Did Anybody Else Catch This?!

[joespanova]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

He didn't lose his edge so much as he lost all his backing. That tends to stop the wins and the development in a class that costs as much as Pro Stock does.

Unfortunately, he may be right. This country is not the "car loving" society/nation it once was, there are not even that many real "car people" in the OE automotive businesses. The economy is not great, and will not be for a while, if not a long while. NHRA has been trying to strangle all of the geese laying the golden eggs for a while.

I'm not saying it's time to pack it in. I am saying that we've seen far better days, and will not see them again without changes. And the changes are not likely so long as some of the people now in power remain there.

I'm not one of the regular "clic" here.....but to throw my .02 in anyway..........this is spot on for sure.
I went to the Southerns ( Atlanta ) this year and the vender participation was non existent , the number of fans way down and the appeal of the racing overall just doesn't have the same "feel" as it did 20 years ago.
The countdown is dumb and should go away , Pro Stock needs a complete overhaul as it is anyway ( to small blocks / fuel injection / turbos ) and the guys driving ( most of them , Coughlin comes to mind ).....those cars probably aren't car people anyway and certainly don't turn wrenches on anything. I have no respect for the pure "drivers" at all.
The NHRA is an archaic santioning body that has no clue as to what fans want , apparently.
Too bad its not up to me.....
Funny car would be dropped completely.
Pro Stock would change
Pro Mod would be included at every national event ( since they have a lot of fan appeal and are just generally pretty cool anyway).
Nostalgia Gas would become a new permanant class
Drop all Super classes ( comp , gas and street ) at national events.

[Dan Fahey]

One of the cool attributes of early Pro Stock were the launches.
Another was raising the launch rpm and screaming high rpm shifts.

None of the current pro cars can do wheelies and live.

[cicero819]

I might be repeating myself but here goes, NHRA is getting ready to say good by to Pro-Stock ,very soon. What makes me say this, is very simple, when I was at the U.S. National in Indy all their ads stated Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Cars and wait... Pro Mod, not one word about Pro-Stock, in one T.V ad they even showed Super-Stocks doing wheelies to attract new consumers. I've said it many times, return to a showroom look and let them lift their collective front-ends and watch the breed gain some much needed love from the spectators. As for W.J. he's a professional Ahole and proud of it, never cared about his competitor when he had the big budget and now that he has to count his pennies now, W.J. is pointing the finger at the others that do spend to keep up, he never cared for any spectators, so I won't lose too much sleep thinking about his plight. I remember Jason Line taking the time to talk to this little girl at the U.S. national and showing her the inside of the car and making her feel important, I know one thing he's got a fan for life with that little girl.Claude Ruel p.s. and yes Ed, we aren't an automotive society anymore.lol

[randy wilson]

Nothing will cure what ails drag racing. We lost crowd appeal back in the 70's, and 80's. I know we're selling everything, and quitting this year. I'm sure we won't break either NHRA, or IHRA, but it is one less. It just ain't fun anymore. Used to be the whole town would follow a racer. Now they don't even know we exist. Even the quick fixes discussed here, are too spendy for the younger crowd. Remember when drag racing was the fastest growing motor sport? Right before bracket racing took root. I know, but it is the sad truth. No one cares to watch that.

[Carguy49]

Originally Posted by Jim Wahl

In the interview of Warren Johnson Saturday at Pomona, he stated he thought the sport was in it's waining days! The only real reason he gave was cost to race. 2.5 to 3 million per year for Pro Stock. What are your thoughts on his statement? Jim


.

The cost is ridiculous. Pro Stock has advanced to the point of not being interesting anymore. What part of the car is "stock" anymore. They look more like Pro Mod cars with carburetors. We need to roll back the clocks a few years and make the cars look more like production vehicles.
Same goes for Funny Car. I know that is a little off subject, but it's just how I feel. Just so you know, many of my friends feel the same way. And yes, we are all over 60.

[Todd Boyer]

Originally Posted by Carguy49

The cost is ridiculous. Pro Stock has advanced to the point of not being interesting anymore. What part of the car is "stock" anymore. They look more like Pro Mod cars with carburetors. We need to roll back the clocks a few years and make the cars look more like production vehicles.
Same goes for Funny Car. I know that is a little off subject, but it's just how I feel. Just so you know, many of my friends feel the same way. And yes, we are all over 60.

I'm 45 and I agree wholeheartedly that Pro Stock cars should look more stock. I remember when a PS car had to have factory steel roof and quarters with fiberglass replicas of the rest of the parts. They looked like actual cars. When I see the current PS cars, I just shake my head. I actually like Pro Stock more listening to it on the audiocast than I do watching it on TV.