[Dick Butler]

Or is it killing Drag Racing at the sportsman level?
Growing up with Drag racing we went to see someone "beat someone" and brag about our brand car and dream of owning a 409 or T-Bolt or Hemi Cuda.
Somewhere an enterprising person decided that allowing anything to run at the track included more participants and increased the income to pay the bills. It was "easier " and "less expensive" to Drag race.
It worked for a while. It soon became obvious that fewer came to watch and pay admission, fewer hot dogs eaten, fewer cokes and the gravy money was lost.
More and more car count became the object of the game to cure the finances if crowds stopped coming.
NHRA Thought this could work for them and continues to have more classes to allow one car or 10 cars which are outside the rules today to compete tomorrow. This waters down the picture even more. More purse needed to pay winners so outside race sponsors have to be found.More enty money needed.
Problem is it has become a participant sport. NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT> No cokes sold, no shirts sold, no Hot Dogs. even the OLD racers dont come to watch these cars and they are the ones who could appreciate the machinery.When the T/D and T/S cars draw off the S/C cars and S/g cars these classes will settle in and become same old same old again.Just fewer in other classes but total the same number of participants.
Grudge racing----Now its back to the same thing which started drag racing popularity. People wanting to use their hormones to show who is faster. Girls come to watch their boyfriends race someone. No stumblling, No break outs. No timers. JUST GET THERE FIRST. No Dial in. Cokes sell, Hot Dogs Sell and the tickets are sold without much need for payout. THE TRACK IS PLEASED and makes money.
Bracket Racing is dying its own death due to participant blindness. Lack of insight into the business side of their sport and with selfishness . " I want to run what I want to run so make me a class or give me shoe polish and I'll CALL it drag racing. If you race what you want and how you want you will be left without a place to race. I suggest helping to recreate a "SHOW" which can give you a place to race, money for the track and enjoyment to the spectator so all parts of the business can prosper...
It is time to have fewer not more classes, fewer not more places to race, fewer not more variation in rules so there is a SPECTATOR appeal not just a place to drive your car on Sunday.Both types of racing are needed but cannot be allowed to KILL each other....we would all lose at the Sportsman level if people lose sight of the need for appeal to spectators and Sponsors.
My opinion only Thanks