A/SA 9.80's

[Jim B]

Originally Posted by Dave Wolfe

Don't you imagine that when the A990 cars and 68 Hemi's came out the talk was about how they were going to ruin the sport? Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same.

You don't have to imagine, the moaning was a fact. Obscure car combinations were appearing and wailing began on a regular basis. Factory involvement was routinely branded as a precursor to the demise of the sport. Maybe a few of you even remember (or were told) that a race vehicle that was bought new from a dealership was denounced as a "rich kid's" entry into drag racing. Fewer of you probably remember the outcrying that occurred when valves were moved from the block to the cylinder head. (No, the wheel HAD been invented by then) At any rate, change always creates resistance, inconvenience and dissention. It is and always has been frustrating and agravating when a "new" car or combination puts your hard work and cumulative effort in your car seeming in the trashcan until the factor is worked out. I'm sure everybody wishes there was an easy fix, but the underying solution does (and always has) rest with the sanctioning body. If I remember correctly, back in the 60's some of the new factory race cars raced in their own classes. (The S/S and /X) Maybe a return to that way of classification would level the playing field more quickly until the correct HP/lbs factor was reached. The class could still be integrated into the eliminater with the correct index/breakout rules. Just my 2¢.

BTW: When the 68 Hemi cars came out, they had to run the then SS/B and SS/BA classes. Their weight break would not allow them in Stock. The SS/A and SS/AA class was reserved in anticipation of vehicles that never came to be.