Index Change

[The Hawk]

One thing NHRA didn`t even consider before they did this was think of the lost revenue to the race tracks from racers like myself no longer participating in the Combo races. I myself will save over $1300 in entry fees and race fuel for just the seven events I attend up here each year,so not all is bad.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Lane M Weber

One thing NHRA didn`t even consider before they did this was think of the lost revenue to the race tracks from racers like myself no longer participating in the Combo races.

Why can't you?

[Frank Castros]

I'm curious, what do you guys guess is the average age of a stock eliminator competitor and car?
Based on that data what is the future of stock eliminator 10-15 years from now?

[Dion Hildebrandt]

Originally Posted by Stock 608

This is a huge blow to my program. I was about a -30 player before and ok with that. Now i will most likely not be able to even run the index. I don't have the money to make up the difference. So my car will not see much nhra action in 2010, just bracket racing. I may end up still going to pomona since i had planed on it, but thats about it. I understand why it was done, but its a hard deal for racers on a tight budget and who's cars are not fast enough anymore...

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

I'm curious, what do you guys guess is the average age of a stock eliminator competitor and car?
Based on that data what is the future of stock eliminator 10-15 years from now?

I ,like Ryan (stock 608) am a 'young gun' (he's younger than me, I'm 34) I can afford to race STOCK only because I am self employed and 'sponsor' myself. This change with a stroke of a pen makes my car useless as it was good for -0.25. yea yea yea I know 'work on it' . Mid week I found out my combo went from a 300 horse rated at 290 to a 285 rating GREAT! i can lose 57.5 pounds ,to finding out my slow car is non qualifier everywhere. How does the nhra figure they are going to get new (young) blood excited about class racing when the current crop of drivers are questioning if it is even worth it to compete themselves? I was already planning on hemorraging my wallet for the annual off season update was kinda hoping to jump up to a -1.00 or -0.90 car for 2010, i guess it will be a -0.70 or -0.60 .......................makes the 'investment' easy to explain to my pregnant wife!

[X-TECH MAN]

[QUOTE=Dion Hildebrandt; How does the nhra figure they are going to get new (young) blood excited about class racing when the current crop of drivers are questioning if it is even worth it to compete themselves? [/QUOTE]

In case you havent figured it out.......NHRA dosent care. Its all about the SHOW (Circus Acts).

[Jim Bailey]

Terry: That's really not a bad idea. Buy the end of 2010, even with the new index, All the Big Engine Mustangs, convertibles included, and the Big Engine Challengers should be AA cars or SuperStock only. (As they should be) It'll be interesting to see how the new smaller engine combo's of the purpose only built cars figure into the skeem of things. MAN, I can hear the whinning now!!! Maybe Stock Eliminator will be all Ford Mustangs and Dodge Challengers in every class...Now that would be fun to watch ... Spec Stock Eliminator Cars of the Future!! ... That's when I quit. JB

[Jim Bailey]

Opps, sorry, wrong thread! JB

[RJ]

The 2010 indexes are 1/2 second quicker than they were in 1976, squeezing out 5 tenths in last 34 years, about -.015 ET per year (especially with the liberalization of the rules) isn't much.

[Alan Roehrich]

I'm still not seeing this as a way to bring young people to Stock and Super Stock. After a year of the new cars in Stock and Super Stock, how many are being fielded by young people new to the sport? None that I've seen. There are a few driven by the "'kids" of Stock or Super Stock racers, but those "kids" were likely to race in Stock or Super Stock anyway.

Face facts. Stock and Super Stock are not cheap. That is one of the big reasons why we don't have new young people in the classes in large numbers. Young people can't afford it. And just because you bring in "new" cars that are just as expensive as "old" cars does not mean young people will suddenly be able to afford them.

Take stock in reality. We are the bastard step children of NHRA. They don't REALLY want to save our classes. We're a heavy load on their tech department, especially at the track. Face it, we complain a lot (most often, with good reason). When we generate a decent car count, we take up a lot of space and a lot of time.

NHRA keeps us around because we pay entry fees and buy crew passes. They keep us around because we pay membership fees and certification fees. They keep us around because we pay competition license and number fees. They keep us around because they take the lion's share of the contingency money posted for us. They keep us around because they make a killing off of stuff we buy at the track. NHRA doesn't love us, they don't want us, they don't really care about us, and they certainly are not concerned with "saving us".

The "new" cars are here because NHRA can make an extra dollar or two (or more) from them. They're here because NHRA gets paid to have them here. NHRA isn't going to make rules, change rules, and make allowances for anything they aren't getting paid for, or saving money on. NHRA is not the "benevolent" "non profit" governing body it once was, long ago. It is a for profit corporation, and the board is driven by the bottom line and how they can improve it.

I just do not see a bunch of twenty something or thirty something "new" racers showing up in these "new" cars in droves, or in any real numbers, to race Stock and Super Stock.

[CycloneFE]

Stock is not necessarily the way to start Drag Racing, look at Don Garlits. Even with factory help he didn't even get in at Indy. He has really got to work as you guys say.