A Very Good Read (1 Viewer)

[elvis]

Perhaps so. But over the years I've also learned it's pretty easy to be against something when there's nothing on the line. It's a small thing, but I figured the least I could do would be to put my money where my mouth is. It cost me more than $300 to do it but at least I got the satisfaction of telling the powers-that-be in Glendora what I think of their plans to fundamentally alter what drag racing has always been.

What do you suggest they do Rich? For this next race? Make them all pull one mag? Leave out 8 plugs? Make them purchase 10-71 superchargers and have them ready for Denver?

 

[Rich]

Good.

Bye.

REX

The feeling is mutual, believe me. It's people like you that I certainly won't miss.

 

[Rexfiles]

The feeling is mutual, believe me. It's people like you that I certainly won't miss.

Uh huh, really crushed.

Bye

REX

 

[NHRADeuce]

Perhaps so. But over the years I've also learned it's pretty easy to be against something when there's nothing on the line. It's a small thing, but I figured the least I could do would be to put my money where my mouth is. It cost me more than $300 to do it but at least I got the satisfaction of telling the powers-that-be in Glendora what I think of their plans to fundamentally alter what drag racing has always been.

It's also easy to be against something when it's not your ass on the line if something goes wrong.

 

[Rich]

I guess if you want to feel good about feeling bad, that's one way to do it. Mailing them to an organization like a Boys and Girls Club of King County with a note attached telling them you couldn't use the tickets but you thought maybe some of their kids who couldn't afford them would use them would still have allowed you to feel good about feeling bad, and it also wouldn't have been a complete waste of the money spent on the tickets.

Until the mid-90's I had Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners season tickets for many years. I used to donate tickets on regular basis just as you suggest. These days I have season tickets to one of the local hockey teams and still occasionally donate tickets to games (though it's a little tougher to do now since I have kids at home who jump at every opportunity to go to a game). My way of thinking is that when I donate tickets to kids or people who may not otherwise afford to attend, I am not just helping those who get the tickets - I am also helping to promote the team. I guess in this instance I am simply not interested in promoting something that I disagree with.

What do you suggest they do Rich? For this next race? Make them all pull one mag? Leave out 8 plugs? Make them purchase 10-71 superchargers and have them ready for Denver?

As you have perhaps supposed, I am in favor of slowing the cars down as a way to address the problem. Let me put it this way: If the NHRA said that this action was only an interim measure AND that 1/4 mile racing would return just as soon as acceptable solutions were found to make the racing safer, I would support it no matter how long it took. But that is NOT what is being said. And I think we all know that "interim" often times has a way of becoming permanent.

 

[Rich]

Uh huh, really crushed.

Bye

REX

As I said previously, it's entirely mutual. But then again I'm also sorry to say that getting along with sycophants has never been one of my better attributes.

 

[kd]

Take a minute and read the Bob Wilber blog entry "On The Record" it's worth the time.

Blogs.NHRA.com - NHRA Driver Blogs

And for those of you who have decided that you are never coming to another NHRA race, sorry to see you go. We will miss you, but not near as much as we miss Scott.

Alan

HI THERE.! ...FIRST EVER POST...(hope IM doin good so far!!!!!!!!

Great blog to be passed along, Alan.
EVERYONE should now know how the NITRO BULLRIDERS FEEL.!
OUR heroes were fast to admit how INSANE the last 325 was!!!

ALL of the PRO teams are spent on funerals. Scott was a friend for 35
YEARS to some of these guys, etc. Read Dixons haunting comments on "packin' his chute & nodding hi to SCOTT saturday afternoon...next day rig gone. You get the picture.

HOW DARE WE DRAG RACE FANS (NOT friends in THIS case)-question our
heros judgements and keep insisting they run the full length of the tape measure or "were not goin". WTF??? (can I say that here?!?)
When the likes of Capps,Force(S!),(I'll get to Mr.Head (respect!) in a sec.)
and EVERYONE else who's DEEPLY involved DEMANDS ...1000ft. ...Give it to 'EM. (I dont love Capps (sorry KELLY-TEXAS!!!-LOL!) but ron was the first to say...HOW SCARED SHTLSS EVERYONE WHO GRABS A BUTTERLY WHEEL WAS PASS 1000 (that magic # again!
PARTS-TIRES-HUMAN EMOTION!!! Its going to spare all that stuff!
Anybody goin to Denver...Take the time to ask the wife of (fill in your favorite drivers name here!!!) what she thinks of this "1000 ft. crap"!

AT the Winston Finals in Pomona in aprox.'85, NHRA was annoucing 1000 ft times "to get a feel"...TIM RICHARDS, gere (small case) AMATO.crew- were sitting with our gang -When I asked THE general what his thoughts were...He stated "the placw was too short when they were runnin' ALKY! (1985!!!)

I commend JIM HEAD for ALL of his undertakings. HE HATES NHRA (Read:Graham and Tom Show)-...LOVES DRAG RACIN'.
Feelings pushed aside-HE is looking for solutions.
(try to have a beer with him sometime-INCREDIBLE GUY!!!).

In closing can't wait to see your respnses, as I just lost my nitromater VIRGINITY! Promise next post NOT so long!

HAPPY 4th FROM CANADA EVERYBODY & GD BLESS !!!!!

 

[Al smith]

Rich it was not Glendora's decision, It was the drivers and owners. You have to respect that. There is still 1320 foot alcohol racing. Why am I a fan obsessed with Alcohol racing? To me Alcohol racing is today what the good old days of top fuel and funny car racing used to be back in the day.

I started to attend drag races locally at Englishtown back around 1970. back then almost any service station or other business owner or partners could field a fuel car.(Sam Semchenko for example who owned an American gas station was my home town hero) There was no corporate involvement or sponsorships to speak of The NJ, PA, NY areas alone seemed to have about 16 or more top fuel cars.. Across the country there seems to be almost a hundred or more.

The rigs were small, a suburban and a skinny long tag along. or in the case of Bakersfield's Warren and Coburn a Mister Ed streamlined fiberglass trailer shaped like a slipper towed by a suburban. The guys did it on their dollar. I watched the sport grow. I watched the national record drop year after year. I was a fan of low et. I remember when everyone was appalled when Billy Meyer first pulled into the pits with a semi trailer.

With each new blower or aluminum block or fuel pump the Genie was slipping out of the bottle. Gene Snow shows up at ATCO (then IIHRA at the time) with High gear only and a numerically lower rear gear and sets low et. Soon after Eddie Hill and then snow run fours. I see my favorites drop by the wayside because of rising costs. Even Garlits retires. Bernstein runs 300 at Gainesville. What is happening to my sport?

Soon it becomes a blur. what I am watching may as well be corporate rocket ships. 10 or 15 years ago I started to lose interest in the fuel classes. I could no longer identify with it. Many up in smoke runs punctuated by a blur. I had lost my connection. Teams were being sponsored and pretty much owned by corporations who's products I was unfamiliar with or even had no idea what the products were! What the hell is Zantrex?

What happened to my favorite car names? what happened to 'Rampage" or "the jade Grenade' or 'The Midnight Skulker" or 'Frank Federichis Shark corvette" or 'jungle Jim"??? Even when Barry Setzer gave Pat Foster blank checks to field his funny car, he didn't put some knitting mill on the side of his candy apple red Vega. He just put his name on the side of the car in golden yellow letters.

I remember the night Pat Foster ran that 6:40 quickest run in funny car history at Englishtown. I thought back then I was witness to history. And the funny cars LOOKED like funny cars. You knew when you saw them towing down the fire up road what make and body they were.

I'm sorry did I type Fire up road? Wasn't that in itself exciting? No silent slow tow out from beneath a corporate tower. your Top Fuel heroes burst onto the scene dumping the clutch and hitting the mag right in front of you seemingly yards away. A couple of fire up road drive overs by push trucks and soon even that drama was pulled from us in the name of safety.

There is so much I can write about in this post but I know I'm rambling. Back to my point. To me. Today. the alcohol racers/cars are what the fuel racers/cars used to be. I can still Identify with them. And to top it off they are running 5:40s which is as quick as Gary Beck ran in Larry Minors top fuel car so many years ago. And isn't Frank Manzo running as quick as Raymond Beadle did shortly before Beadle retired? And Alcohol funnys don't have that mason dump truck bed on the back of their bodies.

I remember the promise that drag racing needed to grow out of its roots if it was to survive. Well be careful what you wish for. I lost my sport 10 or 15 years ago. I don't know exactly when I just morphed away from me. Go ahead call me an old fart reminiscing. The Genie is now completely out of the bottle. He can never go back. I watch as my old heroes pass away. Many in the past two years. You cant turn back the clock.

I posted a week or so ago my nostalgia specs for what I think a safe top fuel or funny car should be. But I know anything of the sort will never happen. Drag racing will be whatever the drivers and owners want it to be. Much of what I loved is gone. But I am happy I didn't miss it. I witnessed an awful lot. I consider myself extremely lucky. Like many I can say I witnessd the golden age of something.

I have to tell you years later the cars did NOT seem slow to me. Even when Jungle Jim or Pat Foster were setting Englishtown or even world records in the high sixes. Today in my mind eye I remember them as being fast. It was loud. I saw flames. It was drag racing.

Oh boy I'm just gonna send this. I type too slow to keep from rambling. Forgive this old fart.

 

[Wayne]

First, thank you Alan for the link & thanks Bob for your blog.

Second, I agree that safety is the most important thing. Wilky said it best: "I'm tired of burying my friends!"

However, I tend to agree with Rich on the issue of this being an "interim" change. I'm "concerned" that this "interim" solution will become permanent and change one of the basics of our beloved sport.

Let me put it this way: If the NHRA said that this action was only an interim measure AND that 1/4 mile racing would return just as soon as acceptable solutions were found to make the racing safer, I would support it no matter how long it took. But that is NOT what is being said. And I think we all know that "interim" often times has a way of becoming permanent.

Thirdly, I'm really disgusted by "some" of the personal attacks against Rich that I've seen since yesterdays announcement. EVERYONE is entitled to their opinions and their right to express them!!!

I have my tix for Seattle and will be attending Sonoma too and I'm hoping for some great, safe racing!!!
And hopefully some people smarter than I can figure out how to fix these old/un-safe shut-down areas.


JMHO

*flame away*

 

[Rich]

Al, thank you for that. You make a VERY good point. Just because I'm disenchanted with what's happening in the pro ranks doesn't mean I should turn my back on the alcohol and other sportsman classes. Mission Raceway Park is only an hour away from where I live and is actually 30 miles closer to me than Pacific Raceways. Even Woodburn Dragstrip in Oregon isn't too long a drive. Each of these tracks hold Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Divisional events. I happen to not only to enjoy top alcohol dragster and funny car racing, I like like comp racing as well. Perhaps from now on I should focus my attention on attending the LODRS events.

Thanks again.

 

[Rexfiles]

As I said previously, it's entirely mutual. But then again I'm also sorry to say that getting along with sycophants has never been one of my better attributes.

HaHa.....boy, ya' really got me on that on, and yeah, yer right, I'd just about agree with a racer on anything to do with their own safety, or the safety of their friends and competitors.

So I guess I am a sycophant.

You really know how to hurt a guy

And I NEVER did get along with keyboard hero's.

The little poodles that yap, occasionally nip, yet never done nothin'

So strap into yer desk chair and rocket on down the interweb superhighway........

BYE.

REX

 

[Rich]

BYE.

REX

Let me encourage you to just keep on bleeting, bud. I'm sure somebody, somewhere will someday be impressed.

 

[Gordon]

Great post, Alan, thank you.

I'm just an average joe - heck, I'm probably a slightly below average joe, but I've been a fan of this great sport for long enough to have an opinion, and a few questions.

Q: What if Wally Parks and his gang would've established the standard as 1,000 feet way back in the day?

A: I believe in my heart that we'd still be having this discussion today. Why? Because every track in the nation would've been built to support 1,000 foot racing and as a result, with the increases in performance, they would've suddenly seemed too short in the shutdown area - just like we're experiencing today. I haven't read every thread on the subject because, frankly, the discussion gets old when it doesn't include the great men and women who actually strap into these land locked missiles, but I find it almost comical that Englishtown is getting a beating while Pomona is left unmentioned! What's common among them? Oh yeah, that's right - they've been around for a very, very long time.

Q: What if Wally Parks and his gang would've established the standard as 1,000 feet way back in the day?

A: It's all we would've known and we'd be as addictied to the sport as we are today with the 1,320 foot standard.

Q: If the drivers we love (and yes, sometimes love to hate) are screaming for a reduction to 1,000 feet, what are we complaining about?

A: Change - it's never easy, but often times necessary. What's funny is how often people get on here and complain that Glendora doesn't listen to anyone. Finally, the drivers get their attention and people are complaining about that too!

I said it in a different thread and I'll say it in this one - if this change, whether permanent or temporary leads to less loss of my heroes - I'm 110% behind the decision and support it all the way!

 

[Bobby]

Great post, Alan, thank you.

I'm just an average joe - heck, I'm probably a slightly below average joe, but I've been a fan of this great sport for long enough to have an opinion, and a few questions.

Q: What if Wally Parks and his gang would've established the standard as 1,000 feet way back in the day?

A: I believe in my heart that we'd still be having this discussion today. Why? Because every track in the nation would've been built to support 1,000 foot racing and as a result, with the increases in performance, they would've suddenly seemed too short in the shutdown area - just like we're experiencing today. I haven't read every thread on the subject because, frankly, the discussion gets old when it doesn't include the great men and women who actually strap into these land locked missiles, but I find it almost comical that Englishtown is getting a beating while Pomona is left unmentioned! What's common among them? Oh yeah, that's right - they've been around for a very, very long time.

Q: What if Wally Parks and his gang would've established the standard as 1,000 feet way back in the day?

A: It's all we would've known and we'd be as addictied to the sport as we are today with the 1,320 foot standard.

Q: If the drivers we love (and yes, sometimes love to hate) are screaming for a reduction to 1,000 feet, what are we complaining about?

A: Change - it's never easy, but often times necessary. What's funny is how often people get on here and complain that Glendora doesn't listen to anyone. Finally, the drivers get their attention and people are complaining about that too!

I said it in a different thread and I'll say it in this one - if this change, whether permanent or temporary leads to less loss of my heroes - I'm 110% behind the decision and support it all the way!

What's different about them is a better question. How many catch fences does pomona have? one , like Etown?

Where is the post that holds the catch fence at pomona?

Right in front the the right lane because of the way the wall curves, like at Etown.?

 

[none]

And by the way, for the record, I highly resent the implication that those of us who oppose this particular decision somehow won't miss Scott.

Rich,

I wasn't implying anything, but I stand by what I said. Scott was a friend, and not only was I there, I was as close as anyone. And I will never forget the images or the sounds.

I actually respect your avenue of protest. If you feel that strongly I believe that this is a good way to get your point across. I would be interested to hear if you get a response from NHRA. You can PM me if you’d like.

Remember that I’m the guy who stands on the wall before the finals and thanks the fans for coming out to see us. I never like to lose a fan, especially a long time fan. But I hate going to funerals even more.

Alan

 

[willy]

I'm going to Eddyville the 5th.

Rapid Randy in the Plastic Fantastic FC..
The Sean's in the altered's..
Wilk matchin Wyatt

And I'm looking forward to it..it's a 1/8th track..and one of the better ones anywhere.

Talked to Tom Hoover there around '93/'94 and he was way enthused..loved the place..called it a "treasure".

I would just like to see how things pan out. Something needs to change and I'm hoping good decisions will be made..that's really all I have to place my hopes.

But I guarantee..what ever is decided down the road..I am a fan for life.

I do understand others opinions.

 

[Bobby]

No one is answering my question.

 

[SAS]

Teri


I agree with everything Bob wrote with one caveat: as long as this really is temporary.
If it isn't, then they've just altered the sport by making a decision based on emotion more than logic.

If they leave that shutdown area at Etown the way it is , one day another driver will die in it, 1000' or not. And THAT is what is so annoyong to those of us who oppose this decision.

And I would rather see The Damn Yankee Funny Car with the flag paint run a
6.5 et. at 225mph than any car going 300 at the new top end of the old short end. Maybe if they made them look like real cars the air drag would slow them down to 275.

 

[SAS]

I guess if you want to feel good about feeling bad, that's one way to do it. Mailing them to an organization like a Boys and Girls Club of King County with a note attached telling them you couldn't use the tickets but you thought maybe some of their kids who couldn't afford them would use them would still have allowed you to feel good about feeling bad, and it also wouldn't have been a complete waste of the money spent on the tickets.

He wanted to say shove these, and it cost him $300. Sometimes its worth that to make a point. If the stands are empty after the next few races, and Im assuming that the seats at next few races are filled with fans who bought them before they cut the races by 25%, then we will know if it will affect the bottom line.

 

[Bobby]

And I would rather see The Damn Yankee Funny Car with the flag paint run a
6.5 et. at 225mph than any car going 300 at the new top end of the old short end. Maybe if they made them look like real cars the air drag would slow them down to 275.

Amen brother, and you know what inspired my old nickname.
anyone here remember when they changed the rules to let force make the greenhouse narrower?