AA/FC is dead. T/F is dead. Over the last 40+ years people have said one or the other or both over the course of those years. Panic never set in...opportunities did. Believe it or not the classes have survived wars, economies and nitro bans and will continue to.
Used to be a couple of guys with decent jobs could put a car together and be competitive. Many didn't do much travelling and only raced withing a few hundred or a thousand miles from home. Big money has changed all that, but now times are changing. Pulling back from the days of ungodly excess may actually be good for the sport.
Here's a post I put in another thread:
Teams parking it creating short fields will open up opportunities for new teams to compete. NHRA should stay with 16 car fields or the infux of new racers will dry up in my opinion. Some in the TAD and TA/FC ranks will view this as an opportunity to go pro, rather than looking at it as a playground for the rich. NHRA needs some new blood anyway. Heck, we even talked about unloading our stuff and trying FC on a limited basis if the fields remain short.
There are several IHRA FC racers looking for a new home and NHRA will provide the welcome mat.
The dedicated hard core racers will race even if on a limited basis like Bill Miller, Steve Chrisman and Mike Strausburg. They won't have the mega budget, but in time they may find help when the economy turns around and companies want to get back in. They won't be looking at who's been on the couch for the last few years in considering teams to sponsor. They will weigh in on who's out there.
RG