This is a pretty interesting question in our eyes because the sport of drag racing has drastically changed over the last 20 years. It is more scattered, fragments, and splintered than it has ever been and we’re not saying that in a negative sense! Racers today have more places to race, more classes to race in, more options as to where they will go and how they will get there, than ever before. Want to run a 1960s period gasser that is dead nuts on the rule book from 1968? Compete with the Southeast Gassers. Want to run a fuel altered? Pick a group to race with an have a blast. Want to run a radial car? You have DOZENS of options in that realm from regional and local series to the big nationally known events that people flock to.
The point of this is to explore the things that are really turning your crank about the sport of drag racing these days, no matter what they are.
There’s no wrong answers here. If you love traditional super stock racing, tell us. If you love nostalgia drag racing, tell us! If you think that diesel drag racing is the second coming? We want to know that as well. No time? No prep? Again, the freaking layers, pieces, and segments of the sport can make your head spin they are so varied. Hell, you may think that top fuel, with its resurgence of youthful drivers is primed to be killer for 2017!
This should not be taking a giant dump on stuff that you do not like. We want to know what you DO like…capiche?
What’s The Most Exciting Class In Drag Racing Today?
NONE of them really. But to pick one the latest craze NO PREP gets racing back to it’s roots.
I like 235 DR since no pro mods run in that class!
Of all the classes that are currently running under NHRA rules, I will say that traditional Stock and Super Stock always has been and always will be my absolute favorite because I grew up with S/SS.
I still love to watch the hemi cars,the 427 Fairlanes, 428 CJs and all the GM cars. I guess I just liked the true factory stuff. What I dont care for is the sbc powered Olds Achievas and Pontiac Grand Ams running in the SS/GT classes and this no prep stuff.
If I wanted to see race cars run into each other or bounce off the walls, I would go to the local circle track.
Just my own opinion.
Duck’s races have been the most exciting races for years, with rvw being the most exciting class in drag racing.
I still can’t get into the no prep thing.
Nhra pm and funny car pretty exciting too.
Sad to see px decline. PN woukd be at the top of the list if they had more diversity in cars.
Wish some organization woukd develop factory stock properly.
Drag racing is currently in a golden age and enjoy as much racing as you can in person and on the Internet. Enjoy classes in its development stage because money will change it fast.
Any class where any Chevy explodes in flames…..
I have been a fan of drag racing long enough to remember when it was the most popular form of motor sports on TV and its always been my favorite form. Ive never seen an organization so seemingly bent on destroying the parts of itself that made it fun to watch and be part of like the NHRA. Drag racing’s greatness lies in its simplicity. Build a car to fit the specs and safety of a particular class, line up, run as quick and fast as you can in a quarter mile, or 1000 feet, first to the stripe wins. Bracket racing has made the non-pro classes, the backbone of NHRA, unwatchable for the last 20 years. Then, instead of making safety improvements they just kill fuel altered racing one of the most exciting classes ever. Through bad TV deals, and the homogenizing of the cars in the pro categories and now the eminent death of Pro Stock facing us, NHRA says they care about the fans but prove otherwise. The NHRA has consistently shown a lack of care about their own product and history. Its depressing as someone who has watched for 35 or 40 years, TV coverage was better this year but the classes are still a mess and TF and FC cant carry the growth of drag racing alone. I am hoping for the best but I realize this is a large corporate organization and good, creative management rarely comes out of one of those.
I was going to second what Glen said, but then I read George’s response, and well I agree with that too. I guess my love of S & S/S is based on nostalgia. I”m luck to have spent 70’s watching drag racing.
That was a lot of words and no answer to the question!
S.E. gassers has a good program. Being older, I’m drawn to the nostalgia classes. Thankfully the internet brings it to my living room. I dream of attending the Meltdown show…
As I have gotten older(think in his 60’s damn!) I have decreased the motorsports events that I attend. Used to go see nearly anything faster than stock with or without wheels including 1/4 boat drags in Sacramento River in Redding and hydroplanes in Lake Washington when I lived in NW and race my street 67 Malibu at Sacramento Raceway Grudge Wednesdays.
Now it’s one or 2 NHRA national events per year and The March Meet. The March Meet is the best car show in the world with a drag race. I love nostalgia drag racing with the Nitro Funny Cars and Dragsters, the A-C/G NE1, NE2 but my favorite all time drag race will have 2 AA/FA lined up to the 1/4 mile finish. the 6.0 index is OK because it allows the historically corrector
(you know what I mean) cars like Pure Hell to compete against the new funny car chassis with an altered body sub 6 second wonders. Will be at March Meet rain or shine for the I don’t know how manyeth year in a row in 2017.
Started out in 1965 at age 13 helping on a C/A Corvette with a, then totally new, 396 with Hilborn Injectors. Changed in early ’70’s to Super Stock and have never to this day found anything more exciting than a S/S 427 69 Camaro running down a 265 55 Chevy, Still the most exciting. But most folks now days have never seen a big S/S race. NHRA runs them at odd times during events and local tracks apparently can not draw enough cars to support big money pay days.
SO RVW @ Duck’s Races is #1 and NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Cars second. But once again NHRA charges so much for gate vs Duck that unless average folks watch TV they will never experience a NHRA Funny at full song. It is a site to behold, but at $220 for Friday admittance @ Gainesville for a family of four to get in it just costs the working guy to much. So Duck @ $100 for that same family… and it is also an amazing show.
Rvw!!! Rtcttfmf
Funny Cars are my favorite, but nothing beats the excitement of Top Fuel round 1 at Indy. Be there next year. It starts at 11am on Labor Day.
AA/FA all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Win, lose or wreck, altered pilots know anything can happen,and it usually does. Just wish it wasn’t such a west coast thing.
I’ll trade all the aa/fa for the east coast and Southeast radial and pm cars any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Outlaw 632, 8.50, Pro Mod, Top Sportsman.
Dave…
Can’t complain about that list. Sounds like a great race.
Anything on the nostalgia scene beats the professional races. Whether racing or spectating, The March Meet and the California Hot Rod Reunion are worth the price of admission. Go down the list – FEDs are cooler than big show dragsters, NFC is cooler than big show funny cars, both races feature AA/FA, the Reunion brings in some bad Nostalgia Pro Mods and the class racing doesn’t include any throttle stops or automatically shifted cars. Throttle stops are the worst thing ever introduced to the sport and there is no reason that any race car should shift on a timer or at a press set RPM. It’s all door handle to door handle racing with cars tuned mechanically.
My answer to Brian’s question is whatever “class” one is competing in, a friend is competing in, or someone’s ability that one admires.
1. RVW 2. Outlaw Pro Mod . 3. Ultra Street
Used to like NHRA Division races but last I went to to there was not one class w/o a handicap and / or breakout
ET Bracket racing. I have been competing since 1982 and have been running the same car since 1990. Started with a low 14 sec street car and made improvements until it now runs mid 10s. It is the best way to race on a limited budget.