How would you SAVE CLASS RACING ???

[Pvt Parts]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

I understand that my previous posts have been removed as too controversial but all the comments without identifying the issues first is less helpful. Larry Hill discussed the factoring problems, some have identified the bye runs and others the announcer, the NHRA lack of publicity and sponsor money.
Individual fears about losing a place to race " the type" car they already know and own is a problem also.
There is only one place these can be solved and thats with honest NHRA evaluation and corrective actions.
THEY know the sponsor issues, they have been told the factoring issues, they control the epansive classes and combinations.
To Keep the identity of the S and SS as we know it, the basic rules must be preserved
To Keep fresh combinations being built they need the lower "guestimates" of HP but they MUST watch the performance or start them out as individual class (Like happened after several years of FI versus Carb)
Racers must accept that even though they found "the car", " the technology" to be fast or efficient, changes may come for the overall good of the S and SS Class structure.
NHRA should recognize that if Sponsors budgets are limited by the Per class demand, then either cut the costs or cut the classes to be fair to the budgets of the majority of sponsors. The pool of money left after paying winners should be less important to their budget than the overall success of the program.
NHRA must recreate their view of the AHFS and its application. Create a method to encourage performance every run not 1000 ft racing to save the HP.
Reward each winning run more than punishing with HP factors and it becomes worth it to get factored. Post Performance leaders each week in Dragster as "reward" for going fast. This would be like seeing your name on 16 top qualifiers at an event.
Points towards championship for Records , no factor. If you use the Et to WIN money then Hp factoring would seem more reasonable.
Cost to race is an issue, technology advances and rule "drift" upwards IS A FACTOR for all racers, now more than last year or prior.
NHRA could Cut the number of events used toward Championship points per division or National to give option to save one trip costs per racer.
OR have double meets at large track by running eliminator twice. Same qualifying sheet.
One set of time trials.
Cost per car could be addressed if people would accept change but these are some thoughts without those issues.
Thanks for reading.

Dick, you and I come from the same era. I remember racing at IRP and Edgewater Raceway Park with you back in the 1970's. I too started racing seriously in Super Stock with the goal of winning class at the US Nationals because it was the only you could make the eliminator on Monday morning and that's where I wanted to be. In fact, I don't remember ever running Super Stock eliminations without winning class when it was available. Then came class winners plus qualifiers to make a full eliminator field. I too got tired of the HP factoring, replacement oem parts and so on. That's when I built a weight to cu in SS car and ran SS/AM.

During that time I was also a NHRA Major sponsor, running full page ads in National Dragster and paying class winners and comp qualifiers. Then I moved to Comp and enjoyed reasonable success there just as I did in Super Stock. Those days were far different that when we raced in the 1970's just as next year will be different than last year. Every time detroit builds a new car, there will be new classes created and more technical issues to deal with. The bottom line is this..... Stock and Super Stock racing cannot and will not continue "as it used to be". For every racer and NHRA, last year is in the past just like the 70's 80's and 90's and that is where it's going to stay. The question for racers and NHRA alike is "how do we deal with the issues we face today and tomorrow".

Dick, I think your post is perhaps the most accurate and realistic one I've seen on this issue. You addressed the real issues and as far as I am concerned and you addressed the core of the "problem" in your last sentence..... "if people would accept change". This whole debate is about people resisting change. It's human nature to resist change. I too would love to see competitive class racing like it used to be but the economic environment just cannot support it any longer.

I predict that class eliminations will be a thing of the past in just a few short years. Stock and Super Stock will fall into the same format as the other catagories..... qualify, pair up on the ladder and fire up for round one. For NHRA, class eliminations and all of it's overhead.... tech inspections, tear downs, HP factors, weight breaks, superceded parts and all of the employees and expense required to administer the program has become a major headache.