Pro Stock... (1 Viewer)

[fatcat]

There are enough cars out there, but you have to spend so much to compete nowadays that they have turned the cars into moneypits. If you track the class history it seems that around 1991-2 is when the decline started. Legitimate team cars (started by WJ with Don Beverly) showed almost immediate returns, so Wayne County pairs Alderman and Geoffrion in 1993. Now there are two teams that are completely dominating.
Now comes Steve Schmidt, who's making awesome power and he decides it may be profitable to lease engines for a million a year...Yates does the same thing in 1994 with a team car (Chuck Harris) and Harris becomes an instant top ten and contending team, even won Columbus!
After that, the guys who were competitive with their own engines were falling behind data and power-wise and some left for that budding Outlaw Street racing or some just retired.
The rest were left with dog motors that were maybe a tenth off the pack and it just kept evolving till today.
The rich spent more and the mid packers fell behind and with so many more classes of racing to choose from for fast door cars, why "waste" the cash.

A buddy of mine drove Pro Stock a few years ago and it was cost him roughly 25K per race (8 races), to lease a team and a testing motor, that was down 15HP. He won two rounds, but for 200K?

"dog motors...a tenth off" been there done that. My partner and I looked around in the staging lanes and were fairly certain we were the only ones there that punched clocks for a living. Don't regret it one bit, at the end of everything I was only out about 15k, and had a great time doing it.

Spec heads just wouldn't work IMHO. The sophistication of the class is pure evolution, there is no going back. Was at a points race last weekend and watched some top sportsman guys running 6.70's at 205 with big motors and nitrous and commented to a friend of having a deeper appreciation for guys that run 6.50s at 210 with 500 cubes, and no juice, really amazing.

 

[Toejam]

"dog motors...a tenth off" been there done that. My partner and I looked around in the staging lanes and were fairly certain we were the only ones there that punched clocks for a living. Don't regret it one bit, at the end of everything I was only out about 15k, and had a great time doing it.

Spec heads just wouldn't work IMHO. The sophistication of the class is pure evolution, there is no going back. Was at a points race last weekend and watched some top sportsman guys running 6.70's at 205 with big motors and nitrous and commented to a friend of having a deeper appreciation for guys that run 6.50s at 210 with 500 cubes, and no juice, really amazing.

I think Pro Mod and Top Sportsman killed off Pro stock more than anything! Pro mod started around 1990-91, since then we have seen several former PS racers switch over!

 

[NYNitro86]

I think Pro Mod and Top Sportsman killed off Pro stock more than anything! Pro mod started around 1990-91, since then we have seen several former PS racers switch over!

Pro Mod actually started in 1988-1989 as a spinoff from Top Sportsman and back Then Top Sportsman was not just Door cars, it was Dragsters it was Altereds too. Top Dragster kinda spun off from Top Sportsman as well.

 

[mick]

noticed larry morgan and warren johnson are appearing at world series of
drag racing @ cordova later this month.....certainly a changing of the time$.

ricky jones appears to be the 2nd 'team' car for shane gray?...temporary?
or will ricky run the balance of season?

does mike edwards do his own engines? appears to run alone without
partner team?

does v. gaines have a second 'partner' to compare notes with or does
he run alone too? ......madcap engines?

 

[Nunz]

Joe, Pro Mod has not hurt Pro Stock. PS is killing itself. Have you ever read or listened to what Larry Morgan has to say about the class? It's the same conversation that we've had in other threads. It's simply about the Benjamins. PS budgets have approached fuel car programs, and as hard as it is to attract a backer in a fuel car, it's greatly more difficult in a PS car. On top of that, the round money is a lot less in PS. So, it's very simple math, you end up with less and less teams having full-pull programs. NASCAR has the b***s to re-design it's cars as it sees fit. There is so much potential, IMO, for this sport to move forward, but it will take some real forward thinking for it to happen. Ever hear the expression, "nothing gets better by being left alone"?