Back in the day, NHRA’s Pro Stock class was some of the most exciting drag racing in history. Ultra vocal rivalries, claims of cheating, starting line burn downs and staging duels, and some of the closest races in history were just part of the reason everyone loved this class. In recent years there has been a decline in spectator excitement over the class for reasons of all kinds. Team dominance, NHRA’s lack of enthusiasm, Factory sponsorships being pulled, lackluster performance improvements, boring body styles and a million other reasons have been given, but the truth is I don’t think there is just one reason for the fall of Pro Stock. With that said, I don’t think the class is dead, not by a long shot. I think that the class could see a real resurgence with the introduction of NHRA’s Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars. We’re talking 830 inches, big scoops, and on track antics more akin to Pro Mod than Pro Stock. This stuff is fun to watch.
So if we for just one second assume that the class is going to be exciting, and that NHRA will be promoting its growth and spectator participation, wouldn’t it be cool to see some of the legends come back from retirement to throw down on the 1320 again? We think it could be awesome to see some of the rivalries from the good old days come back.
We would LOVE to see Warren and Kurt Johnson back on the track in big inch Chevrolets. After all, Warren started out in not a 500 inch Pro Stocker, but a Mountain Motor Pro Stocker back in the day.
I would personally love to see the winningest driver in NHRA Pro Stock history come back. At 97 wins, Warren Johnson is just 6 ahead of Greg Anderson who is still currently racing. His only shot at making sure he stays out front would be to come back. But would the Professor actually drive if he came back? Or would he put son Kurt in the car? That remains to be seen.
But who would you like to see come back for a return to competition in Mountain Motor Pro Stock for 2019? Would Darrel Alderman come back? Or Bruce Allen? What if Frank Iaconio or Tony Christian came back at it? And what if Pat Musi decided NOS was not for him and came back? Rusty Glidden could also be there carrying on the Glidden name in NHRA Pro Stock.
Let us know, who would you most want to see come back to NHRA Pro Stock now that Mountain Motors are going to be allowed?
Not sure if this is the best solution to Pro Stock, personally I would rather see ProMod promoted to Pro class status! Plenty of cars are showing up at the races, heck qualifying is more exciting than P/S on race day. The big engine cars would definitely be an improvement over whats being run today though.
How about going to a true pro STOCK car like it was back in the 70\’s instead of simply having a field with goofy looking Camaros and the every now and then brand X car that slips into the field because theres a shirt field for the event with no chance at getting past the \”Chevy only\” rules that makes it pretty much useless to try!!! NHRA should stop copying the other brands of pro racing by selling out to GM and screwing any other brand……..pretty much like they di in the mid 70\’s and then again in the late 90\’s because of the money GM gives them to shut out the other makes!!! When you hear stats about how chevy is the all time leader in wins in most motorsports that\’s a fictional statistic since when you have nothing buy a field of Chevys what is gonna be the outcome??? Its no wonder that teams are saying screw it when considering making an effort when they stand NO chance of ever competing against the Chevy-NHRA events!! Might as well call them the Chevy pro stock nationals every week!!! And you wonder why funny cars are soooooo freakin\’ popular…….look at the brands competing week in and week out even thou Fords are not being well represented except for a Ford team backed by a famous Ford dealership and the lone other Ford only driver!!! Do the math NHRA b4 pro stock is nothing more than a fond memory!!!
It just seems like Chevy does make the rules. Look what happened to factory stock after Indy, because mopar won they add 25 pounds and take away 25 pounds from Chevy and ford, same way with the pro stock Harleys.
WJ and Tony Christian speaking their mind, Allen and Iaconio quietly going about business, what about Jerry Eckman? BUT, make the cars fit templates of new cars. Use LS or LT, Coyote, and New Hemis. Basically the next evolution of factory showdown as they did at the dawn of Pro Stock.
2000lbs for the supercharged small blocks. 2300 for 500cid and 2600 for the 830s. No carbon fiber interior or computer shocks. Letum race boys
Any of the old farts would be good to see. Any size motor like old match race era in a body no newer than 1995, nostalgia is where it’s at.
NJ’s own Frank Iaconio and Pat Musi.
Screw the mountain motors. 400 cubes, all steel, real 4 speeds and 12.5 slicks. Factory bodies. Let’s play.
Oh heck yeah to that and let\’s see no weight breaks because I can\’t out run a Cleveland or a hemi strait up
I say take all the electrical crap out of the cars along with all the driver aid and make it no air adjustable shocks crap and make it a drivers class and you would bring down the cost of it and see good racing
I agree with ChicoKid
I agree with Jerry..100% It’s just too much money to race.Take it back to when a racer could afford it..And street outlaw show.What a joke STREET CARS HA HA HA Drive them to the race on the road .Then race….
I would like to see the legends race in Pro Stock: Bob Glidden, Bill Jenkins, Dandy Don Landy, Dyno Don Nicholson. Darrell Alderman and Scott Geffrion…those cats… Put them in Mountain Motor Pro Stocks…or Extreme Pro Mods. I see Lee Edwards treeing even Today\’s P/Stock drivers.
That would be nice, except all of those guys with the exception of Darrell Alderman are dead.
Every arm chair race fan loves to “fix” Pro Stock. Trouble is, NHRA never asks for any advice.
Trouble? You mean \”Problem is\” NHRA wont ask for or listen to the fan base. GM pays and/or buys wins by getting rule changes to their favor. Started with the domination of Chrysler in the early 70\’s. Wally Parks himself apologized to Ronny Sox for this, which in my eyes turned out meaningless because it continues yet today.
Let it die…..Then bring back MODIFIED ELIMATOR ! 10,000 RPM at the starting, NO ELECTRONICS, Clutch operated gear boxes & a tire size limit. I also like reply # 6, Don’s view on it..
I would like for ford to start sponsoring in nhra drag racing in pro stock&start sponsoring billy glidden where so he could follow in his footsteps..i think bob glidden represented ford motorcraft very well back in the days when he was racing…i think they shot themselves in the foot when they pulled out of nhra drag racing…been a ford person all my life…never owned anything else since 1978..i would like the mountain motors prostock in nhra with out any power adders..just all motors..
NHRA will find a way to F%*k it up
Don\’t forget that Scott geffrion died 7 or 8 years ago. Alderman and wj please
NHRA screwed up when they set 10k rpm limit on current Pro Stock. Ford and Hemi were performed better at 11k rpm. NHRA will always favor Chevy since like when they allowed Bill Jenkins an unfair advantage because Sox & Martin was winning too often.
True. It’s ok when Chevy is winning but when a Dodge or Ford is winning NHRA finds a way to slow them down.
Its should be very interesting to see big motors race small motors and carbs vs FI. I think it will make for some good races. I think the field should be opened up to 32 cars. I cant wait for Gainesville.
500 inches, no rpm limit, stock body, big tire, no power adder, 2350 pounds and freakin Lenco’s. Nobody mentioned Butch Leal. Is he dead too?
you think pro stock is dead?
here in the uk you are lucky too have 6 cars total
best to scrap pro stock and put the money into pro mod class
dont get me wrong i love pro stock, but in the last few years it seems to have lost its way
the cost is just so high, which can be said for any class in racing
Pro Stock sucks A, and all the comments above are excellent on their own for the different ways they all got to agreeing with my opening line. The class on it’s own for me hasn’t been watchable since the mid 90’s, and the purist in me hasn’t really enjoyed the class since Grumpy got away with a tube framed Vega. If I could change the rules, the car in the staging lanes would be exactly like how Don described it, and any of us should be able to purchase the exact same car off the nearest dealership’s floor. Just like the Toyota in NASCAR, anyone know where I can order one? It is a stock car, right?
1. Factory body profiles as it used to be (no bodies resembling melted ice cream bars, leave that to the Pro Mod guys)
2. I’m fine with tube chassis, let that stay and let Factory Stock guys use the OEM chassis so as not to destroy that class.
3. Clutch assisted manual transmissions with number of gears left up to the teams. Use in car cameras or some sort of electronic means to ensure the driver is using the clutch during the run. This will put true drivers back in the sport.
4. Use modern style engine (LS, Coyote, Gen 3 Hemis) designs with a displacement limit somewhere in the 350-400 ci range.
5. Profit!!!!