Dave Wallace's Last Column (1 Viewer)

[Toejam]

I'm wonder if any of you understood what he was writing. I'd love to see a top end interview with Pat Foster than these little cookie cutter speeches naming sponsors until they cut the interview off or fall asleep. Other than speed and et, todays racing is pretty bland. The nitro classes can't even get competitive field of 16 cars at any one race and didn't have a full field at least at one event this past season. How many of you were around in the 60's? How many were at Long Beach when the fog came in and you couldn't see the top end? How many were at Bakersfield when Kalitta's push car ran out of gas but the car fired anyway? Up until the rear engine cars took over, drag racing was the sport of kings, even if they were Road Kings.

Well William if you and others feel today's Drag racing is such a yawner you may as well stick to Nostalgia racing then, cause your just wasting your money otherwise. If today's NHRA Drag racing bored me like some of you I probably go back to watching Circletrack racing.

 

[Nick Name]

Yup, you are right, things aren't like they used to be - and they never were. Used to be able to run 7.90s at 200 mph on a working-man's salary. Still can, but not in Top Fuel.

You could run 6.80s with just your wife helping you. Just ask Larry Dixon Senior.

Big time sponsorship brought with it the need to win at any cost. Which meant engine damage and sky rocketing cost.

Before that mindset came into the sport, we would run Orange County ( dump?), Lions, or Irwindale on Saturday night and San Fernando on Sunday without ever taking a cylinder head off.

John Mitchell and the Red Mountain Boys had about a 10 week win streak doing that.

Sponsorship back then usually was limited to money for a new engine or paint job. Now an endless funding for engine carnage like they have today.

Jay

 

[ProStockJunkie]

But I do get tired of all the "Way it used to be" stuff, and how us fans today have NO idea what real Drag is.

I think there's a simple solution then Joe. Don't read the posts. You'll be happier not reading the 'way it used to be' stuff and the veterans of the sport who feel differently then you, will be happy too. Everyone wins.

 

[Darryl]

The racing venues might have been 'dumps' in the 60's and 70's but at least they existed for me here in Southern California...and you know what? Every freakin' Saturday night it was Top Fuel or Nitro Funny Cars or Fuel Altered or AA/GS or a combo of all of them. It was also a time for 64 car Top Fuel shows. We didn't go to watch the pretty cars go down the track. We got to actually play with nitro and have fun. I guess that's why I look back at 'the good old days', before all the dumps went under and the price of nitro racing got to the point at only a Kalitta or a Ken Black could afford to play. I'm just bad jealous, that's all!

 

[Prestaged]

I guess that's why I look back at 'the good old days', before all the dumps went under and the price of nitro racing got to the point at only a Kalitta or a Ken Black could afford to play. I'm just bad jealous, that's all!

I feel your pain and passion.

 

[Nick Name]

So the point is, back in the "good old days" if you dug fuel cars, you got together with your buddies, pooled your money and actually went out and raced one (been there, done that).

Now today, if you really dig fuel cars, you get together with your buddies, pool your money and see if you can afford a weekend pass to the NHRA big show, where you can sit way up in the stands and watch the millionaires race them.

That is about as plain as I can make it.

Jay

 

[vegasnitro]

So the point is, back in the "good old days" if you dug fuel cars, you got together with your buddies, pooled your money and actually went out and raced one (been there, done that).

Now today, if you really dig fuel cars, you get together with your buddies, pool your money and see if you can afford a weekend pass to the NHRA big show, where you can sit way up in the stands and watch the millionaires race them.

This can be said of every form of Motorsport, not just fuel drag racing. It used to cost next to nothing to run NASCAR. Now "stock car" teams have to have a 12 million dollar budget just to get on the track at every event.

Ken Tyrrell used to run his F1 team out of his woodshed, and won 3 World Championships doing it. Now if you don't have at least 150 million to blow every year with an engineering staff that would make NASA proud, don't bother.

In the roadster era, sprint car drivers used to bring the cars they were running every Saturday at the local dirt track to Indianapolis and qualify and run well in the 500. Now it costs 1 million dollars just to lease a Honda motor for the month of May and after the 500 you have to give the motor back ... and don't even think about taking the valve covers off.

 

[Rajunz]

I agree with everything Chris Cook just said!

 

[Nick Name]

So the point is, that in almost every form of motorsports, the cost has made a large precentage of the racers into spectators. I have to assume that there are some on here that think that is a good thing.

Dave Wallace didn't. That's why he wrote the stuff he did.

Jay

 

[vegasnitro]

I agree with everything Chris Cook just said!

I agree with everything Lance Peltier just said!

Jay: I have given a lot of thought to what you have been saying, about how the cost of racing has turned racers into spectators. I guess where my disconnect comes with guys like Wallace (and the rest of the good ol days set) is I have never lived at a time when racing was affordable. Both of my parents worked hard and it was a treat to go to the races ... but actually owning a race car was never even a consideration. I suppose it would have been cool to live in a world where if I wanted to have a sprint car I could run the Indy 500 or if I wanted to run top fuel I could get a whole season out of one motor for the most part. Since it has never been a reality for me in my lifetime, I am missing the nostalgia gene. As for now, I have more fun than should be allowed by law at the drags, and that's good enough for me!

I can tell you this ... if I ever become independently wealthy ... I won't be just a spectator!

 

[Toejam]

I still would like to know how to make a TF Dragster/FC affordable? I bet even the Nostalgia TF/FC's the ones that run in the 5's anyway, are more expensive to run then people think.

 

[john]

An affordable Fuel car, isnt that an oxymoron?

 

[Rocketman 207]

An affordable Fuel car, isnt that an oxymoron?

Yes---just like affordable Pro Stock, affordable Funny Car...

 

[Nick Name]

I agree with everything Lance Peltier just said!

Jay: I have given a lot of thought to what you have been saying, about how the cost of racing has turned racers into spectators. I guess where my disconnect comes with guys like Wallace (and the rest of the good ol days set) is I have never lived at a time when racing was affordable. Both of my parents worked hard and it was a treat to go to the races ... but actually owning a race car was never even a consideration. I suppose it would have been cool to live in a world where if I wanted to have a sprint car I could run the Indy 500 or if I wanted to run top fuel I could get a whole season out of one motor for the most part. Since it has never been a reality for me in my lifetime, I am missing the nostalgia gene. As for now, I have more fun than should be allowed by law at the drags, and that's good enough for me!

I can tell you this ... if I ever become independently wealthy ... I won't be just a spectator!

Chris. This is my point. There are a bunch of guys like you that never got to, and will never get to, race your own fuel car.

Jay

 

[Nick Name]

I still would like to know how to make a TF Dragster/FC affordable? I bet even the Nostalgia TF/FC's the ones that run in the 5's anyway, are more expensive to run then people think.

Yes, the newstalgia top fuel thing got out of control fast. If they had stayed with a small fuel pump and a points type mag, they probably could have salvaged it.

Nostalgia funnycar is close to making the same mistakes.

Jay

 

[Darryl]

Joe there is no way to make it affordable any more. Those days are long gone, but certainly not forgotten. Don't ever think us old timers are trying to shove the way it was down anyone's throat. It's just that I actually feel sorry for all the new fans that just can't share in that part of the sport. Drag racing was NOT a spectator sport for a period of time. It was a participant sport that got way to expensive just like anything thing that's to much fun. The only time we were spectators was when the car was broke and so were we.

 

[ProStockJunkie]

That hits it right on the head Darryl. That's just how I feel. The Nostalgia events are as close as the 'youngsters' can get to that magic time. The look of the cars was so cool. You could actually tell what kind of car you were looking at without reading it on the top of the windshield. Names for cars instead of a rolling billboard.

I know I'm thankful I got to be part of 'that' time in racing. Don't get me wrong. I still love it. I tried really hard for a couple of decades, to put it out of my mind, heart & spirit, and mostly suceeded. But in 2001 I was channel surfing in May, and came across the 'whatever' nationals at Englishtown (ALWAYS the Summernationals to me). I watched for the first time in many years. I thought I could smell the nitro and burning rubber right there in my living room. When the race was over, I broke down and bawled like a baby. In that moment, I knew I could no longer deny that part of my life or put it out of my mind & heart. Online I participated in 'automotive' on Classmates.com and someone with whom I still email with, told me about a couple of drag racing message boards. One night I went back through dozens of pages at one site and came across two folks from 'the old days'. Reconnect with them and through them many more of the old crew, and made some new friends actively involved in Pro racing today.

I love drag racing. Glad I had my time when I did. Thankful for the memories.

 

[rocketman]

Dave brings up some valid points and I agree with a lot what he had to say.

Along with what Dave said, I didn't realize just what ripple effect the US Army team fiasco has had on the sport and its fans. I agree with Lenny from Lenny's Line that nobody should be fired over it, but they should have been disqualified. And if it ever happen again, that driver should be suspended for a year!