboard racers if it was easier you people would still be on the computer when I bought my car it was a 3 under turd . Got smoked heads up by Tex millers I should have quit but I'm too stupid or pride full now after 10 years of trial and error my cars pretty good you all need to .Call Deez and grow a pair

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Just kinda goes to show that either Jeff doesn't spend a whole lotta time hanging around the Stock/SS pits or he doesn't know what the he() he's talking about. Or both!

He evidently has no clue. Probably also wasn't around, or didn't know what he was looking at when we had the gassers.

[Lee Valentine]

Stock is fine,the rules are what we asked for.

[Dan Wilson]

The only stockers that are raced unmodified from the factory are the new copos challengers and mustangs .


All others have to be altered from original to make competitive. cams, headers, gears, rollbars and on and on.


Dan Wilson

[Chris1529]

Originally Posted by Dan Wilson

The only stockers that are raced unmodified from the factory are the new copos challengers and mustangs .



Dan Wilson

to quote Larry the Cable Guy, "That's funny right there."
How many Mustangs, COPO's, and Challengers do you think that are racing that are "unmodified"? ...only the ones sitting in Museums and Garages I suspect.

[Jeff Teuton]

Gassers were great. Our last was a 40 Willis with a 426 Hemi, Hilborn on gas, clutchflite, probably older than most of the posters here. Old Burkster understands what he is saying. If you go back to my first race; drove the car to the track, took out the jack and spare and took off the hubcaps, race, hope you didn't break it, and don't put the stuff back on and let the rain wash off the numbers and class (A-E Stock, SS was faster than A, so 6 classes) cause it was cool. Our B/G Willis ran about 9.80. Look at today. You got B/SA cars that go that fast. Maybe we are gassers. Stone Woods & Cook could not outrun a naturally aspirated FS/X car.

[Chuck Norton]

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz

...Jeff Burk's Op Ed piece...

I believe that portion of the original post isolated above captures the whole basis of this issue. The nature of editorial writing is that, in order to maintain one's place in the pantheon of soothsayers, the writer has to say something (really, just say anything) or the space on the page will be filled with some other writer's opinion.

Sadly, a great deal of the societal confusion and controversy prevalent in the culture of the current era is that too many people are unable to differentiate opinion from news. Mr. Burk's role is to keep the pot stirred and people coming back. Op-ed writers are challenged to keep a portion of the population up on the chip all the time. Reader counts equate to advertising cash. It's only dangerous when a significant portion of the readership interprets "opinion" as "fact" or one writer's opinion as a prevailing sentiment.

c