Nitromater

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Pro Camaro is extremely boring. (7 Viewers)

I was drawn to drag racing when I was in high school in the 60's by fuel dragsters. Nothing is more visceral that a nitro car going down the track.

I just get tired of so many races in FC and TF where only one car makes it down under power (sometimes neither one).

PS has far more close, side by side races than the nitro classes.

Yes they look alike, but so do TF cars and FC cars.

When a guy like Tony Stewart tests a PS and says that a driver makes a big difference and has more to do in PS than TF, it means something.

I do wish the NHRA would finally take some steps to make it less expensive in TF and FC. The fields keep getting smaller...
 
I HEART PRO STOCK. Long live the Northeast Pioneers Lee Dean, Ralph Cifarelli, Carmen Nataro, Joe Sway, Ralph Ferra. Plus my favorites The Dodge Boys (97 ETown Chef's Kiss), Joe Lepone, Jr., Allen Johnson, VIncent Nobile! Great class, close racing, and the legacy keeps me going. The new Engine Building rivalry keeps me glued.
 
The biggest issue for the PS class is that it has gotten completely away from its origins. It originally allowed the different manufacturers to showcase their performance cars. The main rule was that the engine must be from the same manufacturer as the car's body.
Reinstating that rule wouldn't change a thing today other than it might park the Cuadras until they could get some Camaros built.

I'm really surprised about Factory X, a class that seemingly addresses a lot of complaints about PS. Body-style parity, engines a lot more in line with what the factory originally supplied and bodies that closely resemble their street counterparts. And what's not to love about a 5-speed doorslammer that runs 6.80/200. But the last race that ran this class drew 4 cars. :(
 
Reinstating that rule wouldn't change a thing today other than it might park the Cuadras until they could get some Camaros built.

I'm really surprised about Factory X, a class that seemingly addresses a lot of complaints about PS. Body-style parity, engines a lot more in line with what the factory originally supplied and bodies that closely resemble their street counterparts. And what's not to love about a 5-speed doorslammer that runs 6.80/200. But the last race that ran this class drew 4 cars. :(

The rich guys that could afford to build, be competitive in FX are too heavily invested in PS.
 
FX could have saved PS, but NHRA screwed the pooch by allowing some cheating by one brand and drove the lone Mopar - one of the very first FXs and chief proponents of the class - out.....shades of the 1970's. FWIW, Turk's Blackbird was the first officially over 200 mph and first unofficially in the 6's. I had high hopes for the class, but there's no one that I know of building any new ones, so it's basically a 4-car exhibition class.
This is cool footage no matter your brand preference!
 
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I HEART PRO STOCK. Long live the Northeast Pioneers Lee Dean, Ralph Cifarelli, Carmen Nataro, Joe Sway, Ralph Ferra. Plus my favorites The Dodge Boys (97 ETown Chef's Kiss), Joe Lepone, Jr., Allen Johnson, VIncent Nobile! Great class, close racing, and the legacy keeps me going. The new Engine Building rivalry keeps me glued.
Indeed, and the technically minded fans and racers do appreciate what all goes into Pro Stock, the cost, the expert driving required to stay competitive - but the run of the mill fan still sees Camaro after Camaro and after about 2 or 3 pair it becomes ho-hum. I long for the days when you could ID funny cars by brand but that ain't happening. You take the Factory X cars, nearly as quick, and throw 3 different brands in the mix and I would think the brand ID would make the class a lot more interesting for the Average Joe. I'm aware they're not much cheaper to build and campaign but if Pro Stock wasn't around I believe fans would support the class and we'd see a lot more than 4 cars at national events. Just an opinion; I'm certainly not anti-PS. No hot dogs or bathroom breaks when they come to the line. :)
 
It was the good old days of Pro Stock that made Pro Stock what it is today.

In 1972, when the Vegas came in and the Dusters ran Hemis... it all started headed towards "Pro Camaro" as some call it.

It's not my opinion - it's fact. If you take the time to read the facts, you can see how we got to where we are today.

 
It was the good old days of Pro Stock that made Pro Stock what it is today.

In 1972, when the Vegas came in and the Dusters ran Hemis... it all started headed towards "Pro Camaro" as some call it.

It's not my opinion - it's fact. If you take the time to read the facts, you can see how we got to where we are today.

When I say 'Pro Camaro' I don't intend it as a diss and I understand how things involved. I'm not dissatisfied with that and neither do I find the class boring. What's not to love about a mid 6 second, 210mph doorslammer? One hell of a ride if you ask me. I'm just saying that A, I don't believe both Pro Stock and Factory X can both survive; they're too much alike. And B, my opinion is that fans would find more to love with a 3 brand, 16-car field that's only slightly slower - not enough so that they'd even notice if the PS cars weren't on the property. 6.80/200 is pretty quick.

If the name itself is a sticking point, NHRA could just rename Factory X and retire the current PS class. Pro Stock pretty much fits the Factory X cars anyway, no?

So what say you, Bobby? Change for the better or a change not needed?
 
It was the good old days of Pro Stock that made Pro Stock what it is today.

In 1972, when the Vegas came in and the Dusters ran Hemis... it all started headed towards "Pro Camaro" as some call it.

It's not my opinion - it's fact. If you take the time to read the facts, you can see how we got to where we are today.

I’ve read that article before. You neglected to tell how badly the Mopars, then the Fords, were penalized, always to the benefit of the GM cars.
NHRA effectively penalized the Hemis out of the class. Wally Parks later admitted that was a mistake.
NHRA went after the Fords next.
As I said in an earlier post in this thread, because of the weight breaks, Glidden’s 351 Cleveland Pinto had to outweigh a 427 Camaro.
Those two events lessened factory support. Why should Mopar and Ford have worked on developing a new engine platform to beat the GMs, knowing NHRA would inevitably come to GM’s rescue by penalizing them?
 
IMO the biggest issue on the fan side is whether they are all Camaros or all 3 brands competing, the young fans could care less about cars period.
I look around when I am out and all the kids are being driven every where by their parents. The others are Ubering around. Kids just do not seem to want to drive therefore the interest in cars is very low.
The current fan base is there for the once a year circus show called nitro. I go over to the weekly events at National Trail and it is like a geriatric event almost no one under 50 racing.
 
IMO the biggest issue on the fan side is whether they are all Camaros or all 3 brands competing, the young fans could care less about cars period.
I look around when I am out and all the kids are being driven every where by their parents. The others are Ubering around. Kids just do not seem to want to drive therefore the interest in cars is very low.
I have young relatives on both sides of the family and can attest to this. In my day, we couldn't wait to get our license and start driving at 16.

Now, many kids begin to drive only hesitantly after prodding by mom and dad who see a chance for a break from hauling them to practice and other places. And that's not at 16, often it's near 18 when it's about time for college.

What my generation saw as a bit of freedom, mamy kids now see as out of the comfort zone of cell phones and video games. A Date? What's that?
 
It was the good old days of Pro Stock that made Pro Stock what it is today.

In 1972, when the Vegas came in and the Dusters ran Hemis... it all started headed towards "Pro Camaro" as some call it.

It's not my opinion - it's fact. If you take the time to read the facts, you can see how we got to where we are today.

I'm still trying to figure out how Doug Messner's Citation predates the '79 Omni's of Sox & Martin and Dick Landy.
 
Remember when Pro Stock had hood scoops? My hat pin, I got a couple of years ago.


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