4-Lanes of Nitro (2 Viewers)

[Clark W.]

I wonder if you will have cars not in the countdown taking a "dive" to lose first round as to be available to run in this media extravaganza. ESPN will spend more time on this build up than the actual race. What about Pro Stock, why weren't they included?
Wish I could be there!

 

[Matt]

4 lane racing is stupid, never happen.
more is not better.
lot of glue sniffers here I suppose.

4 lane nitro exhibition, way cool

 

[Muddy]

One of our problems is drag racing is 4 to 6 seconds long. It happens to quick for it's own good. Cutting it in half so that first round is only 16 seconds of racing would be STUPID in my opinion. Reducing the time required to run an event would be counter productive. What would they do with all the $12.00 hamburgers and $6.00 cokes that they sell during the 3 or so hours that would be eliminated?

 

[Nunz]

I think as an exhibition the 4-lane deal would be cool. I think the biggest risk for the fuel cars is with so much hype and build-up, it will really suck if all 4 cars don't make it all the way down. We all know aborted runs are not uncommon in the fuel ranks. I think a 4 car, smoke-filled pedal-fest would be wild!

 

[mick]

4 lane oildown = 2x cleanup time = 2x hamburger sales

so there's a wall between the tracks.........so what, there should
be a wall between the lanes on all the tracks.
zmax should have 4 lanes and 5 walls.

 

[Nunz]

So Mike we should have a wall seperating the 2 lanes on a regular track? Why don't we run the cars in grooves like slot cars and then they will never stray from a straight line...

 

[sdwarf36]

I wonder if you will have cars not in the countdown taking a "dive" to lose first round as to be available to run in this media extravaganza. ESPN will spend more time on this build up than the actual race. What about Pro Stock, why weren't they included?
Wish I could be there!

Oh sure-we can have a 4 lane staging duel. When do you time the 7 seconds from-1st car? car in your lanes?

 

[Bob]

Better yet put the delay box cars in and watch the fun there. 4 drivers trying to watch each other!

 

[Harry Mannback]

Personally I like the idea of the 4 lane exhibition race. I also think it should be done between the semis and the finals and used as a replacement for the "bring out every vehicle we can find including riding mowers and the new vacuum from housekeeping parade" before the finals.

It would be fun to watch in person and on TV as an exhibition kind of like lining up 64 Funny Cars and starting them up back in the day. It could also be valuable in qualifying when the weather is threatening.

As far as racing goes, no thank you. Two 4 second passes is enough to keep up with for me thank you. It would be hard on the Announcers too.

just my .02
Dan

 

[Bob]

Alan could do it easy

 

[camaro]

What about Pro Stock, why weren't they included?
Wish I could be there!

i say they should definitely include prostock, because lets face it, what are the odds of all 4 of those nitro cars making a full pass, very slim !!
With 4 pro stockers, while it wont be nearly as loud, u will have 4 vehicles doin' 200 plus mph at the finish line !!

 

[JB3]

Personally I like the idea of the 4 lane exhibition race. I also think it should be done between the semis and the finals and used as a replacement for the "bring out every vehicle we can find including riding mowers and the new vacuum from housekeeping parade" before the finals ...

And how pissed off do you think the Finalists will be when there is a monster oildown in this exhibition in one of the lanes that were being used for the actual race?

How about the spectators? I can hear the announcers now ... "Hey fans, we know you've been here all day and the kids are getting antsy to leave, we're sorry but the finals will be delayed 45 minutes due to an exhibition oil down. So, while you watch the cleanup here is some country music and the T-Shirt guys for your entertainment".

Especially with the so-so forecast for this whole weekend ... what if it starts raining just before the actual Finals? Time wasted, could further delay completing the event when it could have already been over.

Crappy idea for Sunday. I don't think there will be any quality volunteers anyway. This discussion may all be for nothing if nobody wants to participate.

 

[yoda]

1972 at Budds Creek Dragway, now MIR. One of the first drag races I saw live, freaked me out as all I knew about drag racing was from drooling over issues of Car Craft back in Sweden

Few people believe it, good thing Steve Reyes was there -> 4-wide at Budds Creek

Regards
PiPPi
HarleyDrags.com

Nice shot- seen that one as well, Par, but the one I remember was Jungle's blue Camaro, and Lew Arrington's 71-72 orange (weren't they all? ) Mustang... 3/4 front shot... I'll have to search my library....

 

[yoda]

One of our problems is drag racing is 4 to 6 seconds long. It happens to quick for it's own good. Cutting it in half so that first round is only 16 seconds of racing would be STUPID in my opinion. Reducing the time required to run an event would be counter productive. What would they do with all the $12.00 hamburgers and $6.00 cokes that they sell during the 3 or so hours that would be eliminated?

John- EVERY pass takes at least 2 minutes. The anticipation is just a build up to the bullet being fired from the gun, the ball being struck by the stick/ club or the arrow being released fron the bow. The final action of those sports is the matter hitting the target, and how close it can be to perfect, but that is not what makes up the sport (at least to the participants).

I'd love the sport to have a couple of "circus events" like this a year- good for PR and press attention. Indy and Pomona 1 should also be on that list, for no other reason than their historical meanings for the sport. 4 lanes for those two races? No, absolutly not. But media coverage at that level for those races- hell yeah. Glendora can focus on those two races to get it right, and then in a few seasons, expand what they have learned as the template for other races on the tour (Vegas and Gainsville to start..).

And, by the way- in my opinion, unless I have a car that I'm working on that day, raceday is WAAAAAYYYYYY too freakin long, especially for the average spectator. Football, baseball, et al- 3 hours top to bottom. A SIX hour day of being a spectator? I'm over it. Hell- a six hour day of spending more time in the lanes than I do in the pits is getting to be a bit old...

 

[Harry Mannback]

And how pissed off do you think the Finalists will be when there is a monster oildown in this exhibition in one of the lanes that were being used for the actual race?

How about the spectators? I can hear the announcers now ... "Hey fans, we know you've been here all day and the kids are getting antsy to leave, we're sorry but the finals will be delayed 45 minutes due to an exhibition oil down. So, while you watch the cleanup here is some country music and the T-Shirt guys for your entertainment".

Especially with the so-so forecast for this whole weekend ... what if it starts raining just before the actual Finals? Time wasted, could further delay completing the event when it could have already been over.

Crappy idea for Sunday. I don't think there will be any quality volunteers anyway. This discussion may all be for nothing if nobody wants to participate.

You may be right, as I said it's just my .02.
I still say they need to do something between the semis and the finals.

 

[timebombkal]

Is there enough safety personnel if something bad happens?

 

[PiPPi]

Nice shot- seen that one as well, Par, but the one I remember was Jungle's blue Camaro, and Lew Arrington's 71-72 orange (weren't they all? ) Mustang... 3/4 front shot... I'll have to search my library....

Holy sh!t, were you there!?! If you have the time to spare, please do look for more pictures.

Internet makes for a small world, I got in contact with Bethany Reyes through eBay and was told Steve Reyes has a few more pictures from that event (could be "those events", not sure it was a one-off).

As for gassers running 4 wide, that was done at York back when. Relatively speaking, one of the coolest pictures of drag racing AFAIC -> http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m79/kiwikevinp/scan0013-6.jpg

No idea as to the year or classification of the cars in the picture. Correct me if I'm wrong: Dyno Dons Mustang carries an "A/MP"-sticker which I think means it was a Super Stocker and that combo would then be before Pro Stock was in existance. As a designated "dragbike-worker" I was a bit curious about Dons sponsor on that picture but turned out it says not "Harley" but "Harvey Ford" -> http://www.georgiadragracing.com/images/dyno-don-10.jpg

Sorry, all off-topic there. Whatever, note Grumpys forward body lingo on the picture from York: "Dang that Ford left on me! Go! Friggin go!!"-posture.

Regards
PiPPi
HarleyDrags.com

 

[yoda]

Holy sh!t, were you there!?! If you have the time to spare, please do look for more pictures.

Internet makes for a small world, I got in contact with Bethany Reyes through eBay and was told Steve Reyes has a few more pictures from that event (could be "those events", not sure it was a one-off).

As for gassers running 4 wide, that was done at York back when. Relatively speaking, one of the coolest pictures of drag racing AFAIC -> http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m79/kiwikevinp/scan0013-6.jpg

No idea as to the year or classification of the cars in the picture. Correct me if I'm wrong: Dyno Dons Mustang carries an "A/MP"-sticker which I think means it was a Super Stocker and that combo would then be before Pro Stock was in existance. As a designated "dragbike-worker" I was a bit curious about Dons sponsor on that picture but turned out it says not "Harley" but "Harvey Ford" -> http://www.georgiadragracing.com/images/dyno-don-10.jpg

Sorry, all off-topic there. Whatever, note Grumpys forward body lingo on the picture from York: "Dang that Ford left on me! Go! Friggin go!!"-posture.

Regards
PiPPi
HarleyDrags.com

Nope, I was not there- but I have a really deep archive of old drag racing stuff... Somewhere I have a print or magazine photo of that lineup. I wish I had been at that one, but I have attended the 4 wides at National Speedway in the early 70's... No nitro, but also, no guardwall down the middle either!!!

A/MP would be the Modified Production class designation- depending on the weight and motor that was in the car at the time, a lot of the early P/S guys could slip into class racing if the field was soft. Today's comparison could be ex-Pro Stock cars being found in Comp.

Yeah- Grump is definiately not saying "Dang it" in that shot...

 

[d'kid]

Yepper,
That was Before P/S... and why there became a need for P/S.... Biggest motor, tunnel ram, a pair of BIG Hollys... believe Dyno was running a SOHC, Grumpy and "Jungle's car" big rats, and S&M a light SS/A, with elephant and cross ram...

I really forget who ran the Car for JJ... old-timers has set in...

d'kid

 

[Pink]

i say they should definitely include prostock, because lets face it, what are the odds of all 4 of those nitro cars making a full pass, very slim !!

I assume there will be lots of discussion about ground rules here. Isn't it fair to assume that you will be looking at four very soft, parts-friendly tune-ups when last I read NHRA is only paying $2500 to these guys?

Personally I think that sounds way cool and would love to see it as separate event but I don't think it belongs at an NHRA event. If I was there I would watch, but it seems like kind of a bush-league stunt. It reminds me more than anything of the kind of stuff AA baseball teams do to put butts in the seats. And why do they do it? Because they know that the product on the field is not good enough.

Improve the NHRA product. Skip the freak show. IHRA can provide that in 2010.