1000ft drag racing in Denver (2 Viewers)

[Prestaged]

This is a knee jerk reaction due to the fact that the sanctioning body has not had the guts to slow the cars down.

 

[Prestaged]

Maybe they should put restrictor plates on the cars!

Jim

It's not much harder than that really.

 

[D]

Since few people born in the past 40 years understands what any of the following lyrics mean, they won't miss 1/4 mile.

Tach it up

Buddy, gonna shut you down

Two cool shorts standing side by side

Declining numbers at an even rate

At the count of one we both accelerate

The 413's really digging in

Powershift...here we go

Hear his two quads drink

He's hot with ram induction

Buddy, now I shut you down

Dam, you went all points and condensers on himLOL
I'll try to wait and see how this pans out, but outside of not seeing friends and family, I'm not upset now that I couldn't get home for this race.

S/F
D

 

[Rich]

Called "my way or the highway"

Otherwise, when I was a child, called a "tantrum".

Holding of the breath 'till one turns blue..............

Whatever, the show will go on.

This was a smart move by the drivers and PRO and the NHRA.

REX

Sorry, but it's NOT my way or the highway. Quite the opposite. Drag racing has been 1/4 mile from the very beginning of the sport. If anything, it is the NHRA that is now telling the fans "our way or the highway". If you want to watch and support 1000 foot racing, go right ahead; it's certainly no skin off my nose. But it doesn't mean I have to do it. Hell, I have to drive 90 miles each way to get to Pacific Raceways. But there's a great dirt track with excellent 410 and 360 sprint car racing eight miles from my house. I can get my racing fix satisfied just fine without the NHRA (and even save gas), thank you.

 

[Rexfiles]

Sorry, but it's NOT my way or the highway. Quite the opposite. Drag racing has been 1/4 mile from the very beginning of the sport. If anything, it is the NHRA that is now telling the fans "our way or the highway". If you want to watch and support 1000 foot racing, go right ahead; it's certainly no skin off my nose. But it doesn't mean I have to do it. Hell, I have to drive 90 miles each way to get to Pacific Raceways. But there's a great dirt track with excellent 410 and 360 sprint car racing eight miles from my house. I can get my racing fix satisfied just fine without the NHRA (and even save gas), thank you.

I cannot figure out, what you know that the teams do not know.

The racers, owners, drivers.

Please, please, educate them, they really do not apparently know all that much.....................

REX

 

[Bobby]

Sorry, but it's NOT my way or the highway. Quite the opposite. Drag racing has been 1/4 mile from the very beginning of the sport. If anything, it is the NHRA that is now telling the fans "our way or the highway". If you want to watch and support 1000 foot racing, go right ahead; it's certainly no skin off my nose. But it doesn't mean I have to do it. Hell, I have to drive 90 miles each way to get to Pacific Raceways. But there's a great dirt track with excellent 410 and 360 sprint car racing eight miles from my house. I can get my racing fix satisfied just fine without the NHRA (and even save gas), thank you.

I'm with you Rich. There's other ways to make this sport safer

And - if nitro goes away, the fans go away. Period. Have you seen the pictures in ND of the divisional meets lately? 260mph alky dragsters good stuff I like it - but what do you see - empty stands.

Put a 260mph NITRO dragster on the track and you'll have full stands.

And all the talk about how Scott's engine wouldn't have blown up with a 1000 foot track - you don't know that . you have no way of knowing that.

the tune up would have been different. And if it's the rev limiter that's the problem well DOH

the rev limiter was a stupid idea from day one!

it's just bad decision after bad decision with nhra. I 'm tired. good night.

 

[Bobby]

I cannot figure out, what you know that the teams do not know.

The racers, owners, drivers.

Please, please, educate them, they really do not apparently know all that much.....................

REX

they don't know how important 1320 is to most fans. that's what they don't know. slow the cars down and run a 1/4 mile. ok? that's a valid opinion whether you like it or not.

 

[Rexfiles]

they don't know how important 1320 is to most fans. that's what they don't know. slow the cars down and run a 1/4 mile. ok? that's a valid opinion whether you like it or not.

The racers don't like it, I'm with them.

Argue with Connie, this had his stamp on it too.

He just might understand something you don't.

good night to you too.

REX

 

[d'kid]

Since few people born in the past 40 years understands what any of the following lyrics mean, they won't miss 1/4 mile.

Tach it up

Buddy, gonna shut you down

Two cool shorts standing side by side

Declining numbers at an even rate

At the count of one we both accelerate

The 413's really digging in

Powershift...here we go

Hear his two quads drink

He's hot with ram induction

Buddy, now I shut you down

Ah Wayne,
Understand what they mean, The Beach Boys stuff, along with Jan and Dean, always seemed as much about street racing as legal racing... believe I'm enough over 40 to remember the White Pants rule at the county, can you say hang ten t-shirts as crew uniforms?

I've been wonder since the end of '93 when the tracks would be shorted.

d'kid

 

[Bob]

No, they ain't "pussies". And, yes, I agree that kind of name-calling is low.

However, since it's drivers, crew chiefs, and owners that know what's best for the sport, then let them buy the tickets. As I said previously, I have no problem whatsoever with slowing the cars down - especially if it will save lives. But what I cannot and will not support is a change that fundamentally alters what drag racing has always been. And I feel strongly enough about it that I have put my tickets for all three days of the Seattle event in an envelope and will be sending them to Glendora tomorrow. Since there's no way on God's green earth that the NHRA will refund my money, that means it's going to cost me more than $300 to make my point (plus the $64 I sent in to renew my NHRA membership a couple of weeks ago, which I will now cancel).

Rich,

Putting aside any differences of opinion we have had in the past, I have to ask you why you hold some of these opinions. Earlier you wrote: "That's it for me. I'll stick to the watching sprint cars racing on dirt tracks from now on." Dirt track ovals vary in circumference from venue to venue. If racing the same number of laps at a dirt track oval that is two thirds or a half of the circumference of other tracks sanctioned to host the same event series is acceptable to you as a racing fan, you know the event will take less time to contest and the cars won't be going as fast on the smaller ovals as they will on the larger ones. What is the difference? The sprint cars running a 3/8ths track will be hanging it out just as much as they would on a half mile, but they still won't be going as fast. They still look like they're going pretty damn fast (and they are). The competition and speed from the spectator perspective is the same. It will be the same thing racing to 1000 feet for nitro cars in drag racing.

 

[Rich]

I cannot figure out, what you know that the teams do not know.

The racers, owners, drivers.

Please, please, educate them, they really do not apparently know all that much.....................

REX

If 1000 foot racing were the only alternative perhaps you would have a valid point. But it's not, and you know it as well as I do.

I purchased my tickets to the Northwest Nationals in good faith believing I would be seeing 1/4 mile drag racing just as I have seen for decades. Now I am told two weeks before the event that I will be seeing racing that is fundamentally different than what I expected to see. Are the racers, owners, and drivers (to say nothing of the NHRA) offering to refund my ticket money now that they've changed the rules of the game?

 

[Jenn]

If 1000 foot racing were the only alternative perhaps you would have a valid point. But it's not, and you know it as well as I do.

I purchased my tickets to the Northwest Nationals in good faith believing I would be seeing 1/4 mile drag racing just as I have seen for decades. Now I am told two weeks before the event that I will be seeing racing that is fundamentally different than what I expected to see. Are the racers, owners, and drivers (to say nothing of the NHRA) offering to refund my ticket money now that they've changed the rules of the game?

I'm pretty sure they won't be offering up one of their drivers as a sacrificial offering to your wallet.

Driver loses his life in a racing accident, association takes preventative action, fans complain. Boo hoo. Your grief is NOTHING compared to the Kalittas and Oberhoffers grief. Are you trying to minimize that? Poor baby you are, you lost a few hundred bucks, Scott Kalitta lost his LIFE.

 

[slicky]

Newbies don't know about the old points format, so it won't confuse them.
The only question is, if all teams play each other 23 times before the last race of the season, why do we NEED a playoff?

The first car to the finish line wins, that's not hard to understand

NASCAR? you don't think qualifying for the Daytona 500 isn't about the most complicated thing on the face of the earth.
Try keeping track of scoring in tennis. Almost as weird as that new fangled 3 point line in basketball... DH in baseball?

so qualifying, only the 12 quickest count... and?
In Nascar, didn't only the top twenty on the first day of qualifying count at one time... And NASCAR is on there 5th or 6th different points system? Remember when the ???Cup cars were called GRAND NATIONALS?

And, if you had no clue about drag racing, you wouldn't ask yourself those questions because you would have no idea to even ask them.
Your asking the questions because what was, not because what is today...
How did we decide the World Champion in 1969, and what did you have to do to even be invited to attend?
how many points system have we had in the last 50 years?


just wondering

d'kid

This was a very great post , unfortunately it will go over the mouths of those intended for . I know I should have said over the heads it was intended for but , oh well . My real hopes are at the end of the day is that it will save lives , save money for the teams that are spending too much to win nothing ; regardless of sponsorships , and still provide a great show for the fans . The real fun is still in the pits during warm ups , and lets pray that it does not get eliminated due to liabilities .

There is so much to gripe about here other than 300 some odd foot of race surface until NHRA comes to a plan to make the events safer for the drivers . The fans are also in their thoughts about safety too I believe .

Lets get pissed about the real problems instead . Official fuel , $40 parking , not enough beer stands , taking sponsors or money from the teams after they go and beg for it from companies to facilitate the income that Glendora seems to never give back to the winners ( at least they could up the winnings pots ) , and upgrade the tracks that they are making their salaries off of . They seem to be keeping up with the times with their pay , the tracks are not keeping up with the speeds of the faster cars . Why is that ? Good Year is the mandated tire and they are behind the abilities of the crew chiefs at this time also . There is alot to consider here folks . Why are there some great drivers on the sidelines ? Fan favorites at that .

Low gate income will not give the abilty to upgrade the tracks , we are losing the audience in case you have not noticed . On the track and on television .

So this is the best fix for now . It will get better . Keep the faith .

 

[Old Man]

If it will somehow save a life and keep shyt from blowing up at the 1000' rev limiter, let it happen. All you see from a 1000' on is pistons going out the zoomies. IMHO

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

I wonder how many others may be seeing the writing on the wall that I'm imagining will come down.
I suspect that all the timers will eventually be in the same location for all tracks and if they decide 1000' is the standard for the pro teams that means us meaningless sportsman racers will eventually bow to the new length as well.

This means changing rear gears or tire sizes which I haven't had to do for a decade and we have four cars. It could also mean lower first (and possibly subsequent) transmission gears since the car needs to be up to speed sooner at 1-to-1 for the shorter tracks. Historic data will be valueless and in many ways we'll start from scratch. All this and more and we are just one lousy team. I suspect many will feed off the last sentence.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

I don't know how I feel about this to be honest.

But I do know this -- if the goal of the NHRA is to increase its fan base, this is not (in my opinion) a step in the right direction.

First, we have the countdown. The casual fan with not a lot of knowledge understands this. It changed from last year to this. More confusion.

Second, we have the changes in qualifying format. Top 12 times stand, and the last 4 are thrown out.

Third, we have fuel cars going to 1000' while the rest go the full 1/4 mile.

I just thought of a good way to explain #3 to a new fan. "Those cars are so bad/fast that they need the extra room to stop." When they see and feel a 300 MPH run, I'm sure they'll get it. At least you'll still be able to say 300 MPH drag racing, not 290.

 

[megadeth]

I would like the people who are so deadset against this to remember one thing: PRO (i.e. the guys/gals who put their lives on the line every race) is 100% behind this. This has little/nothing to do with NHRA, as far as who made the decision. So make sure you let your favorite driver(s) know that they have "killed" drag racing.

Doesn't mean the fans will be.
If this impacts attendance the way it appears it will I bet you it won't last long!
Fans don't have to let the drivers know anything they just won't show up.
Actions speak louder than words ever could!
Maybe they should reduce driver’s salaries as well as ticket prices to reflect the change.
If this becomes a permanent change I will stop going also I wish I would have known before I just ordered my Sonoma tickets.
I'm with Joe on this issue I will be attending more nostalgia meets in the near future.
Joe goes to a lot of events and he is a dedicated fan and if you gauge his feelings that might be the true feelings of a lot of long time fans not all but a lot!
There are a lot of drivers in waiting that would jump in any vacated seat that becomes available.

 

[Rich]

Rich,

Putting aside any differences of opinion we have had in the past, I have to ask you why you hold some of these opinions. Earlier you wrote: "That's it for me. I'll stick to the watching sprint cars racing on dirt tracks from now on." Dirt track ovals vary in circumference from venue to venue. If racing the same number of laps at a dirt track oval that is two thirds or a half of the circumference of other tracks sanctioned to host the same event series is acceptable to you as a racing fan, you know the event will take less time to contest and the cars won't be going as fast on the smaller ovals as they will on the larger ones. What is the difference? The sprint cars running a 3/8ths track will be hanging it out just as much as they would on a half mile, but they still won't be going as fast. They still look like they're going pretty damn fast (and they are). The competition and speed from the spectator perspective is the same. It will be the same thing racing to 1000 feet for nitro cars in drag racing.

I am glad you raised the issue because you make a very valid argument. In fact I think you hit upon one of the major differences between circle track racing and drag racing. In NASCAR, for example, fans prefer variety of tracks and decry the so-called "cookie cutter" tracks that are near carbon copies of other tracks. In NASCAR a championship racer has to be good on everything from short tracks to intermediate tracks to super speedways to road courses. Variety is the name of the game. Likewise, in sprint car racing no two dirt tracks are exactly the same. Even at the same track the condition of the track itself can change from one day to the next - and sometimes even in the same night. The ability to adapt to various tracks and track conditions are a major part of what dirt racing is all about. Drag racing of course also requires adaptation to changing track conditions. But unlike NASCAR or sprint car racing, the track has always been the same length. In that sense drag racing is more like football where the field is always the same size even if the conditions on the field may vary depending on weather, type of turf, etc. Sprint car racing is more akin to baseball where the dimensions of the field very from stadium to stadium. The problem is that drag racing has been 1/4 mile since the very beginning of the sport. One cannot simply alter the length of a race without also effecting all the stats and data that has accumulated over the entire history of the sport. Because of that what we will be seeing starting with Denver will be fundamentally different than what we have seen in drag racing for more than 50 years.

 

[Bob]

I'm with Joe on this issue I will be attending more nostalgia meets in the near future.

To watch slower cars. Yep, that makes sense!

 

[.]

changed my perspective