Excellent Comp Plus Pro Stock Article

[Pete]

I especially like Warren Johnson & Matt Hartford's comments at the end...spot on!

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag...rs-speak-on-what-should-happen-with-pro-stock

Its hard for me to believe NHRA cannot increase 1st round money, seeing the amount of excess dollars that are paid out in the form of bonuses, at the end of the fiscal year.

 

[Frank]

Yep, Hartford is exactly right. All the threads on this board and others talk about fixing Pro Stock. Adding mountain motor cars, shrinking the season down to 18 events, etc. Are people not aware how bad the other classes are struggling too? Pro Stock has had 9 cars attend every event this year, so essentially, that means there are 9 full time teams. Top Fuel has had 10. 10! Only one more full time car than Pro Stock. Funny Car has had 13 (I'm counting the Patron Tequila car since it's been at every event, even if the driver has been different). The low car count/rising costs is an issue across the board. From Top Fuel to Stock Eliminator to junior dragsters.

If only there was a way to implement some sort of salary cap. The NFL is so popular in part, because each team gets the same amount of money to put together their 53 man roster. Too bad this couldn't be done in drag racing. Top Fuel and Funny Car are allowed to spend something like 2.5 million per season per car. Pro Stock, 1.25m, PSB 700k or something along those lines. Some sort of ceiling to keep things from escalating.

 

[Pete]

Yep, Hartford is exactly right. All the threads on this board and others talk about fixing Pro Stock. Adding mountain motor cars, shrinking the season down to 18 events, etc. Are people not aware how bad the other classes are struggling too? Pro Stock has had 9 cars attend every event this year, so essentially, that means there are 9 full time teams. Top Fuel has had 10. 10! Only one more full time car than Pro Stock. Funny Car has had 13 (I'm counting the Patron Tequila car since it's been at every event, even if the driver has been different). The low car count/rising costs is an issue across the board. From Top Fuel to Stock Eliminator to junior dragsters.

If only there was a way to implement some sort of salary cap. The NFL is so popular in part, because each team gets the same amount of money to put together their 53 man roster. Too bad this couldn't be done in drag racing. Top Fuel and Funny Car are allowed to spend something like 2.5 million per season per car. Pro Stock, 1.25m, PSB 700k or something along those lines. Some sort of ceiling to keep things from escalating.

From all accounts, to field a quality Top Fuel car its more in the 3-3.5m range. When Morgan Lucas shut down last year, he stated he couldn't afford the 3.5m out of his pocket for his Top Fuel car anymore. Force had stated years ago, when he was losing Castrol & Ford, that he budgeted 6.5m for each of his cars...
Keep in mind these costs include the big shop, multiple rigs, hospitality, X# of employees. I would like to figure out roughly what Clay Millican or Jim Dunn run for budget.

 

[ironpony]

When I spoke with Head several years ago no frills was 1 million, his team did not even have uniforms

 

[mick]

with the quick days and quick turn around times for the pros these days, sportsmen racers that survive friday can do
a LOT of waiting around before their next round, especially with rain......so am i going to trailer 1000 miles to the nat. event?
or trailer less distance to local race, div. race, s/ss race, or similar? where my car is just as important as all the others there?
IMO there is no shortage of cars. have listened to more than one sportsman racer say that nat. events just aren't like they
used to be.