(Photos by RacePagesDigital.com) – In my estimation, history will be made this weekend when a racer in the NMCA Factory Super Car class dips their toe into the 7-second zone for the first time in history. It will be a momentous accomplishment in drag racing and it will not be the last time it happens. The only question is whether it will be a COPO, a Cobra Jet, or a Drag Pak turning the trick in the Flordia sun. These factory based, supercharged monsters rely on factory architecture engines, chassis, and bodies. People love them and rightfully so. It is the kind of brand warfare that has been missing in the world of traditional drag racing for far too long.
Below is a link to a long form piece I did for the guys at RacePagesDigital. It looks back at the roots of the factory performance war and how we got to the precipice of history this weekend. Make no mistake about it, the fact we are here is semi-miraculous. The 1970s, 80s, and 1990s were largely awful for factory performance, factory support of drag racing, and especially competition of this type. The improbable history of these cars is below. Enjoy.
Link: 7-Seconds to Glory – the chase for the 7s in the Factory Super Car class
And what is going to keep this class from turning into ProStock and being ruined by the quest for faster and faster times? I love this class but some kind of limits need to be set or it’s doomed to repeat the P/S saga.
I agree with Jeff.However they are factory vehicles with a factory number. Not just a carbon fiber bubble that PS is now days. You can still see what make it is at a glance. This is the kinda thing that started pro stock .Make them take off the wheelie bars ,them we have brand loyalty and great driving type racing .I like it ,hope the sponcers don’t cry to NHRA and then they will mess it all up.
Geoff Turk Blackbird Drag Pak, 7.97 170+
Boom.
NHRA can screw up any class. Enjoy this one while you can. What’d we have, 3 or 4 years of COPO domination, or pretty close to it, then a Mopar wins one and already NHRA is throwing more weight on them? Funny how GM shit NEVER gets weight penalties. Screw NHRA…
Agree with above post make the cars retain all original body panels, etc, like they are now and keep it that way! These in my opinion, are way better than Pro Stock because they look like cars we drive or can buy.
Derrell, I though pro stock died decades ago, and that NHRA couldn’t POSSIBLY screw it up any worse. Then they came out with new rules that you could use any engine in any body! Unbelievable!
Thanks to NHRA Pro Stock has been FUBAR for quite some time, but the any engine (read: Chevrolet for all) rule was the last straw for me. I had Pro Stock racers telling me it would bring \”hundreds\” of new cars into the class. Riiiiight. Where are they? There\’s currently less than a dozen full time teams, and nothing on the horizon. So let\’s move it into Comp Elim and get on with FSS! This is a great class that people can relate to, and it lets the manufacturers showcase their hottest rides.
What Gary said. Much like Nascar. They will throw weight penalties, cubic inch penalties, or some other way to balance it out. Then it will be just like PS.
Make this class Pro Stock. Real Engines and bodies.
Here we go again add weight to anything that beats a Chevy.