This is what a Nostalgia Funny Car SHOULD look like (1 Viewer)

[MM]

How many races do most N/FC's run? Can't be anywhere close to what the Pro's run!

what does that have to do with anything? yea the pros run more races....BECAUSE THEY ARE PROS.....they are equipped to do so with 8-10 full time employees. I ran 11 races with Dakin's TF car and 13 races with NFCs of Troy Martin and Mike Faser. All of the NFC owners and crew people I know have other full time jobs (or are retired after 30+ years of service like my favorite FOG, Newman) and they run or work on the cars for the love of the sport.

 

[MM]

Turn the music off and show me the f%ckin goods.

But then i'm old. I don't need music to enhance my experience.

Good stuff though.

there was no music during the good parts

 

[Big Sexy]

I love this shot.. And it has been known to do DryHops from time to time. I don't have my driver do them all that often, but like Mike said, during Match Races, I will have the Stardust chirp them from time to time.

Justin

I was there and MISSED the dry hops. As for the car in this post, I think it is a little too "late model; for nostalgia. I thought it was all supposed to be pre 74.

This is what a nostalgia funny car should look like

 

[glofria]

Slitely unrelated, but I thought most of you would appreciate this evenif you saw this before.

Bang Shift : Videos : Crash & Burn : Video: The Winged Express pulls off its craziest burnout yet!

Now that's entertainment!

 

[Buns]

Slitely unrelated, but I thought most of you would appreciate this evenif you saw this before.

Bang Shift : Videos : Crash & Burn : Video: The Winged Express pulls off its craziest burnout yet!

Now that's entertainment!

Awesome!! Gotta love that!

 

[Nick Name]

And he beats Randy back to the starting line and wins the race.

 

[cephus]

these r so cool, the suits culd take a lesson and add these to the
regular show, just like the pro mods, but just 2 simple of a thought process

In Bama

 

[Toejam]

these r so cool, the suits culd take a lesson and add these to the
regular show, just like the pro mods, but just 2 simple of a thought process

In Bama

They already have exhibitions at some races!

 

[MM]

They already have exhibitions at some races!

they could have exhibtions at more races if they didn't expect the cars to run for free

 

[Toejam]

they could have exhibtions at more races if they didn't expect the cars to run for free

I'm sure they could, they just don't want 10 cars. Plus, there will always be 3-4 willing to put on a show for some fans that have never seen them run!

 

[glofria]

Maybe they should pay these guys to run instead of the rolling billboards. But then again, why ruin a good thing. It cars like these that make the nostalgia races/reunion special.

It goes to show that you don't need 300 MPH and sub 5 second runs to have an entertaining show.

 

[Big Sexy]

I have run the Stardust and the Wonder Wagon at the US Nationals twice and several other national events. We have had great fan support and a great time, but as Mikey has stated, doing this for free is a tough pill to get to go down...

 

[Silly Savage]

Osten what a dumb arse statement from you. If the NFC's are the show they should not have to pay an entry. As far as purse goes well leave that up to the promoter or group to come to an agreement with.Dean

My point is that outside of the March Meet and the CHRR the demand for NFC racing is pretty weak. Why do people build a nitro car with the hopes that tracks can afford to pay them to race? All I hear about NFC is that they need more and more money to even run their car? This ain't the 70's Deano.

 

[glofria]

With one of the proposed tracks to be built here is Cali., the forces behind are looking to have a nostalgia series there. One of the issues that they are looking at is a N/FC class where they will have a soft index of like a 6.50 to a 6.30. Where everyone has a gentleman's agreement to stay above that range, yet still run nitro and not kill parts. From those that I have spoken to that don't run that often or have parked their cars, they like the idea. Some may even look to start building more cars, like us.

The cost of running these cars are expensive, the cost of repairing them is exstremely expensive.

 

[swervin]

You need to see photographer Dave Deangelis Brutus funny car that is getting very near completion. Its absolutely gorgeous!

Bob

 

[the zone]

Osten, how do you know the demand is weak? From gathering info from all the tracks in the NW the demand for the NFC's is larger than aslmost any other class of cars.
That being said, the they are not worth any more than the TA classes or a good pro mod assoc. (and that is based on what the cars cost and what they cost to run)

Dean

 

[Toejam]

My point is that outside of the March Meet and the CHRR the demand for NFC racing is pretty weak. Why do people build a nitro car with the hopes that tracks can afford to pay them to race? All I hear about NFC is that they need more and more money to even run their car? This ain't the 70's Deano.

I would venture to guess the 5.70 cars cost a TON more than the 6.00-6.20 cars do!

 

[Treeshaker]

With one of the proposed tracks to be built here is Cali., the forces behind are looking to have a nostalgia series there. One of the issues that they are looking at is a N/FC class where they will have a soft index of like a 6.50 to a 6.30. Where everyone has a gentleman's agreement to stay above that range, yet still run nitro and not kill parts. From those that I have spoken to that don't run that often or have parked their cars, they like the idea. Some may even look to start building more cars, like us.

The cost of running these cars are expensive, the cost of repairing them is exstremely expensive.

It has been proven over and over again in drag racing history that whenever a class is set up with rules and all out racing, the class will become too expensive for most to compete. Once it becomes only a select rich few competing, they get bored and the class dies. You see this happening in the NFC class now. Most of the originators are perimeter players at best now. Many cars are being built because they are just plain neat cars to have. But then reality sets in on just how expensive it is to maintain these cars when raced all out.

Any index class thrives because you can overbuild the car and back it off which cuts maintenance way down. More people can afford to run the cars and it doesn't take an army to maintain one. Whether the index for NFC's was 5.80 or 6.30, if the rules are relaxed the maintenance and consistency would be easy on the teams and more would be able to sustain a competitive program. And the sanctioning bodies wouldn't need to be piling on excessive safety rules to protect the racers from themselves.

And by the current rules, the car pictured to start this thread isn't legal because of the year it was ran. Now it makes you wonder how a much modified later body of the same brand and model is legal. Politics maybe?

 

[Big Sexy]

I don't believe I am saying this, but Virgil is correct.

A few years ago low 6's were top dog. The costs were in check and it was fun. Now, it takes 5.80's to go rounds and 5.70s to win in a lot of venues. The costs go up and up. I know many teams that replace all 8 pistons per pass, some replace entire clutch units per pass.

The safety mandates are coming down faster than I can install all because the speeds increase for the people that can afford it and those that started the class, people that wanted an affordable Nitro category are slipping into the dark.

That being said, Virgil is right, until something happens to the rules, it will continue to get faster and more expensive. The rule book for N/FC has stated for years that ET's faster than 5.90 will cause the rules to be revisited, but that never happens, they just toss safety rules at us and never address the 800# gorilla in the room.

 

[the zone]

The problem with running around 6.0's - 6.2's with an NFC is it is a step back. If the rules were strict to begin with then the situation would not be as dire as all above are stating. If the rules were now set where they say the class can't go quicker than 5.70's where they basically are now (would have be a heritage rule, simply because they appear to be the only real set out there) then the class would settle down, and refinements would be made of the next couple years and 5.70's would be run (as technology improves)without the cost at the present.
It is hard to go back. And not matter how you look at it, there will always be big dollar teams pushing the envelope. every class has them. Just look at the Super classes (Hughes and others), stock/super stock (Defrank, Fletcher, Biondo and others), Comp (Massell, Biondo's etc), TA (Manzo, Reichert Shields etc), and the list goes on and on. Bigger dollars are aways at the top.
If the class was say 5.8 or 5.9 it would still be the top four teams at most events.

The biggest question I have is why isn't the NHRA making decisions to keep the nostalgia movement in check, cost wise. It makes no sense.
They are considering it for the big show, Nostalgia should be grass roots, working class racing.
They need someone running it that cares about cost.
The class as a whole is like most of the classes out there where they don't band together, not coming togehter to keep things in check, but they complain when it becomes out of hand. You can't have it both ways, especially when you have a sanctioning body that does not really care about the movement itself.


Dean