Life Support?

[Mark Yacavone]

Here's two posts from a recent thread here:

Originally Posted by 1320racer

The most significant change is that everything cost more, at least 35% more than it did 10 years ago. Combine that with higher entry fees, less contingency sponsors, the same payouts as 10 years ago and less participation and it's clear why there are fewer tracks then 10 years ago and why drag racing is on life support.

Originally Posted by James Perrone

Contingency is peanuts now
Class eliminations are practically gone
Entry fees are up
Car counts are strong in the northeast
Race fuel and parts are thru the roof
No tech?.
Jr dragsters are the norm

Purse money been the same ..weird huh

First guy...races .90's and brackets ..The board lights up!
Second guy races S/SS, and gets a pass.
Third guy, who doesn't race at all, lights the match.

What does this have to do with the subject brought forth?
Not much , as far as I'm concerned.

Is drag racing on life support ?
My opinion is..not anytime soon.
Demographics and environmental issues aside for a moment, I contend, as long as there's a quarter mile NHRA dragstrip, people will go there and race.
If a fast 396 approaches 100K , racers will buy them and show them off, in search of a Wally. The contingency money is insignificant
Same goes for 305's @ 50 K !

Let's say Charlotte becomes the only NHRA National , east of the Mississippi, plenty of racers will show up, still.

If EVs are the only thing available , people will still race them against one another..
It will be a different clientele, of course.

What say you ?....and if you want to name call anyone, send me a PM.I can take it

[1320racer]

Mark, as I stated in another thread earlier this month…

Originally Posted by 1320racer

As I’ve stated before…

This is going to die, the only question that remains is when. My guess is the final curtain call happens in 10-15 years when you'll have less than half the class racers you do today. stock, super stock, comp will be decimated due to the large loss of racers. What little new blood is interested in drag racing, are going bracket racing where at least they have a chance of winning money that will allow them to be more competitive. Further they don't have to deal with NHRA's rules nor take a week off of work to compete at a 3 day event where you spend most of that time doing no racing.

This has been a long time coming. America fell out of love with their cars, no longer has a car culture. Young men and women no longer dream of the day they get their driver’s license much less dream of buying or building a hot rod. It’s no longer cool and the reason why auto shop no longer is a curriculum in high school. Without the youth of America loving cars, there is no future for drag racing except maybe on a screen gaming.

[bigshow2966]

My personal view is that drag racing as a whole is fine. Some classes are hot, some not so much, but overall the outlook is good.

I first started hearing the NHRA was going under in the late 80s, but it's still kicking.

[Alan Roehrich]

The American love affair with cars was diminished by what Americans were offered since about 1974. For the most part, throw away junk.


What few performance cars are offered now are exorbitantly expensive.


Even the Camaro was stupid expensive, and it was a barge. Never mind that GM forced you to add all sorts of stuff you didn't want in every package. That's a perfect example of poor leadership in the corporations and government interference in the market.


People lost their love for cars because the government and the OE's gave them nothing at all to love.


What's being promoted to today's buyers, especially the youth, is the "fast and furious" crap.


NHRA only promotes the nitro circus. Even Pro Stock is barely hanging on, and only because a few are willing to spend stupid money to compete.


What Stock and Super Stock need is a Roger Brogdon, like Comp has. It's really sad that NHRA can't seem to take the cue that Brogdon has given. He's single handedly revived Comp.


Interest in grass roots amateur motorsports is cyclical, and it's taken some hard hits with the economy, marketing, the OE's, and some of the sanctioning bodies. It's not dead, but it's not real healthy, either. It will survive, in some form. What forms will that be, and how healthy will they be? Good questions, and the answers depend on the economy, marketing, sanctioning bodies, and to some extent the OE's.

[heinriech]

NMRA / pro media is gone that is why I came over here. We have a local class that is doing well and growing. Looking for a heads up solution. Looked at 9.90 class but when it says a 1000-1300hp car is needed to run 9.90 I am out. My car runs 9.70s with 500 hp. I would look to the sanctioning body to get things under control!

Cheers and happy new year!

[Stan Weiss]

Originally Posted by heinriech

NMRA / pro media is gone that is why I came over here. We have a local class that is doing well and growing. Looking for a heads up solution. Looked at 9.90 class but when it says a 1000-1300hp car is needed to run 9.90 I am out. My car runs 9.70s with 500 hp. I would look to the sanctioning body to get things under control!

Cheers and happy new year!

Yes a go number of years ago people with $$$ come along and decide higher MPH was the way to go, and now it is all about who can run the lowest et from 1000 ft to 1320 without going under. So years ago I had some one ask me to do some simulations for how much HP he needed to run 9.90 in the 153-155 range.



Stan

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by heinriech

Looking for a heads up solution. Looked at 9.90 class but when it says a 1000-1300hp car is needed to run 9.90 I am out. My car runs 9.70s with 500 hp. I would look to the sanctioning body to get things under control!

Cheers and happy new year!

This is no heads up class in the NHRA for your car. The 9.90 class is known as Super Gas and it’s a throttle stop class dominated by open cockpit roadsters. Look at the 10.90 class aka Super Street which is typically a backed halved ladder bar or 4 link car but it too is a throttle stop class with many competitors running at least 135mph and many running a bbc making 800-1100hp. In both of these classes, a transbrake and a delay box are the norm. That said, my honest opinion is your car as it’s currently powered won’t be competitive in super street as well.

[jmcarter]

Originally Posted by heinriech

NMRA / pro media is gone that is why I came over here. We have a local class that is doing well and growing. Looking for a heads up solution. Looked at 9.90 class but when it says a 1000-1300hp car is needed to run 9.90 I am out. My car runs 9.70s with 500 hp. I would look to the sanctioning body to get things under control!

Cheers and happy new year!

Ed is correct, sounds like Super Street would fit your car well and there is plenty of competition, some would say just as competitive there as in Super Gas. I thoroughly enjoyed the class before jumping into Class Racing.

[Stan Weiss]

Just some quick rough calculations. You weight around 2600 lbs car and driver and run around 9.77 @ 136.

If that is the case I get

1000 Foot ET = 9.2043
1/4 Mile ET = 10.9021
1/4 Mile MPH = 133.5387

Stan

[1320racer]

Super Street minimum weight is 2800 lbs.