So by now you know that there have been huge rumors floating around the NHRA world over the last couple weeks regarding the future of the pro stock category and its ever decreasing number of participants. We have heard stories about factory package engines being used, we have heard stories about the class being wiped out if the number decline any further but those stories all vanished in one fell swoop yesterday when the NHRA announced that they were mandating significant changes to the program, some of which become effective next week at the race in Sonoma, California. As one would image, the reaction in the pits was strong in both directions and among fans of the sport we have chatted with or seen spreading their own thoughts online, the reaction has been skewed to the positive side.
So what’s going to happen? Well, starting next week:
Teams will not be allowed any contact with the car during the burnout. No guys standing to keep it in place, nothing like that. Remember the old sideways pro stock burnouts? Welcome back old friend.
Teams are required to back their cars into their pits and leave the engines exposed. The car can be no more than 10 feet back from the rope. Some teams took to doing this yesterday at the Denver race which is ongoing this weekend and the fan reaction was immediate. The pits were swamped with people. The Kremlin-esque environs of the pro stock pits have gotten a lot more interesting.
Teams will be required to have a manufacturer ID banner across the top of the windshield. Most of the Camaros already have some form of this. We’re not sure exactly why this was added (other than as a recognition that the cars are so similar in shape that fans may need the help).
Starting in 2016:
Teams will have to run EFI on their engines, no more carbs. This will be a throttle body style system and we’re hearing that it will be a situation where one manufacturer will have the system that NHRA mandates. With several well known companies deeply ensconced in the EFI market, we’re guessing that you’ll recognize the name. We’ve got some feelers out to see what we can see on this part of the story.
Teams will be required to run a 10,500 RPM rev limiter. One of the things that have spiraled pro stock costs and performance out of control over the years is the team’s ability to spin their engines to the absolute moon during runs. KB Racing is the most effected by this change. Long known in the pro stock pits for being the guys who turn their stuff the hardest, mid-high 11,000 RPMs is where the KB engines really sing and with the addition of this rev limiter, they are literally going to have to go back to the drawing board and revamp their program.
Teams will be required to run cars with no hood scoops. Forward facing hood scoops are a dead player in pro stock as flat hoods are a mandate in 2016. The good news is that the drivers will have a much clearer view of the tree. On the flip side we’re not sure what they is going to for intake manifold height and how that will change the way the engines are designed and tuned. This change has bigger implications that it is getting credit for.
Teams will be required to run a shorter wheelie bar package on the car and the specific length of which will be determined by the NHRA tech department. What does this mean? Wheelies! One of the major knocks on the class right now is that the cars just aren’t all that exciting to watch from the stands or on TV. The wheelie bar modification will have the cars pulling the front ends a significant amount and it will definitely cause some consternation on chassis tuning and for the driver but frankly consternation is fun to watch and the development of this part of the new package will be really neat. The drivers are really being put back in the cars now.
Lastly, the NHRA has committed to expanded television coverage of the pro stock class with driver profiles, technical features, and other on-air love that the class currently does not get. That is a certain boon for current sponsors and with the new television package being as good as it is, there’s a chance that some fence-riding racers may be able to sell sponsors and make more races next year. There’s at least one team that has not run at all this year who has proclaimed that they’ll be back out in 2016 because of these rules. There are also current drivers who are saying that they are done at the end of this season. Are they? We don’t know for sure.
Come back in the day or two for our insider’s take on this whole scene! For now, soak in the rules.
Here’s a copy of the actual document disseminated to the NHRA pro stock teams
How many production “stockers” have 500 ci engines? Changes are good!
I bet the manufacturer declaration is to prevent WWE designed cars, it also would likely be effective at shaming racers into running more production-based cars (thus getting the manufacturers more on board in supporting the class).
Everybody knows the current NHRA pro stock class is as dead as vaudeville.
A true full field hasn’t been filled in the last 3 seasons.
As happens in the other two NHRA pro classes, the last 4 spots are typically filled by tomato cans that oil down the track in round #1 and delay the broadcast.
Any wonder why sponsors are leaving in droves?
At least the new TV broadcaster has suggested some rule changes to make it more entertaining and relevant for viewers and fans.
I believe an engine builder recently said these cars each burn up over $200,000 worth of valve springs every season. The rpm limiter rule is way over due.
An EFI system is also a smart move as even lawnmowers have abandoned carburetors.
Expect the newest factory super cars to replace the current pro stock cars in a few years.The drag packs, cobra jets, and copo cars make a better show and will attract far more sponsors.
Currently, the PDRA / IHRA pro mod series of cars are far more interesting for spectators and sponsors and always end up with huge fields in each division.
“Dead as vaudeville” is good and almost as relevant today. It is a class that just over evolved and became to sanitized to be exciting..
PDRA has had great car counts. The recently revived IHRA pro mod class? Not as much.
The cost of drag racing has skyrocketed across the board. The
“Tomato Cans” still cost big bucks to run and are still a big part of the show. If you eliminate them you get numerous bye runs or eight car fields. The single car teams without a major sponsor, for the most part, have to sacrifice their living just to be there.
Unfortunately NHRA is becoming a rich man’s exhibition “show” thanks to the multimillion dollar sponsored multicar teams . The PDRA and other grass-roots type racing are gaining popularity because the average spectator can relate to the teams, the cars, and can afford to take the family and still buy groceries. . “NHRA” the next “WWE”.
IHRA Are you watching this?? No Carbs ?? were they going to go ?? Time to Promote the class!!!
We need them under our tent!!!
Being that the IHRA didn’t want the pro stock class that was PAYING for the privilege to race there, I don’t see that happening.
The IHRA DID want the mountain motor cars back to race in the Nitro Jam events, but it all came about so quick there wasn’t sufficient time to line up a sponsor for the class. So the car owners stepped up and paid to race basically the first season.
Reeling in the picnic table spoilers and the extreme body mods should be the next step. If the car looked anything like a “stock” car, they wouldn’t need billboards on the windshield.
YMMV..
Yep, they’ll still be funny cars with doors.
now I have to wonder if there is going to be improved track prep for all these so called improvements to the p/s class,lets see more power due to the fuel injection less wheelie bar going to be fun to see
Everyone should think about what make P/S so popular from the start of the class. By 72-73 it was all wheels up launches and most important was that all cars, except for the hood scoop, looked just like the cars on the show room floor. Maybe taking the rules a bit farther and requiring a minimum rear car to ground clearance. Going a little backwards and giving a forward rake again would help with wheels up launches like the old days. Besides requiring exact body as showroom I would have limited cam lift as well. That would help bring down the cost some. They need to turn back the clock on funny car as well. Also go back to 1320 feet. Which would of course mean slowing down the Top Fuel cars which is also out of control. Also important is to get rid of the glorified bracket classes, S/G, S/C, etc.
You said it perfecrly!
Yup
Or at least get rid of the throttle stops, drag racing is wide open throttle.
i think it needs to go back to one pump & smaller blower FC&TF!! PS has each car brand spec. head, block, & cast alum intake efi no external mods.. no wheely bars and a engine only control{ecm} box! no shocks or struts controls that will cut the buget?i thing thats the it started back in the day
What about PRO in Pro Stock don’t any of you understand?? EFI is a good step but will STILL REQUIRE SOME SORT OF TUNNEL RAM. NO hood scoops??!!! Who remembers P/S Truck? WHO WANTS TO??!! The ONLY way to dig NHRA Pro Stock out of it’s grave is to get rid of the steroid freak Camaro and 4 door Dart bodies. Bring in Challengers and Mustangs(Hell, why not the Corvette??) and mandate a more stock body profile. Otherwise, put NHRA Pro Stock on “lethal injection” and bring in the Pro Mods.
NHRA, YOU ARE GETTING AS SORRY AS NASCAR, WITH YOUR DAMN RULES AND REGULATIONS. IT USE TO BE THRILLING TO WATCH. nOW WITH YOU CHANGING THINGS , I HAVE LOST INTEREST IN DRAG RACING AS WELL AS NASCAR. THIS USE TO BE A HOBBY FOR THE MOST. AND NOW YOU’RE CHANGING RULES AND REGULATIONS , JUST LIKE BIG BUSINESS’. WELL YOU JUST HAVE LOST ANOTHER FAN. THE RACING WAS MORE FUN AND EXCITING WHEN EACH DRIVER COULD PULL UP TO THE LIGHT, NOT KNOWING WHAT EACH OTHER HAD, AND THE BEST OF THE TWO WOULD WIN. SORRY NO MORE. tHANKS ALOT FOR JUST THINKING OF YOURSELVES.
So making changes that make it so MORE people can participate in the sport, and make it more interesting to watch, is bad? If you haven’t noticed, NHRA has been LOSING popularity for a long, long time now. Which is owed largely to the fact that it’s not fun to watch. You don’t know what the hell they’re driving (since they’re all smooshed wedges for aero), there’s no indication of any sort of drama going down the track (unless a motor blows), and you can’t even watch the teams work in the pits? Yeah, sounds thrilling to watch, for sure.
What these changes do, as stated in the article, is make it so it’s more fun and interesting for the fans, while also lowering costs to participate and making sponsors more interested in putting money into a team.
Shorter wheelie bar? Means it’s more fun to watch the cars launch, it’s just visually more interesting to see a car lift the front end.
No massive hood scoop? Means they can’t fit a giant sheet metal intake under there, meaning they’re likely going to be a little cheaper to build. Add in a spec TBI EFI setup, eliminating what must be an outrageously expensive carb, and a RPM limit that keeps people from throwing money at a motor till it wins, and you’ve suddenly got a class that can actually be raced in by smaller teams.
Clear manufacturer markings on the cars? Means the fans (who are the ENTIRE point, the NHRA doesn’t exist without them) can tell who’s running what car. And that also means that the manufacturers could be more interested in putting money into the class, which again makes it easier to get a smaller team into the field.
Next thing you know, you’ve got more than a full field of racers for the class, which is good for competition, and good for the fans, and overall good for the sport.
What I can readily see here with the ‘hood scoop’ thing is teams will now spend a zillion dollars MORE just to extract whatever power they THINK they will lose because of no hood scoops. If you want to control costs, you cannot make rules that are ‘suppossed’ to keep costs down on a supposition. The name of the class is Pro-STOCK…..get the ‘stock’ part back in the game. So what if the cars are slower?….’stock engines’ are CHEAP compared to what is currently allowed…likewise bodies….what are teams spending to have a body made?………comparwe that to STOCK sheet metal on a tube frame chassis ( for safety )…..if the NHRA isn’t’ careful, they will ‘lawyer’ themselves right out of business…..look at the ‘technical’ side of Formula One over the past ten years…..costs escalate thru the roof, while the visual difference on track is at best minimal….the more you change rules that are ‘suppossed’ to do something , the more teams will spend to get that last 0.05% performance increment. KISS guys….it’s called Pro-=STOCK…..get it ?
Happy to see the NHRA is finally entering the 21th century. Going to EFI for Pro Stock is LONG over due. But at the same time I am glad they are turning the clocks back to 1970. 1 step forwards and 1 step backwards = 3 steps forward in this case.
This is going to bring back the excitement to PRO STOCK. The cars will look like the cars they say they are. Wheels up launches will bring the spectators back. without the big ugly hood scoops the drivers can see the tree clearly.
This will start the new era of PRO STOCK, and the spectators will eat it alive, bringing back the excitement to a somewhat dying class. Way to go NHRA!
Yeah right NITRO. And Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will marry. Why not just devolve all the eliminator classes and free ice cream for all. “New Era”?, more like wooden spike in the heart.
NHRA will make it mandatory for teams to create automobile manufacturer identification headers visible on the racecars’ windshields up to a maximum of 4.5-inches high, but not smaller than 4.25-inches.
That should do the trick to make Pro Stock really popular.
It will help fans know which cars are which. And as you want everyone to believe, it is not a change by itself. It is one of 3 changes that will happen immediately.
Go to any NHRA races? Walk over to the Funny Car or Top Fuel pits (if you can get through the crowds) and get up close to the teams and the cars. Go to the Pro Stock pits . . . it’s a ghost town. No fans. I am surprised the P/S teams haven’t figured out how to work on their cars INSIDE ta trailer so no one can see the engines.
What is wrong with Pro-STOCK that requires car I.D’s on the windshield?……if they looked like STOCk automobiles that would be a huge redundancy….right?….so, rather than make the cars LOOK ‘stock’ , we’re going to put labels on them?……HUH ?
Looks like a good start.But….
Don”t mandate EFI let teams use what they want.
Pull several sets of carbs off the current cars and flow them for max CFM then set the max throttle body to that.
Any manufactures ECM / TB/ Injectors
Weight break for running “production” displacement and/or stock block/head valve train lay out. Hello Drag Pak/CJ/Copo cars.
Stock body line from the center of the wheel well too the top of roof. Skirts allowed,front air dam allowed limited rear spoiler.
Once NHRA outlaws the P/S hood scoop, the teams have no choice but to go to EFI. You couldn’t be competitive using carbs and a low riser intake. That would probably cost you 300 to 400 horsepower. P/S cars make an average of 1600 HP today. They need to maintain that and EFI will do it. EFI is going to substantially lower the total cost of building a P/S car so more will compete.
P/S also needs to maintain it’s rigid rules to keep things fair and competitive, something you want to toss in the garbage can.
Sorry Lee I disagree “rigid rules” and fair are the problem.
Set a top CI limit and allow modern engines with weight breaks in to put more “stock” in Pro Stock.
The carb/ efi/ scoop rules will work them self out by combination.
Pro Stock has never been about “stock.” It was about stock looking with the exception of the engine and transmission.
Each class in NHRA has rules that govern the use of modifications, engine size etc. Why you want to throw all that away and make P/S a “free-for-all” doesn’t make any sense.
You want to race in AA/AH – you build yourself a 1968 Dart or Barracuda and power it with a 426 Hemi. The hood scoop is clearly defined to match what Chrysler put on these cars back in 1968.
As far as professional motor sports – carbs are a thing of the past, except in Pro Stock. NHRA should have made the change over to EFI years ago, just like NASCAR should have ( and finally did this year).
NHRA needs to reduce the cost of a Pro Stock car so more competitors will join the class. It shouldn’t be a case of the guy with the most money to spend wins. Leveling the playing field at a lower cost is what is needed to allow P/S to grow and prosper. You don’t throw out the baby with the bath water and that is exactly what you are proposing to do.
Lee , my memory of the birth of Pro Stock was any engine in the same manufacturers chassis , then da Grump built the first chassis car (tube frame) as the small mid size and compacts being used in the class had no frames.
I agree the “little guy” needs to be able to get back in. I knew a family operation out of Simi Valley CA that ran into the 90’s and another machinist and engine builder in Phoenix who did the same. The cost of a 25.1 (I think) chassis is never going to be cheap ,in the old days those chassis could be passed to lesser teams , now they seem to get used up more,same with Fuel cars going to alcohol .
I feel NHRA needs to jump on the CJ,COPO , and Pack cars, free up the engine rules, allow more tire and free rear suspensions. I also feel going to a HP/Weight formula to help balance the class for a season or 2 would make for some very good racing.
The Pro in ProStock does stand for Professional so they need to be able to showcase their skills.
If relevance means anything in PS then 500ci time is over.
Easier to go to a max flow rate injector….hand them out at the start of a week-end, everyone gets the same injectors…..TBI is no longer relevant….leave it behind. If I can get 1200 HP out of a 60 lb set of injectors and you can get only 1100, then we both got work to do. LIke I said above….get the STOCK back into the game. ANY part , other than the brakes and chassis on a ‘Pro-Stocker’ should be available from ANY dealer in the country…..not some specialty house only.
This is all good but I hope they come up with something to bring the Pro Stock team’s into Nitro Alley in the pits. They need to give the Pro Stock cars some credibility such 500 Cubic Inch Avenue of some crap like that. As it is the treat them like the bastard stepchildren of race weekend and stick them wherever in the weekend pit area. This is a very good change for NHRA and will be exciting to watch. One other thing they might consider is letting them go unlimited on the engines at +500ci. I am in full agreement with ANY ECM/TB/INJECTORS. No hood mods. Bring these cars back into the fold with INSANE engines and dimensioned body regulations. This would make more sense to the Super Car Factory Teams you can expect to see. Like any current racing the fans are getting tired of seeing something run that they can’t buy. There is NO point of reference anymore. I don’t see the newest factory super cars replacing pro stock cars if the word PRO means something. Let’s see what these teams can do with no limits except body regulations and interior dimensions. No rice rocket BS…just a big damn engine and under the same tent as the nitro folks. Come on John…there is money to be made here…you nitro people need to go back to a quarter mile and treat pro stock like one of the family. Lets see some 5.5 times in pro stock.
N H R A is dead. No more little guy racing in this world. I get more satisfaction at a local track than watching Pro Money racing. Its all about cubic dollars.
Not dead . . . just banged up a bit. There is and has always been plenty of “little guy” racing: Stock and Super Stock. Just a few short years after the creation of Pro Stock, the little guy was forced out due to the cost of an entry car. So why weren’t people complaining back then? Plenty of fans went to watch P/S. It is only recently (last 5 to 10 years) the P/S has become less of a fan watched category. And yes you can blame the NHRA for that. They just didn’t understand that NHRA and NASCAR are two different sanctioning bodies. Everyone today hates that all Cup cars all look the same – well it’s no different with Pro Stock.
Remember . . . .every journey starts with a first step and these new rules for NHRA P/S are just that. I am sure there will be more to come.
NHRA, are you really listening to your fans that pay your wages? This is such a small token change, it must be considered ridiculous, and will make NO difference in the “fan experience”. Bring the rules more in line with production vehicles as they leave the factory. The roof line and hood lines of any of the Pro Stock cars are absurd. Take away all the electronic controls, which have become so expensive. Have some BALLS, make some changes. The racers are also to be held at fault for always trying to bend the rules. This has ruined our sport.
When you think about it, Drag racing is a tough sport for sponsors. Unless your car wins, you have a brief minute or so to have you name on TV. Don’t have a top 5 car – it’s probably cheaper just to buy 30 or 60 second ad spots for a televised event.
So what is the total amount of time that a sponsor’s name is on TV? Go all the way and win the event – about 8 to 10 minutes total. And then it just decreases from there as you get beat. Now you know why John Force ALWAYS talks up his sponsors.
It isn’t like NASCAR where you can get your name on TV for 3+hours.
I think that’s where the increase in TV exposure from that last line comes in. Still definitely not comparable to NASCAR in terms of sheer dollar per minute of exposure, but consider: If you have a car outside of the top 15, how much time do they really get onscreen in NASCAR? About the only time you’ll hear about a car outside the top 15 is if it’s one of the big names who got shuffled back, or if they were involved in a wreck. Otherwise, the back half of the field is basically ignored.
So either way, it’s a crap shoot. You back a team that does well, you get a lot more exposure. You back a team that isn’t doing so well at a certain track, then you get less exposure. That’s just how racing works. I still think this change will help a lot with manufacturer interest.
The funky looking body has to go, pro mod is the downfall of pro stock, , an rpm chip rule is way more easier to enforce than making the switch to EFI, , i think EFI is a huge mistake, when you look at these engines, a carb is what you still recognize. A box stock carb combo would’ve been easier for the racer,,, i dont like the idea of NHRA having control of any part of the engine, , they could’ve required a factory block, iron , and a stroke minimum and max with this to lessen the burden of testing engines, crank weight, rod weight, piston weight, ring thickness , to put more life and reduce cost of these engines
Actually, Steve, Pro Mod is the ONLY answer to P/S. They have Corvettes of all kinds, Daytona and SuperBirds, Mustangs, Darts/Dusters and a slew of others in a myriad of configurations. Diversity is the key here. I as there when Pro Stock was born out of the outlaw Super Stocks. Body profiles were readily identifiable and they had big scoops and chopped up stock chassis and suspension. Now, there are LSD inspired Camaro bodies, 4-door Darts and virtually no Ford representation. P/S, for the most part is cold stone dead. Pro Mod is the real crowd pleaser. Even F/C is androgynous without the paint; 4 door Dodge and Chevy “bubble top” bodies? Innovation is dead.
Warren Johnson complained about the direction this class and NHRA drag racing as a whole was going 10 years ago and for his outburst he was slowly made to go away. The KB teams have been suspect of cheating for years and because of their sponsor nothing is done. Now they sign a contract with a professional broadcaster and things need to change. My fear for the NHRA is that they are so far behind that they will not have the resources to meet the demands of FOX.
Advertising money is the ONLY thing keeping NHRA racing on TV as the NHRA’s Neilsen numbers are a joke ! So when the sponsors finally give up the ghost TV will pull the plug on the NHRA . Hell infomercials get better ratings than ANY NHRA has for the last ten years
$250,000. That’s what a Pro Stock engine costs today. No wonder competitors are leaving the class in droves.
What’s that old joke? How do you make a small fortune in NHRA Pro Stock racing? . . . . Start with a large fortune!
Pro Stock has been dead for 20 yrs. Once they went with the cookie cutter body style (see NASCAR) it went to shit.
IMHO, Pro Stock should keep a scoop but mandate a height of about 4 inches like a cowl or Hemi style hood.
Not a bad first step for NHRA. I love the pits & wheelie bar rules. It gives something back to the fans that the racers themselves took away. Windshield sticker for the Manufacturers not that big of a deal. I hope NHRA politely asks them to show the teams a little support in return. Hood scoop? Kinda always meant race car not street car to me. Fuel injection, about time. 10,500 rpm limit will reduce valve spring costs. I hope some more production based body dimensions will slowly be implemented which will be more for the fans & manufacturers. If NHRA REALLY wants to increase participation they need to increase the purse…at the bottom! Pay the 1st round losers a little better so they can make it to the next race! Pay the non-qualifiers 16-20 something and use some of what used to be Tom Comptons salary to do it.
I really don’t think Fox sports is demanding anything. Burndowns like the Denver final and .001 mov have to help. Fans loved it!
Fans ? And what fans would those be pray tell . Bandimere was at less than 45% capacity . The events TV coverage Nielsen rating was lower than ANY other sporting event being televised over the entire weekend . So again .. just what fans would those be that are loving what the NHRA in general and Pro Stock specifically have become of late ?
And err … FYI in case you weren’t there … the fans fled the grandstands during each and every round of Pro Stock save the final
NHRA put a band aid on Pro-stock when it needs a tourniquet. You might as well stick a fork in Pro-stock. NHRA and the racers share the blame equally.
What a total crock on behalf of the NHRA . Much like Formula One of late addressing a raft of symptoms , most of which are minor and inconsequential at best while ignoring the devastating disease thats been slowly killing off Pro Stock for the last 25 years . That being …..
THE CARS DO NOT LOOK EVEN CLOSE TO STOCK !
Nor are they in any way related to the cars you can buy for the street . Being more doorslammer Funny Cars than anything even remotely resembling stock .
And oh yeah … lets increase the TV coverage for the Pro Stock class no one gives a rats *** about especially when all of the NHRA’s TV numbers [ as per Neilsen ] are rapidly dropping into the abyss . Effing brilliant !
Whats happening with racing across the board lately is beginning to remind me of the inverse of that mantra that went around in 2008 . That being ‘ Too Big To Fail ‘… when it reality the truth was and still is .. they’ve all become ;
‘ Too Damn Big – ( and egotistical having completely lost touch with their fan base ) – To Get Out of Their Own Way ! ‘
The NHRA is truly dying a slow painful death. It has nothing to offer period. It is like watching a prize fighter who is way past their prime & should have left the ring years ago. From the annoying .90 cars with their asinine delay & electronic stutter crap to all of the pro categories, it will take more than choreographed pit parking procedures, decals on the windshield, to save the NHRA brand let alone pro stock. They need to do some serious soul searching and effect real significant change to fill up the stands again. banishing JF & Co. wouldn’t hurt either. Oh, bring back 1320 racing.
Banishing John Force? The winningest driver in Drag Racing history? Get real!
Yes, many want the return to 1320 for FC and TF but the only way to do that is to drastically reduce the power in the cars. The cars are too powerful today to run 1320.
that’s just the point not many people want to go watch JF flap his gums and predictably “WIN”. But JF is entertaining to say the least. these changes to P/S should be only the beginning and NHRA will have to dig even deeper to fill the stands with fans. No body wants to go spend big race ticket dollars to watch fuel cars fart for 1000 feet, or .90 cars stutter & stumble their way down a race track. They just don’t.
Not many people? Where are you been living, in a cave on some remote island? LOL – the only people who hate John Force are his competitors.
It’s been 7 years since the NHRA went to 1000 feet for FC and TF which was the result of Scott Kalitta’s death. But now it matters most? I call Bullshit on that!
Who’s on first ? I don’t know. No that’s second base. What ? What’s pitching.
More important than the rule changes for P/S is the new deal with Fox for television coverage. All events will be live. And they will have 4 events that will be shown on FOX broadcast along with Fox Sports 1 so millions of people who don’t have cable will be able to watch live professional drag racing.
IMO, one of the biggest problems with the NHRA was ESPN. The coverage was terrible! Programs started late with reduced coverage because ESPN always seemed to schedule them after a sports program that could and did run into overtime. All programs were prerecorded. Start times were mostly late at night. The only decent coverage ESPN offered was the US Nationals. That will all change by going to Fox.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
It’s NHRA …. WHO CARES any more …:)
The crowd has left … this won’t get me or them back …:)
try praying …. see how that works …
“Chicken Little . . .The Sky Is Falling!”
You don’t seem to believe in the old adage; “once you have hit rock bottom, there is only one direction you can go . . . .UP!”
… Ok … P/S stands for …. Pretty Stupid ….. and that is how NHRA likes it
The more I think about it, this would be the perfect time to get rid of the 500 cubic inch rule and return to weight to cubic inch rule. Cars that look exactly like the show room cars and using LS engines for GM, Chy using their little HEMI, and Ford might again be interested and perhaps join in.
Why do you want to cripple Pro Stock? There was a reason why in 1970 the Pro Stock class was created . .. .to be a class ABOVE Super Stock. More powerful cars running faster than Super Stock.
You don’t take a class that has existed for 45 years and changed everything that makes it up. The NHRA has and never will do something like that, nor should they. They have over the years created new classes but never drastically changed an existing one.
wow that sounds like a great idea.,
great,insert my comment above Lee’s please
You know, the more I look at all this chatter, I think an answer COULD be something “ENTIRELY DIFFERENT”. YES, use the GM Z-L1, the 6.2 Chrysler Hemi AND the Ford 5.4 L DOHC engines. Let the intake system use 2 HUGE trottle bodies, put a 6.6( or 7) liter limit, position the motors right where they are now, keep the tube chassis and suspensions with the huge slicks and clutchless trannies, long wheelie bars are cool( NO ARGUMENT!) and come up with scoops that are unique to the class. This just might work???!!! What will it hurt?
Actually Lee Pro Stock was a class above Modified Production.
The 500ci rule came about from the challenge the IHRA had created with their mountain motors.
The current factory cars engine can more than carry PS without 500ci
Do you think it’s just a coincidence that Pro Stock, Funny Car and Top Fuel all run an engine that is 500 cubic inches?
And where did M/P come from? It was last years A/FX cars when NHRA ruled you had to run a current car in A/FX – no earlier
Why do people want to turn Pro Stock into Super Stock? That’s a giant leap backwards!
easy, because P/S came from production bodied cars with ANY engine that manufacturer produced ,any year engine. M/P grew from S/S with more open rules than both stock and S/S. The idea of M/P was the car was still “streetable” but P/S was near wide open but had weight breaks to equalize competition .
500ci in FC/TF ? really just a easy number and has nothing to do with the current conversation.
“HISTORY:
The National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock class emerged from the production-based Super Stock class in 1970 with a more liberal set of rules and an absence of handicaps. Rules initially favored big-block V8s but by 1972 (after the Sox & Martin Hemi cars captured the first two pro stock titles handily) had changed to favor small-blocks to factor out the Chrysler Hemi cars. In 1982, the NHRA implemented a new engine formula that allowed the big-blocks to return, due to the popularity of the Mountain Motor IHRA Pro Stocks with unlimited displacement in the late 1970s. However, NHRA still limits the size of the engine to no more than 500 cubic inches in displacement.”
I don’t see the words Modified Production there – do you?
Pro Stock has ALWAYS been restricted to naturally aspirated engines – no superchargers, turbochargers or nitrous oxide.
Minimum weight = 2350 lbs including driver.
Fuel = 118 octane racing gas. No additives allowed.
Cars must be no early than 5 model years old.
But lets throw all that away right? That’s what many of you are trying to do. Try pissing into the wind – you will have better luck!
yea I read the wiki link too , but although it says grew from SS truth is many of the early PS cars came from MP the first few years of the class. Jenkins pushed the rules with a full tube car in 75 (IIRC) and it was on from then on. Factory production cars where modified to build PS cars into the early 90’s.
Lee you don’t get it. Us as many steel panels as possible and still build a tube chassis, only with more ground clearance in the rear, maybe a few other tweaks. Once upon a time that’s how it was done and then somewhere along the line they turned into all the same shape with decals.
Today the trend seems to be more production based bodies ,I agree with that.
I have no problem with 500ci but I also think the class will be more relative for manufacturers if the cars at least LOOKED like production cars with big tires and a limited hood scoop , use lead to balance the class.
What trend? What class are you referring to? It sure isn’t Pro Stock. The only difference in the cars is the paint scheme. It’s 1/4 mile NASCAR.
Sure it would be great to have the cars resemble their namesake. And maybe the next round of changes the NHRA makes will do just that. But for now, it will probably be cookie cutter cars with no hood scoop and the manufacturers name on a windshield banner.
And this is the reason what Lee has pointed out why Pro Stock sucks today.
Period.
End of discussion.
as a drag racer since 1972 N.H.R.A. needs to dump all .90 classes from any national event these cars are boring to watch automated shifters, down track readers to control the ets, drovers not required just cheaters with the latest tech-no geeks, the stands empty farter than someone yelling tornado and who wants to pay $100.00 + to be bored to death ,N.H.R.A. the new nascar there both going in the crapper , shutting out the small guys.
I agree 100% those .90 classes are a huge waste of time. Those with the most electronics wins.
I would much rather watch Jeremy Sullivan and Mike Boyd in a best 2 out of 3 match race than watch an entire Pro Stock show.
The problem with all motorsports is the financial disparity. The teams that are well funded will always have an advantage. I remember seeing 30 plus car counts qualifying for 16 spots in pro stock and cars being bumped in the last session to set the field. I have no problem with pro stock as it is, but if these changes mean leveling the playing field and increasing car counts, I am all for it.
Financial disparity?????? PHHHHSSST!!! What’s Formula One, IMSA road racing, Indy Car and even NASCAR??? “NO BUCKS, NO BUCK RODGERS.” Professional drag racing costs $$$$$. Actually less than the above mentioned. Cost is not the problem (price nitromethane lately?). The problem, the 800 lb. Gorilla in the room, is the lack of true innovation, diversity in the cars and the myth that creativity compromises safety. Remember the “Batmobile” Funny Cars anyone? Pushed androgyny too far a got the axe. Guess what? They’re back. ABRACADABRA!