What if... (1 Viewer)

[Jon C]

Here's a question for you. A nightmare scenario, but bear with me.

What would happen to God's chosen motorsport if the government, for whatever reason, banned Nitromethane in all its forms?

No more Top Fuel, no more AA/FC, no more A/FD. No Fuel Altereds, no Supertwin Top Fuel Motorcycle, no Top Fuel Bike.

Would the sport survive?

Blown Alcohol Dragsters are in the 5.20s and the racing is always close. Alky Funnies are close behind. Pro Mod are arguably the best show in the sport.

So, Nitro is banned. Methanol is the only alternative fuel allowed. But we are back to full quarter racing. Times have gone back to where we were in the late 80s. The cost of the sport plummetts and 32 car fields become the norm. Johnson, Schumacher, Force et al put all their expertise into the challenge and the alky cars soon dip into the fours anyway.

Do you think the sport would survive such a siesmic change? Is this most unthinkable option the only way the sport can survive? And could Nitro racing ever be consigned to history?

Discuss...

 

[CrewGuy]

I'm afraid it's not what if- it's WHEN.

 

[clwill]

Less than 10% of the cars drag racing today run nitro.

 

[vegasnitro]

Would the SPORT survive? YES. By most accounts, local bracket programs are pretty strong, and there are 50 times as many "sportsman" racers as there are "pros".

Would the NHRA Full Throttle Series Survive? I don't know. I would still go, I like Pro Stock and the Alky cars, and flat-out love the Pro Mods. I can tell you this, it wouldn't be as big as it is now ... it would likely morph into something more akin to the ADRL.

 

[Rat]

Less than 10% of the cars drag racing today run nitro.

Exactly what I would of said. Yea it be a big dent in terms of wanting to see another 300 mph pass but sooner or later it will happen in tad as they are maybe 2-4 years away considers how much the rules change.

 

[clwill]

One of the things to remember about the 'Mater is that so many people here think of drag racing as only the touring circus.

I strongly encourage everyone here to explore the pits at your next national event. Go beyond the big semi trailers, beyond even the big motorhome/stacker crowd, get out there in the simple box trailer/pickup crowd. Walk around, ask those people why they are there, why they race, why they endure being treated like a cow-patty by the NHRA and still show up to a national event. Ask them what they do for 90% of their summer weekends, why they show up at the local track week-in and week-out. I promise you, you'll meet some of the nicest people you ever met, you'll learn a lot about the sport we all love in our own way, and maybe, just maybe, you'll get bitten by the bug yourself.

Chris

 

[BigDaddyB]

Chris,

Amen my friend. The sport is about the guys who go home work on the cars, go to the local drag strip an refine their tune-ups, suspension set-up, and master the art of drag racing. Let's face it there are approximately 60 entities in the Pro ranks. The Sportman racers outnumbers them by a great margin. I do like TAD and TAFC an they are as good or better than the PRO's because they are closer in performance to one another. Top Sportman, Top Dragster, Super Comp, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Pro Mod provide so many opportunities to compete that is unbelieveable. Just not for the guy who has a bankroll big enough to choke a mule but for average guy who can compete on the same playground. Competition is what is all about. Not how much money you can blow up in a weekend. Not a motor that blows on green. Our sport doesn't have to be as big as NASCAR, or any other sport but so long as it provides an avenue for the common man a place to exhibit his skills. The other thing I would like to see go away is this team bs. JMO

 

[Bullard Anderson]

I think you get to a point where speed does not always translate to great racing. Consistency down the track by the majority does. I wouldn't mind getting back to 1/4 mile if it meant 270's to 280's and 90% side by side competition. I just really want the extra track back!

 

[BigDaddyB]

Exactly what I would of said. Yea it be a big dent in terms of wanting to see another 300 mph pass but sooner or later it will happen in tad as they are maybe 2-4 years away considers how much the rules change.

Pat,
Not that far away if you let them use nitrous

 

[Dragracer]

If you were around in the late 50's and early 60's when the NHRA nitro ban was in effect racing was still great. You had AA/Gas Dragster which would be very interesting today. It would be the same as T/F, only running gasoline.
Keep the alcohol dragster and funny car classes as the top classes, then go into the same thing with AA/Gas Dragster and Funny Car.
I think it would be very interesting and the spectators would be fine. The car count in these classes would escalate to where you they might have to go to 32 car fields.
Certainly would be interesting and a whole lot cheeper for everyone and you would have lots of racing.

 

[Rat]

Pat,
Not that far away if you let them use nitrous

Yea but with the passing of niver and the concerns of many, I have no idea how safe or harmful that would be. The record is at 5.11/282 i believe, national backed i dont know, and they are not even working with the same safety equpiment as top fuel

 

[NYNitro86]

It would be Time to make Jet Cars a category....

 

[Rat]

It would be Time to make Jet Cars a category....

the nhra does not need the liability of making that a professional class. they got far too many issues with tf/fc safety.

 

[BigDaddyB]

Yea but with the passing of niver and the concerns of many, I have no idea how safe or harmful that would be. The record is at 5.11/282 i believe, national backed i dont know, and they are not even working with the same safety equpiment as top fuel

I think the Niver accident was related to the parachutes not deploying not an engine failure. I might be wrong. Brad Anderson used it back in day until they caught up with him using nitrous. Long story short, his explanation was that the nitrous help with the combustion of the alcohol. I know there are experts on this forum who will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[NYNitro86]

the nhra does not need the liability of making that a professional class. they got far too many issues with tf/fc safety.

I'm saying that because they use Kerosene as opposed to Nitro. Plus from what it seems to me they've stagnated in performance, like I see the Hanna cars running 5.80s at 270 regularly.

 

[vegasnitro]

I'm saying that because they use Kerosene as opposed to Nitro. Plus from what it seems to me they've stagnated in performance, like I see the Hanna cars running 5.80s at 270 regularly.

From what I have been told, 300MPH is a magic number you ought to not cross if you want your jet car ever making a pass on a NHRA sanctioned track ... I am sure the cars are capable of more performance.

 

[HEMI6point1]

From what I have been told, 300MPH is a magic number you ought to not cross if you want your jet car ever making a pass on a NHRA sanctioned track ... I am sure the cars are capable of more performance.

I believe the NHRA has a speed limit of 305 for the jets. Run faster and you face a stiff fine and who knows what else.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Would the sport survive? Discuss...

JON, not to worry, Terry (post 10) is correct. NHRA had a ban on Nitro for about six years, if I recall correctly. And as you can see the sport survived just fine.

Actually, the scenario you propose is very intriguing. With no Nitro just imagine the amount of alky dragsters, and funny cars we would have. We could go to 32 car fields with no problem. And 1320 racing.

 

[NYNitro86]

I believe the NHRA has a speed limit of 305 for the jets. Run faster and you face a stiff fine and who knows what else.

yeah, and thats the fastest i've seen recently when Jill Canuso driving for Hanna Motorsports ran 5.10/305. Nothing faster since 10 years ago with the late Jack Dustman would run 4.90s at 314, and Toby Ehrmantraut and Charlie Hand's Texas-Based Lone Star Lightning would do the same .

 

[Rat]

I am thinking now after some time banning nitro would be hard on the sport, but as pointed out a return to 1320 and 32 car fields, i think we just came up with a new idea for nhra if nitro is no longer attractive or is banned. maybe it's the direction we need. Top alcohol dragsters are not far away from the first 4 and first 300 i say give it 2-5 years depending how much rules are issued with the engine combinations