This is what a Nostalgia Funny Car SHOULD look like (2 Viewers)

[Treeshaker]

Dean - The sanctioning bodies understand that they cannot control what the participants spend. Look back at the econo classes for comp eliminator. The concept was to create affordable classes for the masses and it took less than a year for the costs to sky rocket.

NHRA tried to keep a lid on performance for the AA/FD's by implementing performance part rule changes, and each time the racers found a way to go faster, and in turn they spent more. So they have gone a different direction with the NFC's by just adding safety equipment.

The super classes have flourished because of the indexes which still allows a low buck participant a chance. The better funded teams have an advantage but every one has a chance. Not so in the rules/all out perfomance classes you mentioned.

All out numbers do not guarantee a good show or crowd satisfaction. There have been and are many groups that run slower than their brothern that put on crowd pleasing good shows and allow the track and participants to earn a fair return on their investments. If you can park your ego for awhile, it is very possible to run your car, enjoy the experience and make some money while doing it.

 

[Pete]

Where did you get that picture of the Eastern Raider? Every time I have ever seen the original Eastern Raider it was on fire and parts were falling like rain from under the engine.
Revelle made a model kit with the Eastern Raider, each kit came with a book of matches.

ROFLMAO!!!! Memories Paul!

 

[Pete]

Couldn't have said it better, Mr. Larson. Everything with the modern cars is so orchestrated, by the book, generic. Give me the days when a couple of nasty Vega/Cuda/Mustangs came to the line snapping at each other with dry hops. There is no more theatre in racing. so sad.

There's theatre...everything choreographed!

 

[Draw 3D]

I also agree with Mr. Hartman, indexes do keep costs down and levels the playing field to an extent.

I'm building a TD which is based on the bracket SP class with a 6.0 min e.t and now there is a movement by a "select" few that want to have it with no minimum so "they" aren't dialing in like the "brackets" are.

These "select" few have 5.90 - 5.80 cars that are not very competitive in TAD but would be killers in TD, but only for a while!

They don't realize that a bigger wallet would soon bring 5.70's then 5.60's, and then, with no real limit, only who has the most green would be king.

As I have stated before, some people have a lot more money that brains and can "buy" their way to success.

 

[glofria]

Thank you Mr. Hartman for validating my comments. While some competitors will want to run their cars all-out, and that's fine, some just want to have the experience and not go broke doing it.

Though I didn't live the match racing era, one of our crew members Ray Kobayashi did starting on the late 60's when he came over from Hawaii with Roland Leong and later with the likes of Chatterton, Ongias, Leal, and more. Anyways, Ray said that the match racers never ran their cars all out for many reasons. One of the main reasons is chances are they had to be down the road the next night, otherwise they wouldn't get paid. so they would do what they could to avoid breaking parts that couldn't be repaired or replaced that same night.

Again the point being is that you don't need to run your car all out to put on a show. Perhaps, like in the old days, they need to split the class between those who want to race and those who want to run.

 

[Silly Savage]

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

How many tracks can afford to bring in 8-16 NFCs without a **** load of filler cars (bracket, index, etc) and even think about making a profit on a show like that?

Ok, so do a match race...4 cars...Chicago style. Now you have fewer cars and even more filler. How many super comp/door slammer/bracket cars in the pits and asses in the stands will it take to make a profit on a NFC show on a Saturday night at ANY track in ANY state?

 

[d'kid]

How many tracks can afford to bring in 8-16 NFCs without a **** load of filler cars (bracket, index, etc) and even think about making a profit on a show like that?

Ok, so do a match race...4 cars...Chicago style. Now you have fewer cars and even more filler. How many super comp/door slammer/bracket cars in the pits and asses in the stands will it take to make a profit on a NFC show on a Saturday night at ANY track in ANY state?

JR, How many Fuel shows a month did you go to growing up? I did, on average, 2 a month... and that was not going over 25 miles/ minutes from the house.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

How many tracks can afford to bring in 8-16 NFCs without a **** load of filler cars (bracket, index, etc) and even think about making a profit on a show like that?

Ok, so do a match race...4 cars...Chicago style. Now you have fewer cars and even more filler. How many super comp/door slammer/bracket cars in the pits and asses in the stands will it take to make a profit on a NFC show on a Saturday night at ANY track in ANY state?

Check with Marion County Int. in Marion Ohio. This year was the 3rd for their nostalgia FC show. They had 30 cars. Don't think they (MCIR) would keep doin it if they were loosing money.

 

[Big Sexy]

The Stardust NFC had 13 events this year, 3 of which were new venues, so 10 places we attended were repeat events.

So, yes, many places in the MW have Nitro Shows that have history.

Justin

 

[Ugly one]

How many tracks can afford to bring in 8-16 NFCs without a **** load of filler cars (bracket, index, etc) and even think about making a profit on a show like that?

Ok, so do a match race...4 cars...Chicago style. Now you have fewer cars and even more filler. How many super comp/door slammer/bracket cars in the pits and asses in the stands will it take to make a profit on a NFC show on a Saturday night at ANY track in ANY state?

JR Those that do know,
Those that don't do seem to know everything

 

[Nitrohelper]

... the 5.70 cars cost a TON more than the 6.00-6.20 cars...

Mostly it's killing pistons ,sleeves , bearings, & clutch discs that raise the overall cost per run...
I find that the cost for a run goes up by maybe $1000-1500 by trying to go from running 6.10s to running several 5.75s ...
Maybe some head or bearing damage if you burn-it up bad ... it could kick a rod out ...
It can be over $2500-3000/run for a 6.10 average ,25 run season ,
so the average costs could go up by a 30-50% to be one of the hitters ...

But thats been the deal for Nitro racing since before I started in '63...

 

[Silly Savage]

Check with Marion County Int. in Marion Ohio. This year was the 3rd for their nostalgia FC show. They had 30 cars. Don't think they (MCIR) would keep doin it if they were loosing money.

They had 30 BLOWN NITRO NOSTALGIA funny cars at one event? Really...?

 

[Silly Savage]

JR, How many Fuel shows a month did you go to growing up? I did, on average, 2 a month... and that was not going over 25 miles/ minutes from the house.

Sh*t, I was either at OCIR or Irwindale growing up..or I was at a Division 7 race...I'm sure I made a couple nitro shows.... This would include Altereds, Funny cars and dragsters....

And your point?

 

[Silly Savage]

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

For the record Dean-wad, Osten is only part of my last name if you can't figure that out.

 

[d'kid]

Sh*t, I was either at OCIR or Irwindale growing up..or I was at a Division 7 race...I'm sure I made a couple nitro shows.... This would include Altereds, Funny cars and dragsters....

And your point?

That any track (with the seating) could run run an eight or sixteen car show. And That there is more to drag racing than the "Big Show". Surprising how often I've felt at the the end of a weekend, for lack of a better term 'empty and disappointed' with a NHRA 'National Event'. And it's gotten worst the last 5 years. Just don't think it's worth the price.

But I think I got jaded growing up were and when we did. But then, I also miss cruising Whittier Blvd.... and dates at the La Mirada drive in

 

[robslob]

The Stardust NFC had 13 events this year, 3 of which were new venues, so 10 places we attended were repeat events.

So, yes, many places in the MW have Nitro Shows that have history.

Justin

Mr. Grant
I just want to thank you for your efforts and investment in nostalgia nitro racing. Folks like you keep the passion of this sport at the forefront of all the hype broadcast by the "Big Show" people. I was around both the Wonder Wagon and Stardust bodies at the painting and know how exacting you were on the details. Also thank you for putting up with your painter/ crew member/ my friend as he can be a handful.

 

[the zone]

??????????,
Did not answer my question dude. (Is that because I did not use your whole last name)
, what the h.....

Dean - wad (guess that is okay)

 

[JF]

Mr. Grant
I just want to thank you for your efforts and investment in nostalgia nitro racing. Folks like you keep the passion of this sport at the forefront of all the hype broadcast by the "Big Show" people. I was around both the Wonder Wagon and Stardust bodies at the painting and know how exacting you were on the details. Also thank you for putting up with your painter/ crew member/ my friend as he can be a handful.

Mr. Grant I want to say thanks also. I was a crew guy on one of the originial Wonder Wagon/Stardust the one Russell Long drove. Could you please next year make some of those 13 events on the East Coast And If they were already on the East Coast could you publisize them more so I can find out about them and go.

 

[Chi-Town Brown]

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?

Its also been proven an Index class can't draw a fan base to market as a headliner. You can keep the 6:00 performance cap under wraps between the drivers and crew and It all sounds great until you have to explain to the crowd why the car that just ran 5:95 245 lost to the 6:30 210 car. The radio and TV advertisement saying the 6 flat F/Cs are comin to town just don't have that ring to it

There's nothing wrong with a performace based class. Just have a good rules package in place that will limit performance (and enforce them) and DON'T MESS WITH THE RULES once there made. Change in the rules is what costs BIG money.

Hey Virgil !!! Lets go show the guys on the left coast how its done You've been retired long enough.

Brown

 

[Silly Savage]

??????????,
Did not answer my question dude. (Is that because I did not use your whole last name)
, what the h.....

Dean - wad (guess that is okay)

Which Dumb arse question are you refering to? How do I know the demand is weak? How about this, until the economy turns around and when all the other entertainment options dry up for the 18-35 year old demographic, I don't see any "strong" nostalgia blown nitro funny cars show on a regular basis....any where. Sure, you'll have 2-3 decent races on both sides of the rockies each year, but here on the West Coast, outside of the March Meet and CHRR, it's not exactly a huge draw. I don't wanna hear about someone having 30 funny cars showing up when only a hand full of them are actual blown nitro nostalgia funny cars.

Side note, there will NEVER be enough unity out there amoungst all the people running nostalgia nitro funny cars right now to make a true 32 nostalgia funny car show happen. Everyone is out from themselves and they don't want to listen to anyone who would try to unite them. Plus, $$$$ is the only thing that truely motivates the majority of them....Doing it for the love of it? Ya right.