I don't think we're

[Billy Nees]

going to get much help or attention from Mr. Clifford!


[url]http://competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/clifford's-six-step-initiative-plan-to-growing-nhra[url]

[Bob Don]

Billy - your link didn't work. Try this:

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-...o-growing-nhra

I read the article. I didn't hear anything about sportsman racing! lol

[Chris1529]

"The teams are in agreement with us, we need to find a solution for these oildowns," said Clifford. "If we can cut out the oildowns or greatly reduce them, that's crucial, and can change this sport overnight. It not only impacts those sitting in the stands but could impact our live television broadcasts. The oildowns have to stop from sportsman to professional racers."

"One of those ideas, Clifford said, includes an oil pan pressure switch aimed at shutting down the engine at abnormally high readings."

So, John Force is ahead of Del Worsham at 900' at a track. Force's oil pan pressure switch alarms and shuts down the engine. Worsham passes him to win the race and knocks Force out of the countdown to the championship.
Sounds like an excellent idea to improve reliability and competition to me.

[Billy Nees]

"The oildowns have to stop from sportsman to professional racers."

The only time Sportsmen were even mentioned!

[Adger Smith]

Don't they realize the AVG spectator comes to watch the explosions and fire. They like carnage& expect it. These guys are going to "sanitize" it so much there wont be any excitement for the Avg non technical fan. It is just like taking the bumping and wrecks out of the cup or dirt races. Remember when they (Nascar) tightened up on it and made it boring and saw their mistake. Go ahead NHRA and make it dull for those left in the stands.

[Mike Pearson]

it should not take as long to clean up the track as it does now. Back years ago when they used rice hull ash and a few guys on the tail gate of the pick up and a big jet blower they could clean a lane in about a third if the time it takes now. Everything seems to be in slow motion with these guys now. Sportsman dump some oil once in a while but no where near the amount of the nitro guys

[CMcAllister]

Stuff happens when mechanical parts and assemblies are stressed to the limit. 10,000 horsepower from a 500 inch V-8 and they don't want any parts or oil to come out of them?

They market the speed and the power. Turn on a drag race show and often the first thing you see in the opening credits is an engine blow up in a ball of fire. I don't see how you can have it both ways and I'm not in favor of "fundamentally transforming" the sport for the purpose of making it good TV for the uninformed.

NASCAR has yellow flags, we have oil downs. It's a part of sport. Things have gotten much better since the days when it would take a bunch of guys with brooms an hour and a half to clean up a mess.

[Steve Stasko]

Originally Posted by Adger Smith

Don't they realize the AVG spectator comes to watch the explosions and fire. They like carnage& expect it. These guys are going to "sanitize" it so much there wont be any excitement for the Avg non technical fan. It is just like taking the bumping and wrecks out of the cup or dirt races. Remember when they (Nascar) tightened up on it and made it boring and saw their mistake. Go ahead NHRA and make it dull for those left in the stands.

A co-worker (who normally goes to Sprint Car races) asked me how often drag cars crash. He very openly admitted that the part he enjoyed most about dirt track racing was watching the wrecks. He wanted to go to Maple Grove to the Nationals with me this past year, but when I told him the likelihood of crashes was few and far, he lost interest.

As far as the Clifford article, It appears to me Mr. Clifford is going to turn the NHRA into a circus show like IHRA was turned into. If he is worried about participation numbers, maybe it's time to start putting some restrictions back into the classes. While numbers have remained the same in some classes, there are still many cars across the country that are parked because of the rule advancements.

[Jim Wahl]

I read this that Clifford said about the Sportsman ranks:

"We look at this sport as a pyramid with the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition at the top, and the sportsman racing is the base," said Clifford. “We need to continue to grow the base. A pyramid cannot grow unless the base does. It's important that we reiterate in our words and actions how important the sportsman racer is to us."

Clifford said there is a concerted effort underway to weld Initiative No. 1 and No. 2 together, with the goal of having the sportsman show as appealing as the professional presentation.

Do we not believe him Billy?



.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Jim Wahl

Do we not believe him Billy?.

Why of course I believe him Jim!

Could you hang on for just a minute? The President is at the door asking me my opinion on health care, I'm on the phone with somebody in Zimbabwe who claims to be my long-lost twin brother and if I'll send him air fare he'll be able to re-unite with me and my winged horse just got loose!