How To "FIX" Drag Racing

[RockJustRock]

Of course the first thing is if Drag Racing is broken? It's not if you like close races, driver personalities and reaction time comparisons. For me because I like CARS it is broken. Nothing changes much for YEARS. A new driver once in a while, but that's it. Of course Football and Baseball never change much, but do you REALLY want to be watching the same drag racing in twenty years as now?

So rules changes..... Preferably LESS Rules. I'd like to try dropping all Pro classes from 500 cubic inches to 400. Times would slow by 5 tenths or more for a while. As teams adjust they would get within a couple of tenths. Then they COULD drop a few restrictions like fuel pumps or throttle body size, but I'd say keep going. Next drop the cubic inches to 300. This would allow losing a LOT of restrictions. Sure the RPMs and carnage would occur, but production cars don't run big inches and rev higher so why not?

After all THAT settles down I'd allow alcohol with NO restrictions in fuel classes and oh say, four cylinders in Pro Stock. Get some variety back.

[silver_bullet]

Why not put the "Stock" back in Pro Stock???Today's pro-stockers would have been regarded as funny cars back in the day! How about the fuel altered class?? Bring some fresh thoughts back in!

[Barry Donovan]

903 cubic inch four cylinders for everybody!

[RockJustRock]

Pro Stock would be unlimited cubic inches with 4 cylinders and 200 inches with turbos. Tricky because the arabs have already built a 500 inch turbo v-6 Pro Mod. Pro Mod will soon replace Pro Stock anyways and is better limited with cubic inches than the present weight bars. Insane to build a lightweight race car then bolt on ballast for rules.

[pdub]

I think that's why I feel like I've found a home doing track days at road courses. It's, you've got yours and I've got mine, let's see how fast they'll go and how well either of us can drive. Stay off of each other because....I'm sittin here thinkin....I don't think anybody in the "I" class brings a car on a trailer. Superman did it. I'm probably wrong, but I can't think of another example of that. You have to drive it back home when you're through.

[Barry Donovan]

it really is narrowed down. dynamics hindered.

I bought a 305 sticker from ebay, with the checkered flag and la fleur duh france something.. not many know that is from a 305 gm v6.
the 305 v8 never got those stickers.. its a 1960s thing.

I found a guy putting four barrels and msd ign timing on the big v6.

[RockJustRock]

I think that's why I feel like I've found a home doing track days at road courses. It's, you've got yours and I've got mine, let's see how fast they'll go and how well either of us can drive. Stay off of each other because....I'm sittin here thinkin....I don't think anybody in the "I" class brings a car on a trailer. Superman did it. I'm probably wrong, but I can't think of another example of that. You have to drive it back home when you're through.

This is something I love about BangShift. Post something, anything and Pee Wee says "but I go in circles" and Barry says "Well I've got this truck". Love you guys, you're a thousand times better than crickets and silence. It's like Nigel Tufnel saying "but these go to 11" in Spinal Tap. I watch that over and over.

BUT I was talking about the SPECTATING aspect. In every pro sport there are thousands of spectators for every participant. This is because if everyone participated in sports for a living nothing else would get done. We would all starve. In closed circuit racing the only decent spectator experience is NASCAR because you can enjoy it from one spot. We had the most gloriousracing machines of all time in Can Am racing but no spectator experience and it died. Even NASCAR on a road course takes like 50 cameras and they're usually pointed the wrong way.

Now fixing NASCAR so the machines have more personality than a pair of running shoes is a pretty tall task. They keep trying to make it more fun to watch and keep making it sillier.

Now back to Drag Racing may I take this moment now to say thanks to Chad, Brian, The Walter Family, SpeedVision and even Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week we are in the GOLDEN AGE of drag racing spectating. The only thing is because NHRA is so restrictive and convoluted the only top tier stuff we see streaming online is Pro Mod. In the old days there were fuel and pro stock teams that rarely ran NHRA. They ran IHRA, AHRA, match races and special events so there was a choice. Just seems broken compared to the good ol' days.

[silver_bullet]

I almost bought an old GMC fire truck 1968 vintage with a 478 V6.... would have been a bear to find parts for tho, and those damned split rim dayton wheels....

[pdub]

I found a real deal on an airplane one time. But the engine wasn't in very good shape. I'll bet I could fly it if the engine would run. Without a pilot's license.

I didn't get it, spent the money on beer....

[hotrodfords]

Pro Mod, Street Racing, 275 Radial Tire and No-prep is where drag racing has gone. NHRA has been stuck on it's own "superiority" for far too long. The split-off happened a good 15 to 20 years ago when they couldn't see the need to find a good place for the 5.0L Mustang/Turbo Buick crowd to race, so those gearheads left and formed their own classes and races. I think the NHRA recognize they have a problem (and recognize they created it) but we'll see if they can pull it out before it all collapses under the weight of the elitist pro categories. I go to the big show here in Vegas twice a year, and it's still fun to watch, but not nearly as fun as it was in the early 80s when you could attend shows like "64 Funny Cars!". They are lucky to fill a 16 car field in any of the pro classes today.

I agree with you on limiting the cubic inches - they needed to have done that before they put their head in thier a$$ with the 1,000ft pro tracks. What idiots: Pro Drag Racing has ALWAYS meant 1/4 mile!

[RockJustRock]

Of course bringing back the 1320 would be HIGH on my list of rules changes. Rumor is NHRA's insurance is limited to 340 MPH and THAT is why 1000 ft. The safety aspect and the Scott Kalitta accident involvement was just a ruse. I think the smaller cubes would lower trap speeds enough to avoid 340.

Your comment on 64 Funny Cars reminded me of a DANDY cure for short fields. Back in those days the field was often fleshed out with slower class cars like A/FC, BB/FC and A/FD or TA/D for dragster events. One year at the Super Stock Magazine Nationals 32 car event Gene Alitzer went all the way to the finals due to red lights and up in smoke runs in his injected A/FC. The Top Alcohol classes run a round or two before the fuel guys start so why not give them the option? They could even bump out the guys who can't get a full pass in four tries in their blown fuel car.

Also dropping the cubic inches on the Top Alcohol guys could be tied in with the return of Pro Comp. Dragsters vs. Funny Cars rules!

Annnd speaking of bringing things back, why futz with Stock and Super Stock anymore? It is all vintage cars and combos that were never stock anyway. Bring back Modified Eliminator!

[malc]

Drag racing lost it when all the dragsters and the funnies became exactly the same configuration.
My access to NHRA was the yearly Diamond P
yearly review tapes but it became the same old every year.
I never did like running the fastest qualifier against the slowest in the first rounds....kinda ensured the same top guns went forward regardless.
Then came the knee jerk reaction solution......
1000ft tracks....wiping out all times and speeds that went before....I can't relate to 1000ft times or speeds.
At this time my drag racing fix is the Street Outlaw
style....run watcha brung first to cross the line takes the win.

For drag racing/NHRA critisism go to
www.dragracingonline.com and read the editorial.

[RockJustRock]

I have a whole 'nuther can of worms to open about Car Magazines, Online Car Stuff and the Street Outlaws phenomenon soon...... stay tuned.

In the mean time thanks to everyone who banters with me about more than their personal life or their project car. I'm enjoying it.

[malc]

Wally Parks got so wrong thinking drag raciing was a hobby sport.
Even now they expect the grass roots racers to pay out of their own pocket.

No big payouts but they can build huge VIP lounges
at their tracks.

[Russell]

Just limit them to stock engine blocks, production rate 50,000 minimum.