How competitive are you?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

...and my support for changes which will leave the racing better than it is today for everyone involved.

In your humble opinion, Dick! The best way (IMHO)to make Drag Racing "better than it is today" would be to call for a moratorium on rule changes for the next 5 years! Right now, all of NHRA racing is so unstable that I can understand why no one would want to invest in building or buying a car! It's simple business (you ARE a business man aren't you?). Where are you going to get the best return on your investment? Is a new factory racer a good investment? Maybe in the long term (maybe). Is a classic Muscle Car racer a good investment? Probably but with too many variables. Ask a racer building a dragster how good its investment potential is, it's nil, but it's relatively inexpensive and it should be long lived (in re. to rule changes). Now ask yourself how long can I race one of these cars before it has the possibility of becoming obsolete.
If you think that you can make Drag Racing "better than it is today" by coming up with a handful of heads-up classes then good luck but it ain't gonna happen. Pro Stock isn't even doing too well at this point because the financial investment required won't allow it a return on its investment and the racers that ARE investing are getting tired of the outlays VS. the benefits.
All forms of Drag Racing have always had "money guys and working guys" (example, Garlits VS. Ivo) and I don't have any problems (well maybe a couple) with a racer spending what ever he's comfortable or capable of spending. BUT, for every "money guy" out there I'll guarantee you that there is probably at least a couple of dozen that won't or can't spend a great amount and these are the guys that you have to encourage to come and stay in the sport or it can't survive (how did Top Stock work out for you!).
If you truely want to help make Drag Racing become "better than it is today" then encourage NHRA to leave the rules alone and encourage a couple of neighborhood kids to go Bracket Race at the local track, maybe even take them there and help them out. In the long run they're the only hope that Drag Racing has for a future.
I guess what all of this crap comes down to is "how much are you willing to spend on entertainment and how many people can you get to do it"?