Did anyone catch Wind Tunnel with Big Daddy on Sunday night? Talked about his match race series with Darrell Gwynn and several interesting topics. He thinks we need to go back to 1/4 mile racing and slow the cars down to 300 mph and had several ideas on how to do it. Also, on the other side of things, have an unlimited event for just timing purposes only, one car at a time, unlimited (to a point), all out just to see how fast you could really go. Seventy-nine years old and is still one of the most relevant voices in the sport - if we would just listen.
Big Daddy on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Clark W.
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Tumbleweed
Nitro Member
It was a brilliant interview.....Glad we caught it................
nitro
Nitro Member
I watched "Wind Tunnel" last night and thought that "Big Daddy" was square on the problem. The sport needs to go back to quarter mile racing, and the cars do need to be slowed down, and get back to side by side racing. I know easier said than done.
However I have always had a hypothesis of how to slow the fuel cars down, without being overly taxing on the teams budgets. Make the fuel cars go back to one mag and sixty gallon per minute pump. I know that might be over simplifying the solution. However I was thinking that team could still run their existing cylinder head just plugging off one of the spark plug holes. The existing dual mag units could still be utilized, just remove one of the mag from the stand. I do not know if the present day fuel pumps could be slowed down to give this sixty gallon per minute rate or not. I am sure the pump manufactures could devise a way to do that or come out with a new pump. I would love to hear from those maters who do this for a living their thoughts.
I know that there would be a great deal of work involved however, something must be done. Nevertheless speeds were in excess of 325 miles per hour in a thousand feet at Charlotte!!!! Was not the premise of going to a thousand feet to not only give the drivers three hundred more feet to stop, but to also help slow the cars down at the finish line, and help make it more affordable to run a fuel car? Yea that worked out well.
Just my two cents.
Brian Losness
Nitrophoto
However I have always had a hypothesis of how to slow the fuel cars down, without being overly taxing on the teams budgets. Make the fuel cars go back to one mag and sixty gallon per minute pump. I know that might be over simplifying the solution. However I was thinking that team could still run their existing cylinder head just plugging off one of the spark plug holes. The existing dual mag units could still be utilized, just remove one of the mag from the stand. I do not know if the present day fuel pumps could be slowed down to give this sixty gallon per minute rate or not. I am sure the pump manufactures could devise a way to do that or come out with a new pump. I would love to hear from those maters who do this for a living their thoughts.
I know that there would be a great deal of work involved however, something must be done. Nevertheless speeds were in excess of 325 miles per hour in a thousand feet at Charlotte!!!! Was not the premise of going to a thousand feet to not only give the drivers three hundred more feet to stop, but to also help slow the cars down at the finish line, and help make it more affordable to run a fuel car? Yea that worked out well.
Just my two cents.
Brian Losness
Nitrophoto
Jim
Nitro Member
That was one of the better Big Daddy interviews I've seen.
Not so bad for a guy whose "been down the track" a few times.
He made a good statement about a return to 1/4 mile racing and slowing the cars down. God knows, the guy has some credibility. Certainly worth having a conversation. Logic says it should also lower some of the costs (but, we know how that usually works in the real world).
Not so bad for a guy whose "been down the track" a few times.
He made a good statement about a return to 1/4 mile racing and slowing the cars down. God knows, the guy has some credibility. Certainly worth having a conversation. Logic says it should also lower some of the costs (but, we know how that usually works in the real world).
mick
Nitro Member
have accepted 1000'.... would i like to see slower to 1/4?.....yes.
i'm 45, why do i keep going back to this era as the best show i've ever seen?
flames licking, smoky burnouts, dry hops, loud cackle, etc.
today's deal is awesome, but the sport passed thru this era
and IMO it was very special, maybe the best ever; i prefer it today.
Tim Grose Spirit TF/FC at OCIR 1980 - YouTube
Gary Densham and Kenny Bernstein TF/FC OCIR 1-10-1981 - YouTube
i'm 45, why do i keep going back to this era as the best show i've ever seen?
flames licking, smoky burnouts, dry hops, loud cackle, etc.
today's deal is awesome, but the sport passed thru this era
and IMO it was very special, maybe the best ever; i prefer it today.
Tim Grose Spirit TF/FC at OCIR 1980 - YouTube
Gary Densham and Kenny Bernstein TF/FC OCIR 1-10-1981 - YouTube
Nitrohelper
Nitro Member
This would be simple to do ,and has been suggested for many years... The major teams don't want to give up the millions of dollars they have spent on acquiring the data from the current combination...
We have run cars for years that went just over 300 mph ,the old engine combinations are all in three ring binders --- ready to be used for a rule change to keep funny cars at just over 300 in good air and on 1320'...
NHRA doesn't have the will to go back to 1320', if they would change their mind --- the methods are easy...
Les
Nitro Member
Right on! I vote for a return to the 100% nitro limit...the cars sound so much more angrier & dangerous at idle when running 97-98% Can. I think it would make a difference in the show considering for most of the 2.5-3 min period a TF/FC is running, the engine is idling. Big Daddy Rules!
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Sean D, shondoo
Nitro Member
At 41 I'm not far behind you, Mike, and I feel the exact same way. Today's show is pretty awesome, no doubt. But I ran an altered with some friends of mine on the local nostalgia circuit for a few years and at the races where they had the nitro funny cars...................freakin' awesome!
Born too late; simple as that!
Sean D
Les
Nitro Member
yeah!!! I like that idea! Do it at chicago or vegas for a sufficient shutdown area. Like when rusty wallace went 228 mph at a talladega test session back in '04...that would've been a nascar event i would've actually watched! Too bad an all-out race would never happen!
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