attention NHRA and IHRA Where have all the class racers gone

[THE LEGEND]

Rick,
I agree.
I've got a 24,22,20 year olds that all still live at home.
One can't keep a job.
One leaves for the Army in 3 weeks.
One works 30 hrs a week for minimum wage.
They can't buy gas and Lunch forget about racing.

[X-TECH MAN]

You got it Rick. Bottom line is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and lots of it. Even the well off are feeling the pinch umless they have "STUPID" money to begin with.
Wade I hate to say this but there was no one in the stands watching the .90 cars either back in the day unless it was friends or family. Not trying to be funny but just telling it like it was.
I remember when Allan Johnson was about 4 or 5 years old at the track with his dad Roy with his 2 IHRA S/S cars. Today because of an oil business he is racing Pro Stock or whatever you want to call it today. That takes the "STUPID" kind of money plus major sponsorship.

[FINESPLINE]

Bottom line is stock class racing ceased to be entry level racing a long time ago compounded by the economy in which college graduates cannot make enough money to pay back their college loans or even find a job period . Do you really think class racing is going to draw new members from that. Wake up ! Class racing is surviving on money made a long time ago and it is slowly drying up. It is what it is ---Reality !

[Paul Precht]

Today's stockers and (especially) super stockers are pro classes. With exception of the rare dime rocket as noted there's no way a guy can put together a quality stocker on a young man's salary. A huge percentage of all the competitive stockers in the country have engines built by the same 10 or so engine builders and they are not cheap, in earlier times a good local engine builder could at least have a chance. Stock racers by nature have pushed the envelope that brought it to this point along with the many high dollar race teams. I try not to let it bother me but it can be intimidating to see a stocker show up with a motorhome that is worth more than my 2 race cars, tow rig and house combined. What's a 20 year old kid with a pickup truck and a 78 Camaro bracket car, that want's to race stock, think when he see's today's stocker teams, he's got a better shot at dating a supermodel.

[treessavoy]

Jack, You and Rick are just wrong!

If you were right there would be lots of young people racing in S,SS......and they aren't there.

I teach pool to a lot of the kids around here and after discussions ALL of them could care less about drag racing, most don't know what it is!

All they care about is the newest IPhone, best Xbox game, loudest tin can muffler and the biggest car stereo and is it has more than 4 cylinders they don't understand it.

And yes, I've taken some of them to grudge race night and they spent most of the night playing games on their phones.

Truth is, I'm glad I'll be dead before they end up running the country. Not a single one of them has any ambition to better themselves.

JimR

THE ECONOMY!!! Nobody can afford to come racing, because of the high cost to get in, and good jobs are very scarce. The weekly bracket programs are not doing as well either, Im sure if the NHRA was around in the 30's they wouldnt have had good attendance at the races either. We are not that far off. When and If our economy starts coming back, we might see growth again,

[Paul Precht]

Originally Posted by treessavoy

Jack, You and Rick are just wrong!

If you were right there would be lots of young people racing in S,SS......and they aren't there.

I teach pool to a lot of the kids around here and after discussions ALL of them could care less about drag racing, most don't know what it is!

All they care about is the newest IPhone, best Xbox game, loudest tin can muffler and the biggest car stereo and is it has more than 4 cylinders they don't understand it.

And yes, I've taken some of them to grudge race night and they spent most of the night playing games on their phones.

Truth is, I'm glad I'll be dead before they end up running the country. Not a single one of them has any ambition to better themselves.

JimR

So very true Jim, this country's future looks pretty grim. Local colleges send their students to my store to do community service and many cant even put a kitchen cabinet on a hand truck and roll it out the door without detailed instructions, build a race car, yeah right. Their lives revolve around their cellphones, nothing is more important to them.

[CycloneFE]

Originally Posted by Paul Precht

I try not to let it bother me but it can be intimidating to see a stocker show up with a motorhome that is worth more than my 2 race cars, tow rig and house combined. What's a 20 year old kid with a pickup truck and a 78 Camaro bracket car, that want's to race stock, think when he see's today's stocker teams, he's got a better shot at dating a supermodel.

Paul, I gotta agree, I felt that way in the beginning, but after seeing how long the races go on if you happen to get rain, that motorhome may be a necessity not a luxury.

[Paul Precht]

Originally Posted by CycloneFE

Paul, I gotta agree, I felt that way in the beginning, but after seeing how long the races go on if you happen to get rain, that motorhome may be a necessity not a luxury.

I understand that many of the current racers are older or retired and are having their fun spending their money, God bless them, it is intimidating though for the little guy or the beginner which adds to the low interest from the new blood, as young people are very competitive and when they see it's out of their league they move on. On a side note, and no disrespect to anyone who owns one, a 300K motorhome is not the only option to get through a rainy Saturday. A 20 year old kid may be uncomfortable at a company party with the wealthy owners, same story for the beginner in class racing.

[Ed Fernandez]

I feel like a broken record,but I'll repeat my mantra:
We are not a car culture society anymore.There's too much competition liesure spending.
Oh yeah and the present generation,for the most part,could care less about drag racing,
especially class racing.There intrests are in foreign FWD cars and text messageing till
their fingers are numb,like their brains.
Flameo awayo.