Quote:
Originally Posted by ALMACK
Don't forget to give that young gear head a ride around the pits in a open header class car ! 
I was interested in race cars before my free ride, but afterwards I was hooked !
This is my first season running in IHRA Stock, but it took me 30 years to get to do it, so cost is a big issue for alot of the younger gearheads.
Plus, for the same cost, alot of the younger guys can run heads up classes in the NMRA and NMCA without fear of going "too fast"... |
Alan YOU hit the nail on the head in my opinion as far as running NMRA and NMCA heads up classes. If I wasn't raised around Stock Eliminator racing there is NO WAY I would spend the money I'm spending to build a mid 10 second Stocker. For the money I'm spending to build a mid 10 stocker I could build a mid 8 second Hot Street car or a mid 9 second Mean Street car and from what I remember when I was running NMRA's Open Comp (10 years ago) the payouts with contingency put NHRA to shame and its true heads up racing. Not shoe polish. Now there is a down side to this. True heads up racing is going to be way more expensive to keep up with year after year and their car counts are now showing that. The other thing is there is no press and no prestige anymore for the NHRA sportsman racers. There's no help from the sponsors like there used to be. I can remember Dad telling me that this company would give them this or that as far as new products if they advertised that product on the car (sticker). Now again if I didn't grow up around Stock I would not know anything about Stock Eliminator racing because you don't see a Stocker at your local weekend bracket races for the most part. Now I'm lucky to go out and see IHRA Stock Eliminator Champ Phil Combs and NHRA Div 3 stand out Bill Sempsrott at my local races but most people don't even know what they are looking at when they see these cars nor do they care. When you tell them that they are class cars they have no idea what you are talking about. Then when you explain it to them they are impressed for a second and then they walk to the next tube chassis 10 second bracket car with a 555 BBC with nitrous and a PG in it and think its the coolest thing there. All in all I agree that we need to help spread the word and teach others about class racing. Like the others have said take someone to the races with you its the only way to get the awareness out there. The other side of that is the money. Its not cheap at all. But its not impossible. There are cheaper cars to get started with and for those guys the shoe polish will help them get started. Everybody has a chance with the shoe polish.