Stock Eliminator,,,Boon or Bane?

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by SS3860

If the problem is high HP cars on 9in tires in stock. How about making stock eliminator a class where only cars from the factory that can be registered, licensed and legal for street driving be eligible for the class. 1000HP factory built racecars deserve their own class where they can race on a tire that's safe for them.

How about I buy you a box of Kleenex....

[B Parker]

Well, it looks like the one thing we can all agree on is that we don't all agree. We all have personal agendas and if yours doesn't fit mine then your idea sucks. Mark to me it looks like most race cars not just Stock and Super Stockers with the high HP numbers and how hard they hit the tires make bald spots. Tracks with good starting line crews seem to be able to make it work. The problem is having them take the time during the day to keep after it. Seems a lot of times by the end of a long weekend on Sundays they want to get the race done even if they have to give less than an adequate starting line. I was at Coastal Plains Dragway a couple of weekends ago. That has to be one of the ugliest starting lines I have seen in years. They had the Carolina Class Racers ***. race there. I walked that ugly starting line before the race started. To my surprise it was sticky and ready to hook almost all the class cars that went down it. My point is if a track that's starting line is in that bad of shape can get prepped well enough to hook class cars no excuses from other tracks that can't. BP

[B Parker]

Now I have to give Kudos to Lebanon Valley when they run the All-Star Association there. Right before they send the All-Star class racers down Wayne the track manager hops on the tractor and gives the starting line 10 to 15 minutes of prep. Wayne is a monster on that tractor. What a difference those few minutes make. We have all seen even at tracks where the traction is good most of the time. As cars are spinning the tires all you get from the starting line crew is a mop job. And if you're lucky they may spray some glue but don't drag. It takes time and money to keep a good starting line. At the price it cost to race these days I don't think that is too much to ask for. BP

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by B Parker

.... At the price it cost to race these days I don't think that is too much to ask for. BP

Hi Barry , I'm surprised nobody brought this up yet.

Lebanon is what I call a Mom and Pop operation..Earlville might be another one, although I've never been there. They may take pride in their starting line, and that's great, if their budget allows for it. They are facing inflationary issues, like NHRA is.
My question is directed towards NHRA and their Nat's and Divs and the racers who do that sort of thing.
If the price of glue becomes too much of an expense, I'm sure the non-racer suits will look at cutting back on it. They are definitely not going to say, well these guys pay enough with entry fees, so let's not cut the track prep.
We all know who's still going to get the salary increases.

Barry, I know you're not going to go back to an R/SA station wagon. But will other racers go that direction? Or, will they just expect a great hooking starting line at all times, for all the money they give to NHRA?

[GUMP]

I ranted about this some earlier this year. It is my feeling that the NHRA's number one priority should be the track surface. It is a safety issue that a racer should never have to worry about.

Also, how about NOT sending Stockers down a wet track ever again...

[B Parker]

Ya know Mark we all look at the entrance fees. Both at Nationals and Divisionals. In Division One we now pay this year $225 for a Divisional. We look at that and say wow why would they need to skimp on anything. What we forget is that the tracks get the smaller portion of that money and have to do all the payouts. Good starting line crews have proved through the years they can make almost any starting line good. It just takes some time effort, money and the will too. It sucks when someone spends the time, effort and money to go to a race only to lose because of poor starting line prep. Don't know if it's true I was told that glue has come down on price from it's all time high. BP

[DG]

Maybe we need some sort of electronic tip jar account for the starting line crew from the Stock/Super Stock racers. If I saw them making an extra effort for us, and I had a great launch every run, I would happily throw in $20, hell if I won the event I might throw in $50. Even if only a third of the racers kicked in, it would add up to a nice chuck of change for each guy.

But seriously, in the 40 years my family has been racing, traction has always been an issue from time to time. However, there has always been certain cars that hook up no matter what, some that rarely spun and others that seemed to frequently struggle to get down the track. This hasn't changed much over the years. The racers that never spun were the thrashers, that spend many weekends at local track test and tunes. These same thrashers always seemed to know how to get the last few thousandths out of a combination and were usually the class record holder. There are fewer and fewer of these types in the sport anymore. Most people want to spend money at the right shops and show up at the divisional or national event and everything go perfect. When conditions are not perfect, the weaknesses in their program surface. Sorry to tell it like it is, but you may just have to work a little harder on your car....Flame away.

Darin Grossi

[Cstockbird]

Originally Posted by B Parker

Now I have to give Kudos to Lebanon Valley when they run the All-Star Association there. Right before they send the All-Star class racers down Wayne the track manager hops on the tractor and gives the starting line 10 to 15 minutes of prep. Wayne is a monster on that tractor. What a difference those few minutes make. We have all seen even at tracks where the traction is good most of the time. As cars are spinning the tires all you get from the starting line crew is a mop job. And if you're lucky they may spray some glue but don't drag. It takes time and money to keep a good starting line. At the price it cost to race these days I don't think that is too much to ask for. BP

So happy to see this post, been friends w Wayne a long time from our construction days as well as at LVD, he’s such a good guy and cares so much about this sport and the track. I hadn’t been to the track in years and went w my boy one day, Wayne brought him up in the tower and treated him like royalty. Wayne had never even met him before. It’s a family up at LVD one of the places I most feel at home when I’m there , anyway just thought I’d say thanks for noticing and mention what a great ambassador to drag racing Wayne is as well. My kid talks about that day all the time w his friends And that may be the only exposure to the sport those kids have ever had.

After all we are the real small tire class.
That needs to be promoted.
There needs to be M O R E class runoffs, heads up racing draws crowds period.
Folks in the stands don’t really care or understand handicap racing. Yes I like handicap racing.

Every class has evolved in Hp so the end result is the track gets hammered. It has been pretty hard for track personnel to keep up on bald spots. The last Vegas race was a great example of that. Is it or was it the glue shortage? Tire technology has come a long way also so that also factors in.
There’s a few really good track whisperers that prep really well and stay after track conditions. Maybe they will chime in.
Weston at Boise comes to mind.

[GTX JOHN]

Our N/SA 318 Wagon EXPLODED the tires at
last Vegas race. It was one of the first pairs down
the Track.

It usually hooks well in the water box.