"The Sounds of Silence" (2 Viewers)

[nwspeedshots]

My first post here, and I’m sure y’all will flame away, but here’s my opinion, just the same…;

Looks to me like the NHRA brass is doing everything they can to ensure full fields. They just don’t feel any responsibility to check in with us. The Europeans are coming, no doubt at the request/invitation/underwriting of NHRA. I see that NHRA is actively courting the IHRA folks. And the part-timers are already stepping up. Think that, maybe, there’s some NHRA money involved…? Short fields? Could be, but silence from the powers-that-be doesn’t necessarily equal inaction.

“Countdown”? I hate it, too, just like I hate NASCAR’s “Chase”; I think that motorsports are plenty exciting, without the addition of anything artificial. But in the overall scheme of things, I don’t really care. Doesn’t effect my life in the least. 1000 feet? Same thing. Sucks, but deal with it.

…not, I’m sure, even worth two cents… --M--

 

[Lori]

Your opinion is just as worthy as any others I read in this forum.
Thanks for the post and welcome to Nitromater!!!

 

[Fireball]

Accept the things you can't control and change the things you can.......NHRA?... It is what it is. Well put Mark.

 

[WrenchWench]

Accept the things you can't control and change the things you can.......NHRA?... It is what it is. Well put Mark.

I am also more of a "lurker" than a "poster"...but I think your right. And so is the post about "an opinion being just as worthy as any others that are posted here" (maybe not an exact quote there, but you get the idea, lol).

 

[Toejam]

My first post here, and I’m sure y’all will flame away, but here’s my opinion, just the same…;

Looks to me like the NHRA brass is doing everything they can to ensure full fields. They just don’t feel any responsibility to check in with us. The Europeans are coming, no doubt at the request/invitation/underwriting of NHRA. I see that NHRA is actively courting the IHRA folks. And the part-timers are already stepping up. Think that, maybe, there’s some NHRA money involved…? Short fields? Could be, but silence from the powers-that-be doesn’t necessarily equal inaction.

“Countdown”? I hate it, too, just like I hate NASCAR’s “Chase”; I think that motorsports are plenty exciting, without the addition of anything artificial. But in the overall scheme of things, I don’t really care. Doesn’t effect my life in the least. 1000 feet? Same thing. Sucks, but deal with it.

…not, I’m sure, even worth two cents… --M--

Well we will certainly see that's for sure! Despite all the Bad news regarding car counts, I had always maintained that we would see more than the 10-11 cars everyone was predicting come Pomona.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Well we will certainly see that's for sure! Despite all the Bad news regarding car counts, I had always maintained that we would see more than the 10-11 cars everyone was predicting come Pomona.

I tend to agree with you, Joe. However, Pomona is the first race of the year, and everyone will be chomping at the bit to get things rolling after being cooped up all winter. The true test will be what's happening 10 or 11 races in to the 24-race marathon, and I can't help but think there will be an abundance of short fields this year.

I hope like hell I'm wrong.

Sean D

 

[FC Girl]

I tend to agree with you, Joe. However, Pomona is the first race of the year, and everyone will be chomping at the bit to get things rolling after being cooped up all winter. The true test will be what's happening 10 or 11 races in to the 24-race marathon, and I can't help but think there will be an abundance of short fields this year.

I hope like hell I'm wrong.

Sean D

Too many cars across the country that no one thinks about that have been parked or only do match races. They're going to surface now with a little "encouragement" and hopefully, we should see minimum 16 cars at every race in the Fuel Classes. The Alky classes, with a couple of exceptions, most likely will be minimum 20 to 26 cars at every event.

 

[Bobby Bennett]

I believe too there will be full fields in Pomona and the first couple of races, but when you get to the events like Brainerd and the West Coast swing, that's where you'll see the full effects.

 

[George.]

I know I may be overstating this, but the real effects won't be seen until next year.
Personally, I don't see 1000' drag racing as a viable advertising avenue for the real lifeblood of sport, sponsorship. The fans won't be sticking around for this..
I think after witnessing the charade of 1000' racing, an endless parade of passionless, boring, "nobody" drivers, (aside from a couple of great drivers we still have left), and the shrinking amount of advertising dollars the current sponsors may have budgeted for motorsports, I see the decline to be at it's worst next summer.

I would say the NHRA needs to be actively working ing on a 1320 solution to be implemented by the 2010 Winternationals.. There are an almost infanite amount of ways to safely get this done.
Ticket prices must be lowered so the average working man can afford to bring the next generation of fans (kids) to the races now.
Better yet, anybody under the age of 12 should be admitted free.
Most importantly, we need drivers who can bring some damn LIFE back to the sport. Someone to actually raise the blood pressure of the fans. Someone with an opinion instead of a pre-written company press release for a "thank you". What was better than seeing Glidden/Johnson, Muldowney/Kalitta, heck, Muldowney/anybody in her way?

 

[Treeshaker]

In today's world silence is the rule for associations, race teams and sponsors. Many things are happening with all of them, but the less said publically, and especially in writing, the better.

The sport has grown in respect to sponsorships and attendance in proportion with the number of non-controversial drivers. Very few sponsors wanted to be connected to a "loose cannon" then or now.

1,000' racing does not have an effect on attendance by the general fans. Many consider the ADRL the fastest growing sanctioning body today, and heaven forbid, they only race 660'.

The economy is only taking it's normal down cycle that it takes every time there is an election that is going to make a change in the presidency. Those that do not plan for it suffer, those that do see it as a time of opportunity.

The fields will be filled by teams that see this as a time of opportunity to fulfill their dreams and goals. My family and I took advantage of the same type of situation the last time it happened in 2000. We were able to field two cars, and qualified 3 at one event, and make a profit because of the short fields. We ran the circuit until the competitor base grew with more money teams and it became economically unfeasible for us to do so. You will see the competitor base become stronger every year for the next 7 years, then we will have another downturn and shake up.


And another thing, qualifiers in the nitro classes in both HRAs get $10,000.00, not the $9,000.00 that is being used on most internet posts.

 

[PiPPi]

The Europeans are coming, no doubt at the request/invitation/underwriting of NHRA.

Andy Carter, UK, and Urs Erbacher, Switzerland, will be in T/F. Leif Andréason from Sweden will compete in TA/FC.

Just so there is no misunderstanding whatsover about this: all those teams will attend on 100% of their own accord, nothing else. NHRA has not in any way been proactively involved in this coming to fruition.

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

 

[BrettV]

Andy Carter, UK, and Urs Erbacher, Switzerland, will be in T/F. Leif Andréason from Sweden will compete in TA/FC.

Just so there is no misunderstanding whatsover about this: all those teams will attend on 100% of their own accord, nothing else. NHRA has not in any way been proactively involved in this coming to fruition.

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

Hey! A bright side to a weak U.S. dollar!

 

[paoldtimer]

Ian endless parade of passionless, boring, "nobody" drivers....Someone with an opinion instead of a pre-written company press release for a "thank you". What was better than seeing Glidden/Johnson, Muldowney/Kalitta, heck, Muldowney/anybody in her way?

Hey Whit...come out, come out, wherever you are!!! (still miss ya)

 

[Bill]

>>>>>"Most importantly, we need drivers who can bring some damn LIFE back to the sport. Someone to actually raise the blood pressure of the fans. Someone with an opinion instead of a pre-written company press release for a "thank you"." <<<<<

In my opinion, the "life" went out of T/F racing with the insidious advent of "SPEC" rules that dictate these present-day, cookie cutter cars. The days when two Fuelers pulled up to the line, one with Olds power (Ratican/Safford/Gaide, or Porter/Reis) vs. a Chizler or big block Chevy car provided the fans with a choice of what CAR to root for, rather than just some faceless name in the driver's seat. People enjoyed the brand rivalry between the Pontiacs of Eddie Hill and Garlits' Dodges, but what do we have now? John Force coerces Ford into building a fuel motor and NHRA dictates that it emulate a Chrysler Hemi so closely that there's no effectve difference. So, what was the point???

Spec cars.... the question in WHY? The 'cammer 427 Ford motors were viable contenders until NHRA ruled them ineligible to run, and the McGee motor could have taken NHRA T/F racing to a whole new level, with its 4-valve technology, but, NOOOOOOOO "Ingenuity in Action" no longer spoken here. Wonder who got paid off to make those two potential players unacceptable to race in T/F?

As a problem in generating excitement, I think that 1,000-foot racing pales in comparison to the effect on the fans that the technical malaise that has afflicted T/F racing for the last 15 years imparts.

I think that the cookie cutter cars that have "spec" this and "spec" need to go. The stagnation that has taken over Top Fuel racing (Funny Car, included) has sure made it boring, when it gets to the point that people are crying out for excitement to be generated by "colorful" DRIVERS, for Pete's sake! A finish line interview with an "intersting personality" is no replacement for the variety, imagination, and thrill of seeing DIFFERENT cars race each other; cars with unknown potential and innovative technology.

NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" has taken the "SPEC CAR" business to the extreme, and it's boring as hell... NHRA, as usual, in their "monkey-see/monkey do" M.O. is hot on their trail.

If NHRA can take a "performance DOG," like a 2-cylinder motorcycle and turn it into an Eliminator Champion with legislation, surely, they could do something similar for Top Fuel to get some excitement back into the technical side of Nitro racing.

As it stands, I don't think that all the "colorful personalities" in the world will turn this thing around.

My 2-cents...

 

[Johnny Ringo]

NHRA, from my experience, has done a rather poor job in moving the sport safely forward. I am speaking from my personal experience when I was a competitor (think..way back). Tom & I broght our 33 Willy's, F-Troop, to a NHRA regional meet and was not allowed to compete in A/GS as it didn't have the original 33 frame rails (or some nonsense like that). I had built the chassis using the Logghe Stage I chassis, shortened and narrowed to fit under a B & N glass Willys body. It was probably 10 to 100 times safer car then what they allowed to compete then, and now it's pretty much the standard of what's being run today. Later we put a 426 Hemi on nitro (alot of it) in it and ran with the Hill Bros. outlaw circuit. That car ran 8.00's at 185 plus (pedalin it). The now restored car, with original frame, has been certified to run 7.50, forty one years later.

Another example: I called and wrote NHRA prior to the 69 Nationals requesting permission to bring sophisticated ultra speed movie cameras to record and document body flex and movement of the funny cars. Remember we were experincing windshield failures (with driver injuries) and cars flying from the rear and front, RIP Delmar Heinelt and damned near Larry Reyes, and they turned me down flat.

After that, with the exception of driving the Snake's F/C at the 1970 Nationals, I never raced at one of their events again.

I do, however believe that they are doing a better job these days as they have hired experienced racers.

Flame away!

 

[Toejam]

Andy Carter, UK, and Urs Erbacher, Switzerland, will be in T/F. Leif Andréason from Sweden will compete in TA/FC.

Just so there is no misunderstanding whatsover about this: all those teams will attend on 100% of their own accord, nothing else. NHRA has not in any way been proactively involved in this coming to fruition.

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

Are all 3 coming to Pomona???

 

[clwill]

Virgil, you're right on almost every front (I'm not sure it's only the election that caused this downturn, but the uncertainty clearly doesn't help). 1000' is a "deal breaker" to the ~1400 people here, but not to the 20x that number of people in the stands at the average event. Cycles happen, and as someone said recently on DRO, we saw the same thing in the 80s.

I'm reminded of the old Hebrew saying, invoked by Abraham Lincoln: this too shall pass. Everything is fleeting, the ups and the downs. Good words to live by.

 

[PiPPi]

Are all 3 coming to Pomona???

Hijacking a good thread here, sorry, won't happen again but yes they are.

Leif Andreasson will be testing at Las Vegas as well and after Pomona they drive across to Bradenton for the first LODRS event.

I'll be at Frank Hawleys next week with the European Pro Stock Bike Champion. If I can succesfully chase extra time and money, I might be able to join the Andreasson Racing Team both for Las Vegas and Pomona but the chances are slim (even the missus says to spend the money, not a lot of those opportunites around).

Regards
PiPPi
http://HarleyDrags.com

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Too many cars across the country that no one thinks about that have been parked or only do match races. They're going to surface now with a little "encouragement" and hopefully, we should see minimum 16 cars at every race in the Fuel Classes. The Alky classes, with a couple of exceptions, most likely will be minimum 20 to 26 cars at every event.

All I can say is I hope you're right, Nancy.

Sean D

 

[Toejam]

Too many cars across the country that no one thinks about that have been parked or only do match races. They're going to surface now with a little "encouragement" and hopefully, we should see minimum 16 cars at every race in the Fuel Classes. The Alky classes, with a couple of exceptions, most likely will be minimum 20 to 26 cars at every event.

Moonlight, you have to take into account the number of independent racers who's cars are outdated! Scott Weis is a perfect example, his car from '06 is illegal thus he'll be match racing.