Deconstructing Stock

[Michael Beard]

Hey Len! Good to see you're still out there.

Good post, Romeo. Beaver Springs also has a large street-legal bracket racing program on Friday nights. If we don't get people involved in bracket racing, you're less likely to get them involved in the higher level of class racing.

I wrote about growing the entry level of our sport in an article entitled The Farm System, back in 2006.
http://www.competitionplus.com/2006_02/farm_system.html

[Notch1320]

Speaking of getting youth involved, I take my car to local schools a couple times a year. It's fun to see them ask questions and get excited to hear it fire up. I encourage everyone with a race car to do this.

Part of the problem these days is parents... stop buying them video games and cell phones and get them some hot wheels and a sand box!

[D.Johns]

What age group is being seen as youth involvement and what level of involvement is wanting to be achieved?

What got all us involved in drag racing and eventually class racing? How did we start out finiacially? What was our obsticals? What was the best experience/greatest moment?

Some good points have been brought up. Younger crowd can feel intimidated and worse yet unwelcomed by the older generation when they step foot on the property.

[Andys dad]

I guess you guys don't count the sons and daughters of existing OLD racers new blood. They start out with a 21st century perspective because the parents earned them a better starting point and taught them how to race

[philip miles]

How can you get into NHRA racing if there are no tracks around with the NHRA flag flying? Down in south Florida, there is only one NHRA track and it's Orlando, which is in the rumor mill of closing next season. So we have 5 local tracks, all IHRA, none of them run S/SS eliminators. Two exceptions, Immoc and Bradenton when they have an IHRA points races.
Other then that the next closest track that has the NHRA flag is SGMP. It's only 430 miles away, so how can S/SS survive with no support from NHRA it's self trying to get more tracks under its flag.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

[Paul Merolla]

At 40, I know I don't quite qualify as a "young guy", but I am definitely a newbie...after 10 long years of dreaming, I hope to dump the clutch in my stocker for the first time by the end of summer. This will be my first racecar ever. That being said, here's my perspective: All my friends are what you'd call gearheads...they own everything from street rods to modern musclecars. Some are bracket racers, some have dabbled in Friday night grudge racing at the local track, and some have never been down a dragstrip. What they all have in common is this: for the most part, none of them even knew what Stock was until I started building this car. I myself had no clue until I saw Dave Cech's Chevy II at a Friday night grudge race at Scribner back in 2000. I don't think it's realistic to think you can attract new blood from the general public. They will come from the local bracket racing demographic, in my opinion. This is where Mr. Beard's "Farm System" approach is very smart. If we classracers can regularly hold combos at local tracks, the performance-oriented subset of bracket racers can be "recruited" there. Stock is NOT an entry-level class anymore...entry-level racers shy away from the concept of their car fitting into a class - it's just too complicated for someone who's getting their feet wet; that being said, I don't want to see Stock watered down to cater to those folks. That's what the attraction is for me: How the heck can a 283 with the tiny stock carb run freakin' 11's???? They are very special cars, and the learning curve makes it great!

[JOE ZOOM]

I can see myself showing up at my local s/ss event in a c4.ac on stereo blasting and not to mention 25 mpg.having fun and being competitive.pure stk. sounds good ihra has it right.

joe mocci
m/sa

[C and W Racing]

Originally Posted by philip miles

How can you get into NHRA racing if there are no tracks around with the NHRA flag flying? Down in south Florida, there is only one NHRA track and it's Orlando, which is in the rumor mill of closing next season. So we have 5 local tracks, all IHRA, none of them run S/SS eliminators. Two exceptions, Immoc and Bradenton when they have an IHRA points races.
Other then that the next closest track that has the NHRA flag is SGMP. It's only 430 miles away, so how can S/SS survive with no support from NHRA it's self trying to get more tracks under its flag.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

I guess they closed Gainesville and I didn't know it. lol. It is a lot closer to you than sgmp, but I do understand about not being close to you
Chuck

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Andys dad

I guess you guys don't count the sons and daughters of existing OLD racers new blood. They start out with a 21st century perspective because the parents earned them a better starting point and taught them how to race

Of course we do Ron...duly mentioned in my first post... But will that be enough to sustain Class Racing for the ages?

I remember when Frank Policky and Ed Merkle won National meets in their 50's, 30 years ago. We were aghast .We couldn't imagine still racing at that age.
Take a look around at the next divisional We are all getting old! Our segment of the sport is getting old.

The question is, what are we gonna do about it?
I don't see NHRA doing anything pro-active. They wait for trends like the Import Racing, and then try to glom onto them.. They see what's popular in the other associations and then co-opt them.

How about THEM opening the wallet and buying a used Stocker? Create a season long raffle where the winners of a Street Bracket race in the Summit series, get a free ticket? Pay someone to tow it around the country. Get it promoted in Hot Rod , Drag Racing mag, Speed Channel ,etc.
In other words >>DO SOMETHING, NHRA!

[D.Johns]

Here's an under handed idea! Tell the younger people it's entry level and uses all stock parts! They can take any car and run the numbers! Then once they get involved by the time they realize that there is nothing stock about a "stock" car it will be too late Muahahaha.

Even the factory "super cars" can't run the numbers that are required to be a front runner low qualifier without major capital invested on top of buying the car.

Some people make it look easy and simple. Lol Not a Chance!

It really takes people to get other people involved in the sport. The governing body can help but ultimately the most influential person is the guy you shave with in the mirror in the morning. Take your kids, take your kids friends, take you friends kids, take your co-workers. Out of one become many and it's the law of exponential growth.