Deconstructing Stock

[rickseeman]

You folks are on the inside looking out. You don't know how hard it is to get in. You all have friends on the inside that helped you get in and you don't know how hard it is to get there. Several years ago I thought I might try to do some NHRA drag racing. I called Memphis and Glendora over 100 times trying to get info on how to get a license. Nobody could tell me anything. I finally called Frank Hawley and flew down there, spent about $5,000 and got my SG/SC license. Several years went by and I finally bought a 2011 Drag Pak Challenger. Now for the first time in my life I had an NHRA legal car and I thought I might want to go to a few races. I called NHRA but they said my license had expired and I would have to start all over. I thought it might be good to get a Top Sportsman license since I have one of those cars also and Frank didn't offer those at that time so I went to an IHRA school in Florida. I was told it could be converted to an NHRA license. Another 2,400 mile trip and another $5,000 spent. NHRA wanted a EKG since I'm over 50, so another $160 physical. $300 for tags for the cars. Now I'm ready, so I called the NHRA division director and she told me I have to go to an NHRA track and make some runs there. She suggested Bristol. (A 1,200 mile tow.) Well, I've already tried that at Memphis years ago. They don't have a clue what you are talking about. NHRA wants me to start all over to get my license. I have considerable resources compared to a young person. How do you expect them to get into NHRA drag racing? You are some nice people on classracer.com but you don't have a clue how hard it is to get into NHRA drag racing. You just don't have a clue. I have given up on the NHRA. I will race at my local track, I enjoy it there.

P.S. On July 4th 1970 I was 13 and rode out to our local track in town (Stuttgart, Arkansas) to watch the drags. When I got to the gate on my motorcycle the guy said "You want to race it?" I didn't know what to say so I said ok. There was only 3 motorcycles and I ended up winning. I'm not sure if it was NHRA or IHRA but that's how hard it was to get in back then.

[cicero819]

Todd Hoven, you are right the economy is in a recession at this moment, one more reason to make sure that we do not lose what we have worked so hard to have. Pure Whatever you want to call it makes sense in allowing new blood to enter with the possibility to move up to stock&super stock and beyond or just stay where they can afford without losing their 401k(life saving). I've talked to many young people and the ones to go balls out in any series usually will last only until they go broke or realize the fortune they have lost in such short amount of times, on the other side I know of some racers who have race for over 50 years and are still doing it because they took their time doing it right, you can be a flash in the pan or you can be in for the long haul it just depends how much you care. I care and hope that the sport will continue, I've invested time and money so that others have a place to race safely, I've given money to my local track to help pay for the purse at times knowing this would help them survive, twenty five years later they're still in business so I know it must of helped. I know other racers who have put money from their own business to help class racers a place to race for a decent return, look at Gary Richards he is investing in racing because he cares that it survives,if he could invest that money in direct TV broadcasting in Manhattan for a 100% better return than he's getting from Division advertisement. All this to say is we have to bring in new blood for the future not for the right now.Claude Ruel

[Mark Yacavone]

Some good points here so far.
No doubt the entry fees are sky high. The Nat'l event fee is up 10 times what it was when I started racing them. Fuel is 8-10 times higher too.
Are the payouts up ten times? I don't think so!

I also agree ,there's nothing wrong with the current Sportsman classes, if you can afford to participate.
What I, and a few others are advocating is some kind of entry level class for the Divisionals...
Pump gas, reduced entry fee, no add ons } numbers, points fees etc.
Stock appearing, but minimal tech.

As it stands now, we have no minor league, farm team, or call it what you will...
I don't see where more participation in the brackets is the answer. We have plenty of local racers...In fact,that's all we've got on a weekly basis. Most have little or no interest or knowledge in our type of racing. I don't see where that's necessarily their fault either.

But so far, no one has touched on, what I see as a major problem>>>>
Drag racing is now fragmented into a myriad of associations and formats.

When I started racing , a beginner would go to a local track and be put into a class, whether it was Stock, Gas, Stock Sports and so on . This is where the current incarnation of Stock Eliminator evolved from. There were no ET brackets, not even a time only lane back then
Nowadays, you have ADRL, America's Fastest Street Car, Mustang Drags, Super Chevy Series, Pump Gas drag series, T&T nights, Import Drags,
Nostalgia events, NHRA Hot Rod Reunions (where NHRA competes with itself, I guess)
Nostalgia Super Stock events, where there are a bunch of old Max Wedge and Hemi cars that have drifted away from NHRA Stock....Diesel Drags , Motorcycle Drags, Jr. Dragster Nat'l events, Summit Series Bracket Racing, HAMB old time drags, where there are no handicaps, no payouts, no winners,..just a buch of retro guys burning rubber all day long....I know I'm forgetting a few hundred more.

The point is , I think we may have reached the Humpty Dumpty accident scene...and nobody's ever going to put it all back together again.

[D.Johns]

There is a bunch of places to go race. I don't see that as a problem. It offers something different for everyone and their budget. Not everyone has a taste for stock, super gas, comp eliminator, pro-Stock, top fuel, drag radial, outlaw, 1/8 mile, 1/4 mile etc...

I think it is important to get people into drag racing as a sport/business/hobby. Not so much getting people into stock/super stock eliminator. If people lose interest with stock and it adapts or dies as a sign of the times for that particular products shelf life. It's creative destruction because in its place will be another form(or 2+) that is parallel with the times of the interested people.

I know that is not a popular view and I'm not trying to demean the class in the slightest. Nor do I think the class is anywhere close to dying off as there are new cars being built and lanes full. I will promote the class to the best of my abilities and try to help it prosper but the big picture is Drag Racing as a whole.

[Bruce Noland]

Mark,

I'm glad you're sticking with this thread. You and others have offered many good thoughts.

I haven't read all of the posts and this thought may have been offered before. How about bringing back the old gas classes? No cars younger than 25 years old. Classes could be AA through H and they could include import classes. There are lots of cheap mid 80's cars around. Gassers could have their own category and eliminator. I'll bet a lower class gasser could be built for under $10,000.00. I would build one in a second. It may cause car counts to suffer in other categories but it would give the entry level folks a place to jump in and old guys like me a chance to re-live the past.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

Mark,

I'm glad you're sticking with this thread. You and others have offered many good thoughts.

I haven't read all of the posts and this thought may have been offered before. How about bringing back the old gas classes? No cars younger than 25 years old. Classes could be AA through H and they could include import classes. There are lots of cheap mid 80's cars around. Gassers could have their own category and eliminator. I'll bet a lower class gasser could be built for under $10,000.00. I would build one in a second. It may cause car counts to suffer in other categories but it would give the entry level folks a place to jump in and old guys like me a chance to re-live the past.

I don't know, Bruce.
NHRA stands for No Hot Rods Allowed, doesn't it?

Strange as it sounds, the folks who like those kind of cars, seem to have very little interest in actually drag racing them.
We saw that with the imports too, didn't we?

[THE LEGEND]

rickseeman,
Why don't you give IHRA a try. They've got classes you can run. THere is also a Divisional coming up at Memphis you can get you license at too.

If you want to go NHRA racing Call Roy Hill. Fly to Charlotte and make runs in one of his cars.

Chip Johnson

[THE LEGEND]

Non classracer mentality= Why spend many thousands of dollars to race for $1,000 bucks and a trophy.

Things that are killing class racing and not bringing in New Blood.

Costs
Hassles ( I always said if it was easy everybody would do it)
Lack of Contingency money.
It used to mean someting to get a Ironman/Wally, They give them away at bracket races too.
Being at the track 3-4 days for 1 race.

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by james schaechter

I think it is time to consider GT stock. Similar to the SS concept only no FWD conversion cars. Imagine if you could run an older body style and a newer engine type. Maybe you want a new CJ DP or Camaro. Just can't cut the check for $$$. Do the engine R and D in the older car while you build your own. Your old car is worth something on the market and you can take some time building the new one. This way you don't have to be a rich racer or remortgage your soul to play with the new engines.

Also, there are tons of street rods doing this already. Fans would understand this. Ihave seen Camaros, Novas and chevelles with LS engines in them for example.

IHRA already has all the tools in place for Stock GT.
Only problem is that only 1979 and older engines are allowed. No EFI allowed.

If that Stock GT class allowed any eligible Stocker engine in any eligible Stocker body, then that would be fun to dream of the combos.

My favorite would be a 2010 4.6 3V CJ engine in a 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.

I know-I know.
It would create too many headaches for tech.
2 sets of specs for each entry. One for the claimed engine and 1 for the body used.

Sure would be fun to dream tho.

[Rich Erickson]

Nothing New since 1970