Sounds like good things for top fuel and fuel funny car next year. (2 Viewers)

[TJ]

Johny...The average fan does not care if there are 14 cars in the pits or 24 cars. They only care about their favorite driver.
NHRA fills the stands and that is all that matters.
Plus if less fuel cars turn out than NHRA can fill those parking spots w/ sportsman cars.
Sportsman cars pay to play while the fuel cars are allowed free entry to play.
I have a huge interest in the fuel cars but if I was the NHRA I would be fine w/ only 16 cars in each catagory showing up to participate.

 

[Mooseman]

I feel sorry for all the young kids and and young adults out there who go to the races and watch these cars race and dream of being in the drivers seat . In todays world the only way you could get in the seat is to save all your money your whole life or become a paid driver . I would never want to be a paid driver I would much rather have my own car . Whats worse is that even with the weekend racing its become outragiously expensive to , well if you want to be competitive it is .

 

[Toejam]

I couldn't count how many times I've been at a particular city for a race. Asking relatives if they're interested in going to the Drag races. They seem very interested until I tell them how much tickets cost, then they say No that's OK! My Niece and her Husband saw the Drags for the First time in Houston last spring. They were really looking forward to going to Ennis for Sat/Sun. But when they saw how much the tickets ran they cancelled. If it wasn't for Diehards like me, this sport would be in Trouble! NHRA used to have a policy admitting two children under 15 Free with one Paid adult. That was GOLD, but NHRA discontinued it!

 

[johnny]

Johny...The average fan does not care if there are 14 cars in the pits or 24 cars. They only care about their favorite driver.
NHRA fills the stands and that is all that matters.
Plus if less fuel cars turn out than NHRA can fill those parking spots w/ sportsman cars.
Sportsman cars pay to play while the fuel cars are allowed free entry to play.
I have a huge interest in the fuel cars but if I was the NHRA I would be fine w/ only 16 cars in each catagory showing up to participate.

Terry, if history is our teacher, Unlimirted Hydroplanes went down this path. As fewer Pro racers participated, the fan interest dissipated. The average fan does care, their favorites won't be out there, and the stands will increasingly become an issue. As it stands, there are questions with regards to NHRA's accounting with regards to attendance stats.

 

[rocketman]

It was refreshing to read what Dan Olson had to say and I agree with all of it. I also like Newman's solution why NHRA lets all that stuff like electronics I'll never know. Hey Newman! what funny car did you own????

 

[Nitrohelper]

Hey Newman! what funny car did you own????

See post #37 for some of the cars I have tuned , Started working on a twin chevy gas dragster in 1962 that I still have in my shop with my '67 Garlits car. and a '94 McKinney F/C built for Al Hoffman. A Gaynor '78 Arrow body is getting mounted on the "Telstar" chassis from '91 to run with Doc Halladay as classic F/C in 2007.
I like the VRA F/C rules, (points mag!) my run book from 1985 is very close, we will use a 30 gallon fuel pump for match races.

Mr.Jones, I don't know your age or background , but I don't agree with your statements on car counts. The crowds are historically larger on Saturdays than Sundays because more cars are on the property. As for your statement on Force & Bernstein not caring about spending money, perhaps you should talk to them in person. My experience with them is just the opposite, ask Snake how sponsorship sales are going these days.
How many people show up for the Indy 500 now, as compared to when they had over 50 cars trying to qualify, they used to have 100,000 fans on Pole day now maybe 10,000? History can help to predict the future!
As for the Russell deal, the Judge ruled the driver waiver wasn't valid, that allows the lawsuit to continue. Depositions are now underway.
Life insurance policy for a race car driver ? The premium is more than most people make in a year.

 

[TJ]

Jerry...I have been around drag racing for some time. I always looked forward to seeing the Telstar F/C in the 80's whenever I ventured out east.
As far as Force and Bernsteins concerns/costs about slowing down....They are more concerned about their diesel fuel bill than slowing em down. If you told Kenny or Force that they were taking away a mag or smaller pump or this or that they would be very upset @ going slower to save $50,000.
They love going fast and sponsorships allow them to have fun.
In regards to the 'Snake' saying sponsorships pickings are getting harder to find...wrong...there are more fortune 500 companies today that have to market than 20 years ago...the problem...price tag the Snake is asking for.
I have been around and know who slices a piece off the top of the budget for themselves.
And Saturday attendance @ NHRA events is larger due to : 2 pro qualifiers; more people are off work on Sunday so they can enjoy the entire day: and society does offer alot more entertainment opportunities than 20 years ago.
The premium for life insurance for a 330mph race car driver thru Lloyds is aroung $10,000 a year.
Your telling me that a typical paid driver making $200,000 a year cannot afford that? Sounds like whoever does not have coverage and has dependents is very unconcerned about their loved ones and the financial impact they will go thru if you pass away.
And the Russel deal will run its course. Every level of justice has tossed this aside and depositions do not have any accountability when the NHRA will not participate....my wife is in law. She keeps me updated.
The

And the Indy 500 attendance dropped when they split the series many years ago. I loved the Indy cars til they took away normal boost they all used to have and most di-hard fans lost interest.

 

[Bobby]

1996 Indy 200 walt disney world. they used 1995 CART chassis and engines. turbo engines. they souned like the exotic race cars that they were.

1997 indy 200. v-8 oldsmobiles . sounded like crap. couldn't talk to the guy next to you they were so loud. loud is not a problem at a drag race. at an indy car race that lasts 2-3 hours? it's a problem.
they sound a little better today but still not what they were.

ChampCar today runs the turbos, but with their ridiculous 'power to pass' option (extra boost for a short period of time )

one gimmick after another won't save open wheel racing.


where were we again? ;-) oh yeah. getting back to 90 per cent.


DO IT.

 

[scotty]

I think Dan Olson is a wonderful selection for NHRA. Ray Alley is a brilliant guy, but he never had to truly "deal" with the rules changes he mandated whereas Olson was on the other side of the coin and had to work with both the rules and a budget (albeit a very large budget). And with Olson being the managing crew chief of both the DSR dragsters and funny cars, I think he got a pretty good feel for how they affected each one.

As someone else mentioned he never said slow them down. He said the tire was good. He also said the rev limiter works and that 90% might make it easier on parts when on the limiter. This makes a lot of sense to me. One tuner in the class told me power isn't the problem. If you give them back 90% they could definitely "ease up" on the engine and still have more power than the rest of the car/track can deal with. Could it be 85% makes them need to rev the engine more to get the boost and fuel volume up thereby hitting the limiter sooner? Would 90% actually REDUCE the time on the limiter for teams? I don't know but I think Olson does and I look forward to seeing what changes he brings and how he works with the classes.

 

[Mooseman]

I read an interview with one of the crew chiefs a while back, and the crew chief said they should bring back the 100% nitro allowance and just ristrict the overdrive on the blowers and that should ease the damage on the engines . He also said that with 85% its losing the sound that made nitro racing what it was in the old days and that fuel racing needs the sound and needs the fire in the pipes.

 

[F-OFF]

I read an interview with one of the crew chiefs a while back, and the crew chief said they should bring back the 100% nitro allowance and just ristrict the overdrive on the blowers and that should ease the damage on the engines . He also said that with 85% its losing the sound that made nitro racing what it was in the old days and that fuel racing needs the sound and needs the fire in the pipes.

Ding,Ding,Ding WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Too bad Compton doesn't know the difference.

 

[nhray]

you reduce costs by turning back the clock. fans in the stands don't give a damn if they run 4.4s or 5.4. single mag smaller fuel pump. whatever.

trust me we don't care.

You gotta be kidding... Check out the Pomona final round videos on another thread. Compare the TAFC final to the TF final. The number of fans in the stands and their reaction says it all.

We were there. Trust me, we care.

 

[None]

You gotta be kidding... Check out the Pomona final round videos on another thread. Compare the TAFC final to the TF final. The number of fans in the stands and their reaction says it all.

We were there. Trust me, we care.

The difference is Nitro.

 

[Toejam]

Now that 300 MPH is the Performance standard of this sport, anything less would be a turnoff. Slowly the Fuel cars down to 4.90's@285 MPH would go over like a lead balloon!

 

[rocketman]

I wasn't there but I'm sure alky was run after the fuel cars and when you figure that everyone wants out of the parking lot before everyone else it's understandable that people didn't stick around. Not a very fair statement. Come on!

 

[rocketman]

He also said that with 85% its losing the sound that made nitro racing what it was in the old days and that fuel racing needs the sound and needs the fire in the pipes.

William. I agree with that, even A/Fuel sounds more wicked then TF on 85%

 

[nhray]

I wasn't there but I'm sure alky was run after the fuel cars and when you figure that everyone wants out of the parking lot before everyone else it's understandable that people didn't stick around. Not a very fair statement. Come on!

You are right. Bad analogy on my part.

Let me put it this way, "there ain't no going back".

 

[Bobby]

believe it or not I enjoyed drag racing more in the 70's than I do now. numbers are numbers. the spectacle of nitro cars is not just the result of the speed.

 

[Mooseman]

I still say the coolest looking funny cars were the skoal bandit trans-ams the don prudhomme raced . I may not have been around to see them but they are my fav . I hope everything goes back to how it should be in fuel racing and I hope the costs go down . I read about the costs and everything and I end up feeling sad and dissapointed because I have no money and im not going to be in a career that could fund a fuel funny car . I don't like giving up on dreams , there are things I wanted when I was a little kid that I couldnt afford and I still intend on getting them just so I can say I them.

 

[rocketman]

Bob Cole, I agree 100 percent with your last statement.

William, Skoal Bandit cars were pretty cool. You should have seen the Army Monza what a car that was. No. 1 in my book.

William, regardless of what career you find yourself in you will never make enough money to run one out of your own pocket. I know of millionares that tried but couldn't afford it. That's why what Dan Olson said was so refreshing. Someone from up high finally acknowledged the problem. It seems like the solution is always get a sponsor, get a sponsor, get a sponsor. The problem is it costs more then what most sponsors are willing to pay. Look at Werner, even they are cutting back. NOPE, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO CHANGE THIS!!!