I'm Done

[SAS]

So I guess all the racers all around the world that are racing 1/8 mile are not true drag racers? Get a grip. All you whiners are blowing this all out of proportion. You act like this is a permament thing. The wheel wasn't invented in one day. Give them a chance to come up with a permament solution so they can get back to 1/4 mile drag racing.

Not Whining, just not watching this crap. I want 12 eggs in a dozen , 6 beers in a 6 pack , 4 gears in my muncie 22 , 8 pistons in my 302DZ, AND 1320 ft. in the 1/4 mile. Slow the cars down. Thats the answer. The tracks did not suddenly get shorter. Snake said in his interwiew this has been coming for a long time. Slow them down. And maybe more than 16 cars can afford to show up. Or soon we will have 8 car fields running the 1/8.

 

[Rexfiles]

So I guess all the racers all around the world that are racing 1/8 mile are not true drag racers? Get a grip. All you whiners are blowing this all out of proportion. You act like this is a permament thing. The wheel wasn't invented in one day. Give them a chance to come up with a permament solution so they can get back to 1/4 mile drag racing.

Well said, I, for one, have been a fan and occasional participant of this Great sport for 40 years, since I was 13.

I'll be watching and hopefully participating again until my own wheels, finally, fall off.

.............I don neeeeeeeed no steeeeeeekin' quarter mile to get into it.

1/8 1000', 1/4 or 1/2

DRAG racing is what I love

REX

 

[Randy]

I wouldn't exactly use Denver as a barometer for any of those points. The main thing is everyone was safe. All fans have their own opinion on what they like or don't like. I just wait to see it before I make up my mind.

Even with the uphill shut off, Denver has seen it's fair share of cars go in the sand. The reason? Mile high air is thinner and the chutes aren't as effective as they are nearer sea level altitudes. Stopping a car at 320+ if you have any problems in Denver is a handfull.

Reading some of these posts here makes you think some have inside information. NHRA hasn't said whether 1,000 feet is here to stay, or if 1,320 feet will make a comeback for the nitro cars.

Personally, I'd like to see them come up with a way to slow them enough to eliminate rev limiters. Coil is right. Many are riding the retards and rev limiters from 1,000 to 1,320. Get rif of that stuff and you may see less ka-booms and oildowns.

I like Dale Armstrong's idea of limiting compression. Rather than regulating fuel, which would be nearly impossible to do in a fair manner (and impossible to police), they should consider regulating air. Compression, smaller blowers that don't hang off the back of the engine a foot and a half, overdrive restrictions, etc. But keep the nitro percentage up so they sound and act like fuel cars.

RG

 

[NHRAMike]

The biggest thing that stuck out for me in the 1000' runs was the R.P.M. difference when the drivers are crossing the finish line. I'm so used to hearing the engines at a certain pitch when they shut off, so for me, it just sounds so.......incomplete.

I've been as big a fan as anyone of nitro or alky racing. If there is a weekend where there are nitro or alky cars racing and we aren't racing, I'm am there as fan watching, because I love the sport....Don't believe me, just ask someone who knows me personally.

I'm not a fan of the 1000 feet deal, but as a fan and a racer of big show nitro cars, if NHRA and the racers feel like this what they need to do for the time being, then I'm all for it.

Who knows what the future holds, but for now I'm not going to throw the sport I love under the bus, because of this change.

T. You hit the nail on the head with your post. I also love watching the races. The last three days I've been in Woodburn at the Lucas Oil divisional, and next weekend I'll be up in Seattle for the national event, and I'll still be going to Pomona this coming November for the NHRA Finals.

Peace,
NHRAMike

 

[Stevens24]

Many forms of racing change constantly, while I am faily new to the drag racing scene(followed it very passively) F1 changes tracks and cars every year. The point is there could be more than meets the eye like insurance saying change something or your done. You want to see a small field mandat 500k changes in race cars mid season and see who shows up besides Force and DSR. I always thought a drag race was 2 competitors going a prearranges distance to see who's faster 100' 500' 1000' 1320'. But I'm just a noob

 

[corvette racer]

I'm wondering who will be the first pair to drive it out the back door and shut off at 1320....

I saw quite a few drive it out the back door. And quite a few more that didn't pull the chutes til they were well past the 1/4 mile line.

Didn't hear about any fines or repremands.

 

[Kevin]

Well heck I've been watching races on TV and live for many years. I will admit here that quite often I can't tell exactly where the finish line is.

The "new numbers" sure threw me off though. Was that a quick run, was that a big speed? These questions kept rattling around in my head as I watched the broadcast.

Aside from that I'm not sure how much difference I would have perceived if they hadn't been carrying on about thousand feet almost every fuel run (it seemed). But that made me very conscious of it and many runs 'felt' cut short.

SO, I have tickets for Sonoma and Las Vegas purchased and travel arrangements already set for LV. I guess I'll go ahead and see in person. Sure hope I have an ICARD THAT WORKS to help me interpret the 'funny numbers'.

 

[Bobby]

Many forms of racing change constantly, while I am faily new to the drag racing scene(followed it very passively) F1 changes tracks and cars every year. The point is there could be more than meets the eye like insurance saying change something or your done. You want to see a small field mandat 500k changes in race cars mid season and see who shows up besides Force and DSR. I always thought a drag race was 2 competitors going a prearranges distance to see who's faster 100' 500' 1000' 1320'. But I'm just a noob

F1 changes cars and tracks every year?

sure new cars but they don't change that much anymore.

there are new tracks on the schedule in places like bahrain because they've got the cash.

but every road racing course is unique. It's really not an apt analogy.

 

[PJ]

If I didn't see two finish lines maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad.


Still trying to be patient and keeping my fingers crossed that this is truely a temporary thing

 

[Nunz]

Well I'm a purist, and hope the fuel cars get back to 1320 next year. Randy G's post was a good one. To me, I'd rather have all the noise and fury for the full 1320. But going 300 at the the 1320 is fine. Think about all the safety improvements made of late. Now combine all the latest safety improvements with a new tune-up or engine combo that results in a high 4 sec, 300mph, fuel car in the 1/4 mile. That's where we need to head. It would be a great show, much, much safer, and also a lot less expensive. Did everyone hear what Snake said? I thought he was on the money. 1000 ft. gives everyone a chance to breathe while coming up with a long term plan. Safety first, but right behind it is economics. The fuel classes have been forced into an overhaul, and it's been needed. We can't hope that we attract more super rich people to come into the sport and play. It has to make more business sense. A car that accelerates to 300 in the 1/4 vs. the current combos that are 330mph cars shutting off early, is going to be a safer, less destructive, more economical race car, that still puts on a great show. The great thing is, we have the talent in the sport to come up with the right package.

 

[hellfirejim]

Wow we have a lot of passionent people here on both sides of the issue.

The first thing to remember is this was brought about by death of a racer... The issue is safety. Something needed to be done now and like was said gives some breathing room to make reasonable logical decisions on how so slow the car down.

Temporary?? Most likely but more important is the economic side of the issue. When these cars can be slowed down to a more reasonable speed then they will return to 1320 feet. Something to point out here is that ONLY the nitro cars are at 1000ft and rest of the sport is still at 1320ft.

So my side is if the move to a temporary 1000ft saves even one life then if I am for it or against doesn't mean $h!t...... It is about the human side of this.

 

[rocketman]

WHY DON'T THEY LISTEN TO WHAT DALE ARMSTRONG IS TELLING THEM

Yeah no kidding! I'll see it for myself this weekend.

 

[Joker]

I'm deadset against 1000 ft racing. Drag racing is 1320 ft, always has been, always should be I believe. And listening to most drivers they all want to go back and I dont blame them. I think the 1000 ft thing was the easiest and cheapest way to slow them down right now. But I think they just need to get together and come up with a solution to slow them down so they go back to 1320 ft. Which is what I think they are working on if you payed attention to the broadcast at all. So I can live with it until then. I have to say it wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I am a racing fan and even though I might ***** and moan about it, I will watch it even if its 330 ft b/c I love the sport. Just dont mean that I have to like it, and hopefully they get it all worked out and we can go back to 1320. I'd rather take 5 or 6 oildowns watching 1320 ft than 1 or 2 oildowns watching 1000 ft, but thats just me. I will say this though, 1000 ft on tv was better than watching 1/8th mile in person like I did at San Antonio this year.

And as for the Snake's comments, someone might tell him its 2008, not 1968. I understand what he said, and I wish just anybody could throw together a fuel car and go racing, but that aint the way it is now. Blame John Force, blame whoever you want, but big money in the sport isint going anywhere.

 

[Rexfiles]

Thing is........I wonder how many team owners and sponsors are looking at their checkbooks today?

Betcha' this past weekend more than a couple sighs of relief could be heard....................

REX

 

[mick]

noticeably shorter?......yes.
no problem watching this shortened version and expect 1320 back in '09.

glad to see t. wilkerson, m. oswald and of course j. head on safety panel.
did not like to see 'reduce nitro percentage' on list of changes to
consider for future fuel racing.

 

[Rajunz]

I remember reading an interview with The Snake over 20 years ago where he expressed concerns over the rising costs of racing Nitro. He blamed it on the racers back then too! Too bad no one listened back then!

 

[Bullard Anderson]

I'm fine with it for now. I was different, but we'll get back to 1320 soon.

Anybody notice the reverse irony in Denver: WJ gets off the line well in front in 1st round but doesn't have the HP to hold off someone at 1000ft. I years past WJ would have been last off the line and had the HP to get around at 1320ft. Just a racing observation.

 

[DrRocket]

Well, I'm another purist, and I wasn't happy with this decision when first announced. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to unwad my shorts, and wait to see how it worked. The very first reaction I had when I watched my recording last night was "Wow, that was over quick!" I got used to it though, and began to notice a lot of clean, oildown free racing, at least on TV. Some were still hurting parts of course. That will always happen. I mean, this is nitromethane. But there was nothing catastrophic as far as I could see.

What iced it for me was when Big Daddy said that, for now, "It's the right thing to do!" Big Daddy's been my hero since I first saw him race in Kansas City back in the sixties. If it's OK with him, I can live with it.

Very few times in the threes, but I attribute that to the mile high conditions. The proof in the pudding will be when they reach Seattle and California. By the time they reach Sonoma, I think the crew chiefs will have had time to analyze all the data and put together a new game plan. I'll be at Brainerd this year on Saturday only, due to time constraints. (Hope to see you there.) Remember this is the track that Allen Johnson produced what at the time was a jaw dropping 337.58 mph run on the then-new rev limiter.

The track chiller seemed to work well. It kept things consistant and I didn't notice nearly as many up-in-smoke-at-the-hit runs. Could this be the wave of the future??

 

[camaro]

I'm fine with it for now. I was different, but we'll get back to 1320 soon.

Anybody notice the reverse irony in Denver: WJ gets off the line well in front in 1st round but doesn't have the HP to hold off someone at 1000ft. I years past WJ would have been last off the line and had the HP to get around at 1320ft. Just a racing observation.

WJ's gotta be goin' nuts these days, everytime he cuts a good light, the car performance is just not there and when he has the killer car, he cuts a .090 light and gets beat on a holeshot

 

[Nemo]

WOW, I guess I just dont get it.

• Loud cool-ass cars...check
• Sweet smell of Nitro...check
• Almost unlimited access to the cars/crews for the fans...check
• 300+ mph runs...check
• Close racing....check
• The feeling in your chest when the throttle gets whacked...check
• Standing behind a 6k hp beast while warming up in the pits...check

Yup it's got all the stuff I love about drag racing. You know what it didn't have...any dead freaking icons of the sport. My guess (and hope) is that the 1320 will come back, but there just isn't that much difference. I've been watching the sport since I was a small child, the loss of Steve Evens was a HUGE change to the sport in terms of spectator experience, but 1000 ft racing just really isn't . The cars havn't always been this fast, what kept all the fans in the 80's watching it when the top speeds were 260-270's and low fives were the coolest, all those things mentioned above.

The only people your going to "punish" by not watching is you, the rest of the sport will live on. The fans that leave because of the 1000ft racing will be small compared to the loss of one more driver, not to mention all the teams that will pack up and go home when that happens, not to mention more bad press and sponcers that just dont want to be associated with a "killer" sport.