Alcohol Funny Car (9 Viewers)

[Randy]

And that 5K went much further.

Even back then, winning $5K plus contingencies only meant you didnt loose slightly as much as you normally would for not winning.

 

[none]

I have always believed that if your goal getting into racing is to make an annual profit strictly from the purse money then you need a new plan.

I have also always believed that if you go to an event, (anything from a weekend bracket event to a National Event) and win that event you should go home with more money than you left with. And I think that was the case at one time. (At least it was in my case)

Then a couple of things happened. The contingency program faded away. In large part due to two things, the internet, and mail order. I used to wait patiently for the Nationals to come to town because I needed knowledge from the Holley guy, or the Hurst Shifter guy, or I wanted to talk to the Crane Cam guy to find out about the new stuff. Now? I do that with a mouse.

Scott Hall of MOROSO fame told me that his trailer doesn't go to many events anymore because there's no need anymore. He said that they used to sell a lot of product off the trailer at the Nationals and the big Regionals but now sell almost nothing. Guys don't build their own engines so they have no need to talk to a tech guy. If you buy the ready to go engine (as so many do now) then you're not interested at all in a new piston, cylinder head, or camshaft. The manufacturer would be better off sending a sales/tech guy to visit your engine builder than to send a trailer to the racetrack. Why pay me a bonus for using a ABC manifold when I'm not the one who decides what manifold goes on the engine and bought it?

And if a guy needs a vacuum pump or fuel pump for instance, there are 10 guys in the pits who have a spare, they can just borrow one, call Summit and get the replacement either tomorrow, or certainly buy next week.

You also have to factor in the racer mentality of winning at any cost. I used to marvel at the guys who would buy new tires every week at the dirt track races and complain that they spent $800 on tires and it only pays $500 to win. Could you run tires three or four weeks? Sure, and many guys did. But they thought that new tires gave them a better chance to win, so they bought them. And then others had to either buy tires, or get used to running behind they guys that did.

Just look at Lance's post about the new car being built. The new rules allow a racer to buy used "Big Show" stuff to compete at a reduced cost, right? But the caption says "Being assembled with the BEST PARTS MONEY CAN BUY." So please tell me, who's saving money with this deal? And whose fault is it that the guy is spending so much?

Just my opinion,
Alan

 

[J. S.]

........Then a couple of things happened. The contingency program faded away.......

Alan: Thanks for your perspective on this. I follow the Sportsman classes via National Dragster, but I am not a hard-core fan of them. So I did not know this. Very interesting. I look at the pictures of the various Sportsman cars in the event coverage, and wonder why in the world some of the cars have so few manufacturer decals. Whereas some cars are still plastered with them. I thought for sure those cars with so few decals were leaving big $$ on the table when they win, but I guess not so much based on your observations.

 

[Pete]

Alan: Thanks for your perspective on this. I follow the Sportsman classes via National Dragster, but I am not a hard-core fan of them. So I did not know this. Very interesting. I look at the pictures of the various Sportsman cars in the event coverage, and wonder why in the world some of the cars have so few manufacturer decals. Whereas some cars are still plastered with them. I thought for sure those cars with so few decals were leaving big $$ on the table when they win, but I guess not so much based on your observations.

To back up Alan (not like he needs it), but the contingency program for sportsman classes is almost non-existent and if they exist, it is extremely difficult to get paid

 

[Mike]

To back up Alan (not like he needs it), but the contingency program for sportsman classes is almost non-existent and if they exist, it is extremely difficult to get paid

A forward-thinking organization would make contingencies (pun intended) for this contingency situation and adjust payouts so the most costly sportsmen class payouts are aligned with costs.

I ask this as a serious question: Why do TAD and TAFC need to race at divisionals at all in 2025? What value is there in earning grade points when TAFC struggles to get a dozen cars at a national race?

 

[Chili]

I ask this as a serious question: Why do TAD and TAFC need to race at divisionals at all in 2025? What value is there in earning grade points when TAFC struggles to get a dozen cars at a national race?

I thought about this as well. However it gives the smaller budget teams a chance to cut their teeth at a smaller event. Also for some the closest national event may be 1500 miles away while a regional may be only 500 miles or less.

 

[Butch]

Even back then, winning $5K plus contingencies only meant you didn't loose slightly as much as you normally would for not winning.

Back in the 70s we would go to the Divisional races with the BB/FC and enter the AA/FC class.
IM thinking to win in alcohol was equal to 1st round in fuel. And many times we'd go 1-2 rounds.

 

[none]

OK, I got back from Australia yesterday and am back in the shop today. Figured I better post these before Shannon put me in "Time Out" or something. The first three are the AJ stage 7 TF head.


The next three are the AJ Musclehead for A/F


The chamber size is a big difference as the TF engine only has about 6.5-1 static compression and the A/F engine has 14-1. The ports are also very different. Valve sizes etc. etc. A boosted engine that turns 8K+ RPM has vastly different requirements than an NA engine turning maybe 6K.

And a head designed for a Blown Alcohol engine is very different from both of those. Everything is specialized now.

Alan

 

[handsome]

here's some facts on money that will shock people that don't race one.. I got out of alky funnies in 2006 and for some reason ( a blow to the head or sniffing too many paint fumes ) I got back into them the end of last year. while I was out, parts prices went up close to 50%! example is in 2006 I bought a brand new billet Velasco crankshaft, $3500... earlier this year I bought a brand new billet crank, $6000!!!! and it's the same on everything as well as a few more certs every 2 years and of coarse travel expense has gone up over 100%. And 17 years later winnings have gone up 0%!!!! which is pathetic. So for that reason I primarily focus on match racing. run it "fat & happy" , guaranteed pay for usually 2 passes and sell around $500 in t-shirts a night. so why go to an NHRA race and beat your stuff to death for chicken scratch?

 

[Mike]

I thought about this as well. However it gives the smaller budget teams a chance to cut their teeth at a smaller event. Also for some the closest national event may be 1500 miles away while a regional may be only 500 miles or

Fine. Why make teams running for a national championship go somewhere they'd rather not for $2500 to win? Maybe keep the alcohol regionals for a region championship and Jegs, but decouple those from the National title.