Thanks for all the new info. I've only been watching drag racing since the late '60's when it was covered by ABC's Wide World of Sports, so I could be wrong, being a newcomer to the sport. I know very well who Roger Gustin is and stand by my statement that I'm not aware of any jet cars running as fast as today's T/F cars. Rocket cars, yes, Jets, no. I could well be wrong, but please let me know where they ran quicker and I'll apologize for that remark.
Also, my comments were aimed primarily at National Events, and I have to drive 7 hours to get to Seattle or Sears Point so excuse me if I kinda hope there will be something new to see in the pits and on the track. Although I love going to see the big show, I was at Seattle in '16 and while the event was great, even with the rain, I didn't see anything new and we actually left early. I can say the highlight of the day was how Don Schumacher treats fans. That man is a class act.
As for my lack of knowledge on how promoting drag racing works, here's how I choose to rate promotion: if I find myself asking "How much longer?" or if my butt hurts from boredom, the promoter sucks. This is exactly what happened during the Sears Point event I mentioned. Local radio personalities or some other such non-racers running rental cars is stuff even my local track doesn't do. If even the great Bob Frey couldn't make it entertaining, then NHRA missed the target on that little time filler.
Innovative cars is another area where I will stand my ground. I never once said all innovative cars were successful, far from it. What they do accomplish is add variety to a class. Variety breeds interest among fans. Cookie-cutter cars do not. Rick Santos car was quite successful, despite what you claim. If it weren't why would the NHRA add weight to only THAT car? Dale Hall's FED was (IIRC) the last front engined car to win a national event. I could be wrong again, but it's not really an issue since FED's were no longer competitive. As for the Garlits cars, trust me, I can count quite well and said what I meant. Swamp Rat XXX is what I said and what I meant. Here's another little tidbit to think about: you are looking at the current NHRA thing from the inside, you see hard working people that put their heart and soul into the end product and I'm sure hearing some random guy bad-mouth your work hurts. I'm looking at it from a paying customer's point of view. I don't fly to the races, I get up early, drive seven hours to the track so I can buy a couple extra T-Shirts for my son and I rather than spend an extra night in a hotel. I pay for my tickets, I stand patiently at the ropes to see my heroes that are typically half my age, then I find a good seat in the GA section hoping not to get sunburned. I love nitro cars and used to like pro/stock back when they looked real. If money's tight, I can't go at all, but watch from TV at home. Why should I not turn the channel?
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