Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich
A few observations from a currently former competitor, who may or may not be able to return, due to health, and the resulting financial issues.
First, yes, everyone should have a place to race. However, everyone can't, and shouldn't, run Stock or Super Stock. No class, or even sport, can be everything to everyone. That's a recipe for disaster.
Second, anyone can see that NHRA has no real interest in increasing the car counts in either Stock or Super Stock. Some individuals at/in NHRA probably do, but corporate NHRA doesn't care.
Third, changing the triggers is probably the best possible "common ground" solution.
Fourth, you're never going to make everyone happy, and probably shouldn't even try. Actually, if you've pissed everyone off at least a little, and no one too much, you've probably gotten it about right.
Fifth, you're never going to get a "level playing field". No two humans are the same on a day to day basis, so what they accomplish won't be. And some combinations are never going to go very fast, some stuff just doesn't have any real potential.
Sixth, some people are willing to spend time and money to go fast, some aren't. It gets prohibitively expensive to try to keep money out with rules, and often to keep effort out with rules.
Finally, some people are going to choose slow combinations in lower classes, and they're not going to be willing to spend the money on aftermarket pistons, camshafts, etc, never mind power train (transmission, converter, etc) stuff to go fast. You're NEVER going to make them equal to or happy with the guys running fast stuff and building high end engines and transmissions.
Over my 45 plus years as a motorsports enthusiast, and competitor in several motorsports, I have seen attempts to make those sports and classes "fit everyone" absolutely destroy the sports over the long run. I've seen fast growing sports permanently stunted, and seen entire sports nearly disappear, with tracks closing, spectators leaving, and competitors quitting. It just doesn't work. Stock and Super Stock are probably the most hard core sportsman classes in drag racing, along with Competition Eliminator. The "casual competitor" is never going to really fit in, or be happy. Myself, I'm sidelined specifically because I can't be competitive right now in any way that I care to compete. I'm on the side lines helping people and trying to rebuild.
Y'all can take all that, or leave it, for whatever it's worth, or not worth.
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