Man im not too in love with the countdown system, but this 1000 ft thing really isnt as horrible as everyone thinks. Yeah I still think drag racing is quarter mile, but you have to look at it from the perspective that the NHRA isnt technical enough to really slow these cars down the right way, and look at all the crew chiefs/crew members who are saying that the entire engine and all its components look alot better going to a thousand feet rather than the quarter mile. Austin Coil even said that theyve been racing to a thousand feet for years already, and with the rev limiters on these cars it just makes it even worse. So until the NHRA can figure out a solution to slow these cars down without sacrificing on parts life then im on board with 1000 ft.
They're doing it again :( (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter PJ
- Start date
yoda
Nitro Member
Mark:
Everything you suggested seems to be related to one tragic incident- a series of "what could go wrong did go wrong". Horrible as it all is, the fact is, at the moment, we have not seen the results of when something occurs tragically at 600' (not unheard of in this sport- Bob Edwards accident DID help facilitate the change from Armaco to Concrete Barriers). As we get closer to the end of the season and the nitro tuners start screwing around with that "999 foot" tuneup to squeeze out that win from all this "close racing", it is inevitable, since they havent had to win without that extra 320 feet, that some guys are gonna miss the trick and the fireballs will come earlier.
Alan- I know you've spoken with AJ, and know his tuneup is probably similar to his 1320 one, but the fact that the car is already running at 315+ makes me wonder: Is there more to come once the rest of the pack figures out how to make a race close for the kid? And if there is, at what point does mechanical/ structural failure come back into play, especially for some of the less technically equiped teams that may make the Countdown?
Mark has got a point: If the sport has progressed past the point where particular tracks can't safely accomodate the cars, isn't it time to "retire" that track, and possibly that race if a suitable replacement cannot be found? At least temporarilly, until new racetracks are built or old ones are refurbished to a common standard? And if we are so steadfast on continuing "tradition"
of having a 20+ race season (and growing annually, it seems... silly, as the sport used to have 4 Major races a year..), and have no intention of making ALL tracks meet a common safety standard (trees in Memphis come to mind..), why has an edict not been announced already stating that the cars will be slowed down next year by restricting them to a common 426 CI, pump flow restrictions and blowers back to 12-71 size (or even putting the Armstrong suggestions into play)?They obviously thought that they would be safer at a 1000' because they wouldn't be going as fast or blowing up so much- the speed thing has been blown out of the water already by a couple of teams, so the premise of them being safer because they are slower is now moot, as the potential for AJ to have the car at 320mph by Dallas is not out of the question, and you cant tell me that 15mph is going to make that huge a difference in the event of something going horribly wrong. And as they start to run harder to the Chase, the other lesser funded teams will have to decide whether to stay home or keep up, whether they know how to or not and the boomers can occur WAY sooner...
Just a historical note for those of you that still can't get past the 1000ft thing: Quote from Bob McClurg's book "Diggers, Funnies, Gassers and Altereds":
"In 19th Century America, farmers used a dragline to pull a team of horses. At State Fairs, one of the most popular pastimes was sled pulling, or dragging. More often than not, the measured distance of a drag was a thousand feet or more. As suburban America encroached upon the vast wilderness and city streets were mapped out, the measured distance from block-to-block was usually a quarter mile, or 1320 feet. Business districts in these cities quickly became known as "main drags". And who used to cruise the main drag? Hot Rodders!"
Take that for whatever you want to take from it, but the history of the organized sport has been based on 1320 feet. Is it time to release our history like we did with front-engined dragsters, fiberglass flopper bodies and aluminized breather masks?
rollingthunder
Nitro Member
add more weight. That is what they do to the pro stock bikes. Hell 100 lbs threw all of them for a loop. What would 500 lbs do. Slow them down.
MW
Nitro Member
Mark:
Everything you suggested seems to be related to one tragic incident- a series of "what could go wrong did go wrong". Horrible as it all is, the fact is, at the moment, we have not seen the results of when something occurs tragically at 600' (not unheard of in this sport- Bob Edwards accident DID help facilitate the change from Armaco to Concrete Barriers). As we get closer to the end of the season and the nitro tuners start screwing around with that "999 foot" tuneup to squeeze out that win from all this "close racing", it is inevitable, since they havent had to win without that extra 320 feet, that some guys are gonna miss the trick and the fireballs will come earlier.
Alan- I know you've spoken with AJ, and know his tuneup is probably similar to his 1320 one, but the fact that the car is already running at 315+ makes me wonder: Is there more to come once the rest of the pack figures out how to make a race close for the kid? And if there is, at what point does mechanical/ structural failure come back into play, especially for some of the less technically equiped teams that may make the Countdown?
Mark has got a point: If the sport has progressed past the point where particular tracks can't safely accomodate the cars, isn't it time to "retire" that track, and possibly that race if a suitable replacement cannot be found? At least temporarilly, until new racetracks are built or old ones are refurbished to a common standard? And if we are so steadfast on continuing "tradition"
They obviously thought that they would be safer at a 1000' because they wouldn't be going as fast or blowing up so much- the speed thing has been blown out of the water already by a couple of teams, so the premise of them being safer because they are slower is now moot, as the potential for AJ to have the car at 320mph by Dallas is not out of the question, and you cant tell me that 15mph is going to make that huge a difference in the event of something going horribly wrong. And as they start to run harder to the Chase, the other lesser funded teams will have to decide whether to stay home or keep up, whether they know how to or not and the boomers can occur WAY sooner...
Just a historical note for those of you that still can't get past the 1000ft thing: Quote from Bob McClurg's book "Diggers, Funnies, Gassers and Altereds":
"In 19th Century America, farmers used a dragline to pull a team of horses. At State Fairs, one of the most popular pastimes was sled pulling, or dragging. More often than not, the measured distance of a drag was a thousand feet or more. As suburban America encroached upon the vast wilderness and city streets were mapped out, the measured distance from block-to-block was usually a quarter mile, or 1320 feet. Business districts in these cities quickly became known as "main drags". And who used to cruise the main drag? Hot Rodders!"
Take that for whatever you want to take from it, but the history of the organized sport has been based on 1320 feet. Is it time to release our history like we did with front-engined dragsters, fiberglass flopper bodies and aluminized breather masks?
NHRA reacted to this ONE incident, hence my comments. Since the Compton era began they feel like something must IMMEDIETLY be done after a tragedy. We all know NOTHING would have been changed had Scott survived. Besides the obvious sealing of the Top Fuel cage decision after the Darrell Russell incident, they continue to make snap calls that have only hurt the sport. The ever changing nitro percenteges and the constant chassis rule changes have eliminated cars / drivers that could still be out there. 15 car fields in national competition are unacceptable, and NHRA is greatly responsible. Yes, the economy is tough, but there is little crossover from IHRA because very few of the fuel cars are NHRA legal. I have attended over 200 National events and this sport has been a very big part of my life since my Dad took me through the gates of Lions in 1970, and the current management in my opinion is leading nitro racing to extinction.
sdwarf36
Nitro Member
Tony
Nitro Member
So I guess if the NHRA is responsible (or given the blame for) the 15 car Top Fuel fields, then the NHRA should be given the credit for the full Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle fields.
I am still in the middle on 1000' racing. I really can't argue against it due to the safety issues and my bigger fear is, in order to go back to 1320 what are they going to change. That change may be worse than 1000'.
The countdown doesn't add any excitement. All we hear now is the race for 10th. How sad is that? When I play sports I aim for the win, to be #1 but now all the focus is on who's 10th? Yahoo we're #10...doesn't sound like an inspiring cheer. Talk about sissifying a sport.
Make the playoff teams actually race each other and I can live with it. You'd then have a real playoff system, you'd give the also rans a chance to still play. The Giants were not the best team in football last year but at least they had to run the guantlet to get there and thats acceptable. We already saw last year how one "champ" got lucky, avoided the other contenders, and snuck away with the championship. Not his fault, he played by the rules but the rules are flawed.
Paul what happens if Connolly wins the title this year. As big of a fan of his as I am, don't you see anything wrong with someone being the champ while missing 25% of the races? His run has been amazing and I'd prefer to see how high he can climb the points ladder on his own and not getting the benefit of a few hundred points in a couple weeks. To me it takes away from awesome job he's done so far.
The countdown doesn't add any excitement. All we hear now is the race for 10th. How sad is that? When I play sports I aim for the win, to be #1 but now all the focus is on who's 10th? Yahoo we're #10...doesn't sound like an inspiring cheer. Talk about sissifying a sport.
Make the playoff teams actually race each other and I can live with it. You'd then have a real playoff system, you'd give the also rans a chance to still play. The Giants were not the best team in football last year but at least they had to run the guantlet to get there and thats acceptable. We already saw last year how one "champ" got lucky, avoided the other contenders, and snuck away with the championship. Not his fault, he played by the rules but the rules are flawed.
Paul what happens if Connolly wins the title this year. As big of a fan of his as I am, don't you see anything wrong with someone being the champ while missing 25% of the races? His run has been amazing and I'd prefer to see how high he can climb the points ladder on his own and not getting the benefit of a few hundred points in a couple weeks. To me it takes away from awesome job he's done so far.
MW
Nitro Member
Yeah, there were 17 Funny Cars and Pro Stocks at Seattle. Pro Stock car and bike counts have been DRAMATICALLY dwindling in the last few years. Funny Car in 2009 could look a whole lot different if a couple cars don't get proper funding. If you think NHRA has changed things to help increase car counts I need some of what you are smoking!!
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