Index Change

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Lane M Weber

The reason I can`t Mark is my car is only about .25 under now. I ran better than .30 under twice this past season,but never at a Combo or NHRA event. I know,I know,work on it,blah,blah,blah. Fact of the matter is,if I`m going to spend money on that thing,it won`t be so I can run low 16`s up here,I`m going to put a small block in it and run Pro or Super Pro. I`m tired of spending money on a slow car and it`s time to pick up the pace. The only reason I continued to stick with the slow car deal was because of Stock. So there you have it. I can walk away proud of my accomplishments in the class with no regrets.

Lane, I've got nothing against not spending money. That's why I do everything myself.
Let's be realistic here though. You've had that combo for the better part of 20 years now and it has the potential of being number one qualifier. A half second under the old index shouldn't be that hard to achieve ,without spending a big pile of money.
You're just not going to get a lot of sympathy on here with that program.
Same thing goes for the guys trying to run a 5.0 Mustang with the stock short block.
Sometimes you just have to open the wallet a little.
It killed me to have to buy a torque plate for a 2300 Ford for $400 ,but nobody in the Valley had one, so I had no choice, to get it right.
Like I said ,I'm sympathetic about having to spend a bunch of money on these things, but it never was intended to be Affirmative Action Drag Racing.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[The Hawk]

I haven`t posted on this thread looking for sympathy. I was just posting how I felt. Once the dragster deal for me ended a couple of years ago I was ok with just running the Skyhawk,but it`s getting a bit old now. I may change my mind,you just never know?

[buzzinhalfdozen]

Tracy, while I'll concede that there are some of those $50,000 dollar engines out there beating up some indexes, I doubt it's the norm. I don't have $50 large in my entire operation. Now I'm certainly no genious and I've been able to run under with my junk, of course that's most likely due to the "soft" indexes. So now I go from having a second under car to a .7 under car.....so what? As stated by a few on here , yes a few racers are gonna be affected in a bad way by this however they do have a choice, step up or move on.Not trying to be mean about it but that's just the hand that's been dealt. If I were in that spot I'd have to weigh my options and make a decision based on what I was willing and able to spend. Joe

[z28camaroman]

Isn't this where the indexes were about 20 years ago? I remember NHRA softened them up somewhere in that time frame. Now they are putting them back where they were before?

Jerry
#1710

[SS Engine Guy]

Senerio:

Racer A has a legal 1.00 under really nice, close to correctly factored race car.

Racer B has a grey area 1.30 under really nice, no where close to correctly factored car.

Index drops 3 tenths.

Racer A now has a legal .7 under really nice, close to correctly factored race car.

Racer B now has a grey area 1.30 under really nice, still no where close to correctly factored car. (He threw out the weight, moved the timing, quit lifting to gain his 3 tenths back).

There used to be 3 tenths seperating the two cars. Now there are 6 tenths seperating the two cars. Which car would you buy if the prices were the same? How much is a 1.30 under car vs. a .7 under car in terms of $100 dollar bills? How much money and time (which is money) would it take to pick up six tenths or even 3 tenths?
In my opinion this BS "rule of the week" just made the legal, close to correctly factored car worth less (not worthless). This rule just took money out of pockets in a number of areas. It has devalued alot of the combos out there with a pencil. It has given a racer a "need" to cheat to protect his investment when correctly factoring combos would have solved many problems. It has given a reason for "protecting" your combo, now more than before.

And while I'm at it I'll be damned if I can understand why fees go up all around and I can't even get a hard copy rulebook out of the deal. If you are that close to broke you might as well go ahead and fold. But we all know that isn't the case.............

[bsa633]

Ther's many different scenario's about this deal....but dont forget that this racing has come to look more and more stupid from year to year...almost like comp with lifting at the 1000...that had to be adressed in some way.. IMO.

[SS Engine Guy]

Originally Posted by bsa633

this racing has come to look more and more stupid from year to year...almost like comp with lifting at the 1000...that had to be adressed in some way.. IMO.

I agree 100% that the lifting needed to go a long time ago. Incrementals should have been used and HP delt out accordingly. Alot of it could have been handled by just looking at the scale sheets.

[Chad Rhodes]

let's use this for an example

Sorensen is capable of 9.60's in AA/SA, i'm assuming that's all its got. That's damn fast, and almost 1.30 under the old index. He can't go any faster than that under the new index, it's now 1.00 under.

Hajek or any of the other CJ's were pedaling the cars and still got a 1.40 under bump in A/SA making them AA/SA only cars now. The CJs can now go 9.35 in stock eliminator before getting instant HP. 9.35!!!!!!!

Sorensen had a prayer in a heads up under the old index against a CJ trying to protect his factor. now the CJ can have a coke and a smile on the starting line, and just blow by him at 1000', there is nothing ANY combo can do with the CJ's now, they have been given more room to hang it out and make everyone else look bad.

[Tracy Robbins]

Originally Posted by buzzinhalfdozen

Tracy, while I'll concede that there are some of those $50,000 dollar engines out there beating up some indexes, I doubt it's the norm. I don't have $50 large in my entire operation. Now I'm certainly no genious and I've been able to run under with my junk, of course that's most likely due to the "soft" indexes. So now I go from having a second under car to a .7 under car.....so what? As stated by a few on here , yes a few racers are gonna be affected in a bad way by this however they do have a choice, step up or move on.Not trying to be mean about it but that's just the hand that's been dealt. If I were in that spot I'd have to weigh my options and make a decision based on what I was willing and able to spend. Joe

I understand exactly what you're saying Joe, but it's sad that a lower budget racer should be forced to "move on"? As I stated before, NHRA's profits/car counts are down is this going to bring in more participants or force some to "move on"?
Personally, I will still go to whatever races I can get into and be competitive enough to run the index...until the index gets hit again.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Lane, You've had that combo for the better part of 20 years now and it has the potential of being number one qualifier.

Mark, I don't recall ever seeing a combo such as Lane's ever being number one qualifier, and unless one slipped by me, I'm going back to the '80's with how long I've followed Stock Eliminator (especially the national events)? Am I missing someone who raced a car engine combo like his? Who???


A half second under the old index shouldn't be that hard to achieve ,without spending a big pile of money.

Mark, your key statement was "A half second under the old index"! Now that the old index is just that "old", it will take money and lots of it to get .3 sec.... If I want to get that .3 back in my car, I'm going to have to get headers for it, and thanks to Hooker not making them anymore for my car, I'm going to have to part with $1,000 (hardly what I'd consider a small pile of money)!

You're just not going to get a lot of sympathy on here with that program.

Lane, you'll get sympathy from me because I haven't forgotten the '06 Mile High Nat's, that only thanks to you was I able to get my car to run the index (which was key in my beating Tony Hernandez in rd. 3, with my index plus .004 "16.664").

Somtimes you have to open the wallet a little.

Yeah Mark you can open it as long as you have some money in it???

it never was intended to be Affirmative Action Drag Racing.

No it wasn't intended to be that, but it shouldn't be a rich person only sport (which it seems like that's what it's becoming). I wonder how our dearly beloved (and now even more sadly missed) NHRA founder "Wally Parks" would feel about these changes that's happened since his unfortunate passing??? He wasn't rich, but he associated his-self with similarly minded people who shared a passion for "full throttle acceleration", and thru support of others his ideal became a reality for all of us to enjoy. Sadly corporate greed has settled in over recent years, and those of us who payed our entry fees and attended the races, are being stomped on and squeezed out like forgotten step-children!!!
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Mark, I hope you noticed the fillers I added to your comments on the above thread that's highlighted....

I'll agree with you on this though Mark...Lane, "Good luck, whatever you decide to do"!!!