Columnist Wonders Why Pony Cars Don't Get Raced, Seems Unaware That They DoBy Brian Lohnes Posted 03/11/10
Wall Street Journal columnist Ben Austen recently penned a column lamenting the fact that none of the Big Three's pony cars get raced like they did in the old days. He has apparently missed the memo on the myriad of factory Mustang race cars, Drag Pack Challengers, and the rumblings that Chevy will be offering some sort of racer package Camaro into the mix. The column should really be wondering why they aren't raced in NASCAR as that's where it eventually ends up.
There are more pony cars on drag strips and autocross tracks across America each week than nearly any other type of car. Go to a local test and tune and count the Mustangs, and Camaros (primarily), then look at the count of Mopars.
While road racing is certainly not as big ticket as NASCAR in the spectator draw, pony cars have never been the focus of stock car racing's top level of competition. The old Grand National series in the 1960s was geared toward these types of cars, but that's been over for a long time.
Do BangShifters care if these cars are raced on the "big stage" or is it entirely more important that they are being raced at the grassroots level (as they currently are)?
Source -- The Wall Street Journal -- Why Nobody is Racing These Cars
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Written by Brian Lohnes
Mar 12 2010
[quote author=Speedzzter.blogspot link=topic=20551.msg383884#msg383884 date=1268438943]
[quote author=Brian Lohnes link=topic=20551.msg383711#msg383711 date=1268415461]
Speedy, you can cut IHRA Pro Stock out of your plan....it doesn't exist anymore.
Brian
[/quote]
:o
When did that happen?
What does 10+ time mountain motor Pro Stock championship winning engine builder Jon Kaase do now? [url=http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/about-us.html]http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/about-us.html[/url]
I would have sworn I saw an IHRA PS run on TV sometime in the last year or so. I've got to start paying more attention, I guess. :-[
[/quote]
IHRA has had a bad relationship with it's dedicated mountain motor racers for the last several years. It came to a head when the MMPSA (Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association) was formed prior to this season. They agreed (in principle) to race with IHRA and had drawn up an agreement which went to crap at the last minute. The MMPSA is racing with the ADRL and at a couple more dedicated races on their own. Crappily, Pro Stock was the longest continuously running IHRA Pro Class....that record is now toast.
They are awesome machines and I really loved announcing that class. I called the "tug boat motor" Pro Stocks.....neat cars.
Kaase? He's wall to wall with Top Sportsman motors like Sonny, Charlie Buck, et al.
Brian
Written by NMCA_Ron
Mar 12 2010
[quote author=Speedzzter.blogspot link=topic=20551.msg383884#msg383884 date=1268438943]
What does 10+ time mountain motor Pro Stock championship winning engine builder Jon Kaase do now?
[/quote]
Can you say: [size=20pt][b]ADRL?[/b][/size]
Written by Speedzzter.blogspot
Mar 12 2010
[quote author=Brian Lohnes link=topic=20551.msg383711#msg383711 date=1268415461]
Speedy, you can cut IHRA Pro Stock out of your plan....it doesn't exist anymore.
Brian
[/quote]
:o
When did that happen?
What does 10+ time mountain motor Pro Stock championship winning engine builder Jon Kaase do now? [url=http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/about-us.html]http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/about-us.html[/url]
I would have sworn I saw an IHRA PS run on TV sometime in the last year or so. I've got to start paying more attention, I guess. :-[
Written by Super Sport Mar 12 2010
[quote author=studemax link=topic=20551.msg383304#msg383304 date=1268329284]
[quote]You don't have nearly the coverage and exposure anymore for motorsports that you did in that era. [/quote]
Oh, frickin' please!!!!
Back in the day you had maybe 10 car mags to choose from and 3 TV channels.
Today you can't count the number of magazines covering motorsports, it's on a multitude of channels, and then there's the frickin' internet!!!
We are OVERRUN by motorsports coverage to point of numbness.
Get real!!!
[/quote]
Ok, let me rephrase. You have a hell of a lot more options now. If it was a saturday afternoon in the 70's and there was a race on one of the networks, a variety show on another one, and news on the third, then you end up with a lot of people watching the race, if only by default. Those 3 channels had a higher percentage of auto racing as programming than the networks do today.
Now, you've got 300+ channels on cable and a ton of options. And I am guessing that translates to less people that are not normally motorsports fans seeing races if they have a choices. When I was a kid, everyone knew who AJ Foyt and Richard Petty were. Now, I'd bet hard cash that none of the kids on my blocks could name one NASCAR driver and one person that ever raced at Indy.
That's what I meant.
Written by Brian Lohnes
Mar 12 2010
Speedy, you can cut IHRA Pro Stock out of your plan....it doesn't exist anymore.
Brian
Written by horsewidower Mar 12 2010
The pro classes in drag racing bore me to tears. I'd rather watch doorslammers all day long.
One element that I think is key to the declining interest in any pro class, be it drag racing, road racing, you name it, is that the cars look the same. I could care less about the Daytona Prototypes, they all look the same, but I dig the GT classes. But I dig the LeMans series prototypes because I can easily tell them apart. a Pug looks substantially different from an Audi. Nascar, modern floppers and diggers all look the same. They hold no interest for me.
Written by horsewidower Mar 12 2010
[quote author=ponchoman link=topic=20551.msg383325#msg383325 date=1268332382]
I guess with cars, grass roots might sell more, but pro support would still sell a bunch. Just like back in the 60s.
[/quote]
In relationship to road racing, if this was true we'd all be buying Mazdas.
Written by Matt Cramer Mar 12 2010
Glad you guys like it! So far its fastest pass has been a 10.8, but the car has been only to one test and tune and one race so far, and we're still working out a couple teething problems. We have a page on it here:
http://www.diyautotune.com/cars/customer/megamaniac_nhr_drag_pak_challenger.htm
The wheels may not be the prettiest, but they weigh almost nothing. One rear wheel and race slick weighs somewhere around 25 lbs total.
Written by Speedzzter.blogspot
Mar 12 2010
I love the DIY Auto Tune Challenger! (okay, well the wheels . . . not so much . . . but the rest is bitchin)[quote author=SpiderGearsMan link=topic=20551.msg383494#msg383494 date=1268360422]
you forget street night and bracket racing , tons of new cars running , and lots of you tube proof out there
road racing is a good way to get your car dented by some carl edwards wannabe
[/quote]
And about 98% of new car shoppers are oblivious to what happens in obscurity on "street night" or in bracket racing (ever notice how empty the stands are?). For the most part, unless a 'net video goes viral, unless it happens on REAL TELEVISION (not YouTube) the vast majority won't know about it.
That being said, I wish it was still like the 1960s when many local dealers (and sometimes the OEMs) sponsored brand new stockers and superstocks at local strips across the country and the racing was in front of a packed house. But it's not.
If I were running an OEM racing/racing parts operation, I'd focus on (in order of importance) (a) making grassroots cars and parts affordable and widely available; (b) contesting sportsman and grassroots events that get plenty of ink and maybe TV (e.g. CC's engine swap drags, HRM Drag Week, One Lap of America; Nitto Tire King of the Street; Ultima Ultimate Street Car Challenge; Bonneville); (c) domination of NHRA Stock, Super Stock, Pro Stock; (d) Domination of IHRA Pro Stock and targeted involvment in doorslammer clases; (e) Targeted factory involvement in certain NASA and SCCA classes; (f) "ownage" of Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge; (g) Domination of off road truck and stadium racing (h) stronger results in GT classes of GRAND AM and ALMS; (i) Targeted involvment in sprint car & dirt oval racing; (j) NASCAR; (k) return to Indianapolis 500 and Formula One.
And I'd employ a legion of bloggers to "talk up" the brands exploits in social media as well as run infomericals about the racing program and technology on Speed and other cable channels. I'd also pass out more free project cars and engines to the media and important aftermarket companies in exchange for accelerated development and free publicity. Contingency money would subplant direct sponsorships in some forms of competition. Dealers and dealer counsels would be encouraged to identify grassroots competition areas where a little sponsorship, contingency money, or factory "help" would go a long way to promote the brand.
I'd sponsor "best [my brand] of show" and "best [my brand] powered" awards for most major ISCA, Goodguys, NSRA and other shows. The winners would get TV exposure on the net and the infomercials.
Note that this strategy places more emphasis on production car forms of competition (i.e. racing what you sell) and multiplies the numbers of "ambassadors" for the brand.
[quote author=SpiderGearsMan link=topic=20551.msg383651#msg383651 date=1268405453]
not to mention all of the pre 2002 f bodys running in stock eliminator
[/quote]
Which does nothing to sell NEW CARS!
Thanks, Brian!
Just in case anyone else is as vastly uninformed on "tug boat motor" PS racing as I was, see [url=http://www.mmpsa.org/about.html]http://www.mmpsa.org/about.html[/url]. (Of course I figure anyone sensible wanting to run that quick and fast ought to be using turbos . . . . ;D)
Seeing Tulsa on the event list vaguely reminded me of the Professional Racers Association challenge to the U.S. Nationals back in 1972. (Admittedly, the MMPSA is not remotely the same as the so-called "PRA Strike," but Tulsa apparently will play a prominent role in both. If memory serves, Jim Tice of the AHRA helped put on the '72 "National Challenge" in Tulsa (so the MMPSA's affiliation with the ADRL is also vaguely similar).
Also, seeing the handful of MMPSA events reminded me of an old 1996 IRL poster. The first IRL season had (if memory serves) only about five events. Hopefully this feud will turn out better than that one did.
)