Honestly
 

after all, we ARE all "Gentlemen" here, right Ed?
After reading Mark's thread and knowing that the majority of S/SS Racers are 55++, IF you had it (S/SS racing) to do all over again, would you knowing what it's become?
Better still, IF you were 20 years old again and had the choice to start racing here in the 21ST Century knowing the way things are now, would you? Could you afford to?

Re: Honestly
 

So much has changed. When I first started, it was with my daily driver in Showroom Stock(AHRA). As time went on I got better jobs and some extra money for better parts, moved to Stock and then Stock Production which was halfway between Stock and Super Stock. I had fun the entire time since the people I was racing were mostly doing the same thing.

Even if a young person could afford a performance car that's still being sold (doubtful) there is no way they could be competitive today. That smooth and steady progression is gone. It now takes a purpose built car that costs a whole bunch of money just to get started.

When I worked for Roy Hill at his school, he'd tell every class that he had it easy. Each year something came out that was faster and it was easy to adapt. He didn't have to make the jump from an 11 second car to a Pro Stock all at once. We've lost that.

I'm part of the generation you mention in your other post. And while I think that sportsman NHRA will survive somehow, I can't help thinking it will be in a form a lot of people will get turned off from.

Re: Honestly
 

A 20 year old me would probably race if I wanted to. One thing I have noticed is even though we are getting older it still cost a lot to race. Especially if you are on a "fixed" income from retirement. You start wondering if you can continue to afford it and the travel, entries, fuel, parts, etc, etc. A 20 year old should be receiving pay raises, cost of living adjustments, etc.

Re: Honestly
 

honestly billy,

stock and superstock have become so bastardized from what i signed up for in 1976 that i really have no desire to continue .... if the damn car would slow down i might quit. i cannot believe i was dumb enough to build a second car and dumb enough to believe 4 emails from pat the director of our classes and once again have same screw me.

this year ive taken a break due to the two injury total wrecks a home fire etc and ive really not missed it > am going to indy thursday to watch class which is only semblence left of what i signed up for.... maybe someone will get tossed in teardown only place it even has a chance to happen anymore.

RIP what i once loved and lived my life for >:(

captain

Re: Honestly
 

Re: Honestly
 

Would we do it in today's world is not even a logical comparison, the knowledge and money required today is far beyond the reach of a kid in his 20's entering the workforce and attempting to compete. What I've seen is kids are lucky to get even one friend involved to work with them, it's parents or it just doesn't seem to happen.

Re: Honestly
 

I would still fly toy airplanes and learn how to compete. Then learn how to race.

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Thanks to SS/AH, I am now a millionaire. BUT I started with 3. Lemons 24 baby. Good luck at Indy. Phish

Re: Honestly
 

20 year old today would be into drifting from his high school days. 40mph roll racing as they like most mph. Drag racing a stock eliminator is far from there interest unless its in the family or a neighbor.

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My three boys are 31, 25 and 24. All Live for stock and super stock, hope to have them all driving in the next few years,

Re: Honestly
 

Without question I would. I have developed some of the best friends and relationships due to racing. It would be difficult to quantify a value to that, but it is way up there for me.

I am not an active racer and my limited success on the track reflects that, but I cannot count the number of people I am thrilled to see on and off track due to racing.

Thank you NHRA for drawing together so many high quality people even though they find a way to consistently irritate them across the board. And thank goodness this group of people continue to come together inspite of the NHRA's decisions.

Re: Honestly
 

Billy I had almost the same conversation yesterday with Frank. When a lot of older races started they didn't pay anyone that ran a bracket classes. You got a trophy. Most tracks had there Modified, Stock and Super Stock combo and those were the classes that were paid money. If I were to start today running a bracket car is the only smart choice with the big pay bracket races. Then again I don't know if smart and racing should be in the same sentence. So I guess I'd still run Stock. I like the idea of competing not only trying to win a race but to also getting the most out of my combo within the set of rules we are given. It keeps me awake nights. Spent most of today looking at dyno numbers from a couple of days ago. BP

Re: Honestly
 

In 1976 I turned 20yrs old. I worked at a Dodge dealer working on lean burn engines in the Ralph Nader world. I bought a brand new 1979 Aspen with a 360 3 years later for stock eliminator. That was probably a fast factory car in 1979 that went 14.90s of the lot.
Now 20yr olds buy 9 second cars. Hard to compare but 20yr olds still spend money on cars. Our sport probably would require a mentor of some sort now to compete. Need a pure stock for new cars since they are way to complicated and expensive to "Convert" to stock.

Paul

Re: Honestly
 

Hi Billy, don't know if I can private send it. Here it is about 1980 at my first attempt at stock eliminator. Stephen McGrath of course behind the wheel. You might remember Steve.

Paul

Re: Honestly
 

I absolutely would do it again. I have wanted to race Super Stock since I was a very young teenager. I built a homemade flowbench back in 1988 just to be able to start to learn and play with this stuff. I am fortunate enough now to have a nearly complete home machine shop, dyno and everything else I need to do 90% of the work to run this class. Which, btw, is a far greater personal reward experience for me than actually racing. (Which is a good thing...... because I certainly have not evolved into a very good racer !!! :)



I will enjoy what we have until it no longer exists, then I will quit. I have essentially no interest in racing any other class, (love comp eliminator, but I have yet to hit the lottery) and totally non-existent interest in bracket racing.



For the record, I am 52 years young.



Kp

Re: Honestly
 

1970's I bought a 1968 Cobra Jet ,it only had 4.30 gears and a Rossi converter , I had no trailer just tow bar mounts but nothing to tow with ,this was my only car for my wife and I ,I drove it to Pomona to race in Stock Eliminator and drove it back home again at night , I wish the younger generation could even have half the fun I had at a very low cost

Re: Honestly
 

"1968 Cobra Jet ,it only had 4.30 gears and a Rossi converter"

Great picture John

Re: Honestly
 

I definitely would! I really enjoy all types of drag racing, but I enjoy stock and Superstock the most.

Really to be fair from my point of view, every form of drag racing has evolved whether we like it or not.

We are taking stock Superstock,but consider so many of the bracket classes are ruled by driver aids that are known and of course some thst are yet to be discovered. I think back to some drivers in my area growing up. They were killer. They also were among the first to have delay boxes back when no one knew what they were.

The challenge of making your own car and your own driving better is really enjoyable. Add in the great people I have met over the years and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I am fortunate to have some really nice cars now, but I recall early days at the drag strip where we literally raced whatever we had the keys to. Especially some real beater street cars and scooters motorcycles, you name it, if it ran and passed tech we would run it. We didn’t have any money, but the fun factor was there.

The performance part is still important even to pure bracket racers. Most of the go fast parts would not be available to the masses if not for pro stock comp, even other performance classes where someone figured out how to go really fast.

We all benefit in that area.

Re: Honestly
 

What's notable here is that about 99% of the parts in this car are OEM or over the counter local parts house replacements.
Today? Forget about it!

I better start a new thread on this subject..soon

Re: Honestly
 

billy, you will remember this comment...."its a rolling car show",which is nice.just rename it all "stock appearing eliminator" and be done with it.

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If I was 20 I would do what I did this year. Pulled the Stocker motor and trans (that I haven't raced it in years) and built a street motor so I could run a Drag and drive event. Had the best time. If you want to race IN front of people this is it. We had way larger crowds on week days than I have ever seen at a divisional on a weekend.
This is a great option for the guys that like working on your own car.

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At age 20 with today's wages, I'd be street racing. No way to pay entry fees let alone build a car. Like a lot of other racing types ,we have priced ourselves out of business.

Re: Honestly
 

Would I do it over the same way ?? Hell yeah - just remember I was in my twenties when I was kickin' your butte at the Island .............Thanks for the memories Billy .

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At the age of 67. I rolled out Paul Wong's new 71 Super Bee project. I had to squeeze in my GTS to put a new paint job on it. The new Challenger engine just came off the dyno showing the wait was worth it. I have a waiting list for some other racers/car needing some up-grades before the end of the year here.Plus we got stupid and bought a rare muscle car to make a stocker too. Crazy people here! Maybe if I was 20 I would chase girls instead.....Na no one rides for free!

Paul

probably not the place for project photos

Re: Honestly
 

I'm doing my best!
Hmmm, "Under the Index for Free"? That may take some serious thinking and manipulating.
Mark, maybe a Turbo Sunbird?

But back to our regularly scheduled subject!

Re: Honestly
 

Im 46, been bracket racing since I was 16... I have over the years been preparing my car to run stock "someday" I had planned on the combo at BG being my first class race this weekend but my motor dropped a valve on startup last weekend about as crappy of luck as you can have.. I was pretty defeated.. but better to have happened in garage then at the mph cone at bg .... so looks like it will be delayed till next year.. First thing I have been this excited about in many years.. doing a different kind of racing... I have all winter to fix everything that got torn up.. bummed but still excited lol