Make Divisionals Great Again

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by Keith 944

If I remember correctly, NHRA tried to have an import class, I believe it flopped…

That was the time when I was covering a lot of races. Yes, it was a mess. Off the top of my head, I'd estimate that if 50% of the cars made it to the finish line under power it was something special.

Lots of cars broke on the line or shortly thereafter as the racers and parts suppliers didn't seem to have any idea about an NHRA prepped track. Others would spit parts downtrack and there was a lot of cleanup required.

That's been a long while ago. The import thing was in its early days and it was the wild west for speed parts. From what I can see today, it has matured and along with tuners gaining knowledge the companies who are still around are making good, reliable, effective parts.

Would it be different now? I can't really say. It would be tough for a track owner to lean into this scene not knowing whether it was going to be a hit or else a huge nightmare that affects the entire event.

I think it would have the potential to make a big difference assuming a track owner or promoter has the guts and the pocketbook to give it a try.