1975 Index System

[randy wilson]

Dick's right. There ain't NOTHING wrong with the sanctioning bodies trying to develop a class where you can truly run heads-up, without spending a fortune. The ONLY reason S and SS cost as much as the do, is because they were allowed to blur the line, so now we run semi pro stock cars, and motors. People need to someday realize the crowd wants to see someone actually race. Drag racing used to be considered the number one spectater sport. NO ONE CARES ANYMORE TO GO LOCALLY AND WATCH IT!!!

[Dick Butler]

Guys who want to check my point should ask the local tracks how they make their spectator money. Thursday night Heads up racing from the locals GOIN talks about. No one makes anything off the Sat or Sun Brackets anymore. cant charge the racers enough to cover the costs of the event.
People Love to see someone WIN, even if not the most fair race. Regardless how many of our family or wives or friends understand break outs, dial unders etc it cannot draw a spectator.
Heads up Factory touring cars could fill the stands on a regular race night because....... Now we need a Cheap motor class for all of us to enter(3 or 4) and compete so people will cheer for the Red ford or the Blue Chevy or whatever again.

[Bill Diehl]

Dick makes a pretty strong case.... I have to agree.

[art leong]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

Guys who want to check my point should ask the local tracks how they make their spectator money. Thursday night Heads up racing from the locals GOIN talks about. No one makes anything off the Sat or Sun Brackets anymore. cant charge the racers enough to cover the costs of the event.
People Love to see someone WIN, even if not the most fair race. Regardless how many of our family or wives or friends understand break outs, dial unders etc it cannot draw a spectator.
Heads up Factory touring cars could fill the stands on a regular race night because....... Now we need a Cheap motor class for all of us to enter(3 or 4) and compete so people will cheer for the Red ford or the Blue Chevy or whatever again.

Dick Cheap Motor and Heads Up (go fast). Are the optimum oxymoron.
In go fast racers will find a way to bend any and all rules. And the sanctioning bodies don't have the will or the manpower, to police it.
I'm able to "cheap out" because I have an oddball class and don't have to compete with the Jones' or the Smith's etc. I can easily pull over half a second out of my car but it would mean spending a lot more money. And I run a class where there are few restrictions on the motor.

[Dick Butler]

Originally Posted by art leong

Dick Cheap Motor and Heads Up (go fast). Are the optimum oxymoron.
In go fast racers will find a way to bend any and all rules. And the sanctioning bodies don't have the will or the manpower, to police it.
I'm able to "cheap out" because I have an oddball class and don't have to compete with the Jones' or the Smith's etc. I can easily pull over half a second out of my car but it would mean spending a lot more money. And I run a class where there are few restrictions on the motor.

I admit I am unfamiliar with your car and class but tell me how many cars show up to Indy in class? Are you the fastest with the same equipment? Do you win class by beating 5 or 7 in class? If you are fastest in the country, Great. If you beat cars in class , Wonderful, If you just qualify high because of your class or class advantages I am happy for you but....without restrictions what is the gauge against which you judge yourself never mind which others should use to judge your skills? An NHRA index?

Regards cheating, do you think no one thinks you are cheating by having "few restrictions"? Restrictions can be the judge of skills.

Thanks for your comments. We probably just see two ends of the same game.

[Tony Janes]

Do not hold your breath on any sanctioning bodies developing heads up eliminators, for sure not NHRA.

[randy wilson]

Don't worry. I ain't holding my breath.

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by Tony Janes

Do not hold your breath on any sanctioning bodies developing heads up eliminators, for sure not NHRA.

Or IHRA either. The thread has been hijacked. It's winter and everyone is already going stir crazy. The obligatory thread about a heads up no dial class starts anew, LOL!

Thought this thread was about the old index system. I don't remember the par system myself. I do remember it was late 74, early 75 when the index system was adopted. FWIW, it has served it's purpose. It kept cars in the class. One thing about running off national records, it kept guys honest. It also limited class participation.

The rules today are what we have. We aren't going back. Are some combos soft, yes. That was what people sought years ago as well. The day of discovering something and keeping it secret from the rest of the country, with the internet. That's past history. The Ford 302 gift combo fits that paradigm. How many of these are going to pop up over the next season?

I could start a real sh#! storm. I like the old AHRA Formula Stock rules of the 70's. That gave virtually everything a place to race. From 2 four barrels to 2 barrels. On a corporate level, if a combo came in a car, you could adapt it to any other car. It would suffer the same crisis that the NHRA purists have with crate motor cars. They wouldn't be "stock"? On top of that, it would be a real pain to police, much worse than what we have today.

I'll go back and work on my soft combo FFFord. Give it a couple more years and we won't be having this conversation. New cars will dominate most of the classes. Those of us trying to build low class cars will probably be legislated out of existence.