Motorsports media asks, "Is this the time to bring back 1,320 foot nitro racing?" (1 Viewer)

[Raconteur]

Motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski asks,
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...o-quarter-mile-racing-for-top-fuel-funny-car/
Is it time NHRA returns to quarter-mile racing for Top Fuel, Funny Car?

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...o-quarter-mile-racing-for-top-fuel-funny-car/

We all know the history, we all know that some dragstrips have short shutoff areas, how about 1,320 at Vegas, Dallas, Gainesville, Indy, Phoenix, etc. and 1,000 foot for Pomona and E-Town... and throw in an 1/8 mile for the Countdown!

Slow em down? Yes, we have all read the Dale Armstrong solution, thanks.

 

[None]

Return to 1320, even the tracks with the short shut down areas. Do not slow them down. It should be up to the crew chiefs and the drivers to make the pass and get it shut down within the limits of the track they are running.

 

[Just Paul]

 

[StockersRock]

Return to 1320, even the tracks with the short shut down areas. Do not slow them down. It should be up to the crew chiefs and the drivers to make the pass and get it shut down within the limits of the track they are running.

Yeah, because Alan Johnson would've really backed it down in the final at Pomona in 2006... Please...

 

[d'kid]

You missed 300 Meters... that's appox. 977 feet
d'kid

 

[CJDeeds]

I have often thought that if we were to return to 1320' we need to create a Tiered designation system for tracks. Setup a baseline for safety conditions- shutdown area length, materials, devices, etc..- for the tracks able to run the Pro classes, then a second tier for the tracks that are adequate for the Alcohol dragsters/funny cars and then a third tier for sportsman only tracks. These standards would be set by a committee consisting of drivers, crew chiefs, industry professionals, and scientists in order to create the best possible situation.

 

[Dragracer]

It's time for people to get it into their thick heads that 1000 ft is here to stay. To race some at 1000 and others at 1320 would be cost prohibitive.
It's not going to happen so get used to the 1000 ft or stop going to the races.
END THIS TOPIC IT HAS BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH!!!!

 

[James]

Sorry Terry but I disagree. Slow the fuel cars down with blower pulley size controls. Keep T/F around 315 in the 1/4. Stop letting the crew chiefs run the show and let the paying public have their say. If they start getting too fast then adjust the blower pulleys some more. Racing will be better and the product more marketable. My opinion.

 

[None]

Sorry Terry but I disagree. Slow the fuel cars down with blower pulley size controls. Keep T/F around 315 in the 1/4. Stop letting the crew chiefs run the show and let the paying public have their say. If they start getting too fast then adjust the blower pulleys some more. Racing will be better and the product more marketable. My opinion.

Going to the races is like going to a buffet. You pay for what they have or you don't go.

 

[stitcherbob]

a whole bunch of people I talk drag racing with have not been to a race since 1000 ft was enacted.....but all said they would return if it was a quarter mile again, so it's not the economy with them....

 

[Raconteur]

Sorry Terry but I disagree. Slow the fuel cars down with blower pulley size controls. Keep T/F around 315 in the 1/4. Stop letting the crew chiefs run the show and let the paying public have their say. If they start getting too fast then adjust the blower pulleys some more. Racing will be better and the product more marketable. My opinion.

James, it's pretty interesting that noted motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski at NBC Sports, longtime friend of new NHRA VP of Public Relations and Communications Terry Blount, brings this 1320 issue up at this time. Just a coincidence or is this the next BIG announcement for a change in the Mello Yello show?

 

[TooTall999]

I'll bet Goodyear and the insurance companies will fight a return to 1,320.

 

[T.Smith]

a whole bunch of people I talk drag racing with have not been to a race since 1000 ft was enacted.....but all said they would return if it was a quarter mile again, so it's not the economy with them....

Have fun sitting at home.

 

[.]

It's time for people to get it into their thick heads that 1000 ft is here to stay. To race some at 1000 and others at 1320 would be cost prohibitive.
It's not going to happen so get used to the 1000 ft or stop going to the races.
END THIS TOPIC IT HAS BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH!!!!

Terry, I don't mean to single you out here because there are several others on this site that share your same opinion. However, just because you and a few others are content with 1000' racing doesnt mean the rest of us are. And just because YOU say 1000' feet is here to stay, does not make it a fact..... unless you are a decision maker for the NHRA? This sport is struggling, and they need to do something. Going back to 1320' may not solve everything but it would certainly help. I predict they will return to 1320' some day and I will be the first to say "I told you so".

 

[Raconteur]

a whole bunch of people I talk drag racing with have not been to a race since 1000 ft was enacted.....

Same with my conversations, but as 1,000 foot racing has hurt the Mello Yello show, spectators have found other ways to enjoy drag racing without a DSR or JFR. Drag racing has splintered into many other Sanctioning organizations, that's not bad.

 

[Riley7]

Let me ask you all a question or two:

1. Has there been ANY indication, from ANY fuel team, that they've done performance testing to come up with a cost-effective and SAFE package to run in the 1320? If so, I'd like to hear specifics about these tests. Has NHRA run any organized tests for all of the teams to partake in? Everything I've heard and read from the actual participants shows no indication of returning to the longer distance in the forseeable future.

2. If you do manage to slow the cars down enough to be consistently "safe" in the 1320, will you also slow down the Alky cars by the same margin? Because you're going to want to ensure a significant performance advantage for the Fuel cars or risk losing fans.

3. What does Goodyear think about going back to the 1320? Last I heard they wanted nothing to do with it.

As a huge fan of the sport dating back to the early 1970's when I saw my first fuel race, I would love to see a return to the quarter mile for Fuel Cars, even if they were significantly slower than they are now. However, I'm a realist, and I don't think we're going to see that happen for quite some time, if ever. There are too many issues, most cost and safety related, to overcome now that we've been running 1000' for a few years. If anything happens at all, it's going to happen in stages, and be phased in over time.

 

[None]

Yeah, because Alan Johnson would've really backed it down in the final at Pomona in 2006... Please...

If Alan Johnson wants to put it into the wall, he would have to live with it. Not that he would. Top Fuel and Funny Car has to be a combination of speed, tires, and stopping.

 

[Muddy]

In my opinion we will see 1000 foot racing across the board but if they really wanted to go back to 1/4 mile racing all they would have to do is reduce the fuel tank to...my guess is 12 gallons and let teams adjust in whatever manner they think is most effective. Everytime they get beyond acceptable performance remove another half gallon. Won't be long before they no longer have 2 mags, 16 spark plugs, 1471 blowers and 2 giant fuel pumps because they no longer receive any benefit from having them.

 

[Toejam]

Sorry Terry but I disagree. Slow the fuel cars down with blower pulley size controls. Keep T/F around 315 in the 1/4. Stop letting the crew chiefs run the show and let the paying public have their say. If they start getting too fast then adjust the blower pulleys some more. Racing will be better and the product more marketable. My opinion.

Terry, I don't mean to single you out here because there are several others on this site that share your same opinion. However, just because you and a few others are content with 1000' racing doesnt mean the rest of us are. And just because YOU say 1000' feet is here to stay, does not make it a fact..... unless you are a decision maker for the NHRA? This sport is struggling, and they need to do something. Going back to 1320' may not solve everything but it would certainly help. I predict they will return to 1320' some day and I will be the first to say "I told you so".

I would love to see 1/4 mile again, but unless rule changes are made it won't happen. The Cars would be 4.30's at over 340 with the combo's they run now.

 

[.]

...... The Cars would be 4.30's at over 340 with the combo's they run now.

Would the combos they run now make it to the 1320' finish line without blowing up? Consistently?