Part of what hurt drag racing

[HandOverFist]

You mean it's finally cool to be myself?

[Chuck Rayburn]

Originally Posted by Andys dad

Watch out you will be eaten alive on here by those who never personally attack anybody on here who state their opinion.

"Adapt to change" - how preposterous .. OMG .. what heresy

Half the field at Indy this year was 2008 and newer. How much change do you want?

[btrc]

I'm just getting back into racing after being out of it for 27 years but I remember I always thought the change from open to enclosed really changed the sport. I raced in modified for years and remember the nights in the motel lots changing motors, rear ends, etc. It would be like a car show with locals cruising the lots. Lots of fun. I suppose now the same happens but it is just the competitors around that stay in the pits. Of course by the time I got out we were using a big, at the time, 5th wheel trailer too.
When we started on the new car last year I swore it would be with an open trailer but for practicality and security I suppose we will end up with an enclosed trailer but I still miss the open trailers.
The other thing I remember that really cut down the spectators around here was when the gas prices went up in the late 70s or 80s. Our local track went from many spectators to hardly any. Cars and racers used to come hundreds of miles and then they just stopped.

[Mike Dahl]

Ya know, I think there is more than a little something to the open trailer thing. After pondering for a day or two I realized I missed the thumbs up going down the road and the occasional enthusiast that would strike up a conversation during a fuel up. As a track brat kid, it was cool to see my dad be a hero 10 or so times on the road and now as a husband and father I know what he felt. Very great times and free mobile advertisement too!

But the thread name was "part of what hurt drag racing."

It also made me think about why I haven't raced at all in the last 3 years and really in a limited fashion before my hiatus. Granted there are other personal factors but I just got tired of going to the races and not racing. Too many trips where there was a 300-500 mile tow each way and three runs over two days. The value wasn't there for me at the time, which is not to say I discount the value others experience. Maybe a self fulfilling prophecy, I don't know...

I would like to return but have a hard time getting my arms around the idea that I should spend more $$$$ to purchase a motor home to pull my enclosed trailer so the family is comfortable and "entertained" while not racing at the races. Hmmmm

Couldn't we just pack our runs into a 3 or 4 hour block per day and then call it a day to allow for some freedoms for those in our families that sacrificed their trip to Disneyland or a voyage on a cruise ship to support us? I don't hate the idea of hitting six flags in the day and arriving at the dragstrip at 4 ish and racing til 10 pm. Some might scoff a bit at some of the local Friday night drag and round track guys, but they get a whole lot of racing in with multiple divisions done in a night and are able to better capture attention for that short time than the whole weekend format. IMHO

Racers should race more at the races and the families that support them deserve more consideration. They are the ones who will make or break the thing. I don't think the class type and car type changes going on now will move the spectator / participant needle as much as we may think or hope. I hope I am wrong.

[randy wilson]

Yes, lot's of little things have hurt the spectator side of drag racing. There ain't no magic pill that's going to fix it. The rumor of changing Pro Stock back to more original body styles, and engine combos is a bit too little, too late. Cars people are used to seeing go 6.40's slowing to 7.50's ain't gonna cut it. Now, Pro Stock is too expensive and will die on it's own, and I believe the new class will take off, but be careful and not call it Pro Stock. And the following for the new class will fade after the new wears off. People today just ain't that interested in it anymore.

[Frank Castros]

Originally Posted by HandOverFist

You mean it's finally cool to be myself?

Classic!

[Robert Swartz]

Yeah, don't know if enclosed trailers is what hurt drag racing. Even back in the 80's before we quit. There were more new crew cab dually pickups and enclosed trailers than you could shake a stick at. This was just at the local bracket races. I opined then that many of these guys had more money in their tow rigs than we had in our whole operation. Back then the tracks were full as well.

As far as spectators, honestly, they just aren't interested in cars anymore. Here again, in the 80's, friends and coworkers would occasionally show up at the track. Guys at work would always ask about the car. Fast forward to the modern day. Other than my buddy's that have cars themselves, nobody even bothers to ask.

At the track itself. I love the fact that tracks now SELL pit space. I know it produces a revenue stream for the track. I just love going to a track and having to park out in purgatory, then see rows of open spaces that are sold to someone not there.

Another issue, this regards local tracks. Practice passes? Unless you have so many cars that you need to institute control. Why do tracks limit the number of passes? That really galls me to sit around all day waiting to make two passes. Of course some tracks will SELL you a third pass as a dial in race! Just fill up the lanes and let the guys run. I fully understand why T&T's and street nites get crowds, guys get to run their cars.

The new cars in STOCK. I love'em. They're not stockers! Like was said, half the field at Indy were new cars. There will be more next year, even more the year after that. I would say the old traditional stocker is going the way of Modified Production. Add to this the cost of these new cars. What $200-250K to build one of these beasts? I have a pretty modest job, imagine a lot of you guys on this board pay more in taxes a year than what I make. Now relate that to some kid making minimum wage or the $10-11 an hour that most places want to pay these days. Without deep pockets, you won't be building a new car anytime soon. I know by bringing this up, a lot of guys will say "I'll just quit". Stock appearing eliminator or Nostalgia Stock are just around the corner. How long before you see ads with cars for sale, because guys will be saying " can't afford to bracket race this car "? Saw it with MP cars for sale in the early 80's. Most of the stockers today are tricker than a majority of the old MP cars were 35-40 years ago.

I know people have been calling for the demise of drag racing for years. I remember reading an opinion column in one of the magazines when I was teenager, about how, without changes, " drag racing would, instead of being the sport of the 70's, was the sport of the 60's "! I thought the 70's-80's were great. Back to an early point, we were still a car culture then.

I remember when everyone that ran a stocker or SS car in Division 3 looked forward to Indy. Didn't mean they would all be there, that was what you aimed for. Now you have a whole slew of cars that run the points meets and the local combos, don't even concern themselves with the national events.

Enough blathering from an old man. I have work to do.

[Frank Castros]

Originally Posted by Chuck Rayburn

Half the field at Indy this year was 2008 and newer. How much change do you want?

I'm empathetic to your concern, but as I said there is also a place for old school muscle.

Factory Experimental, Junior Stock?

Change is coming by NHRA, but who knows if it will be a viable solution for all.

[randy wilson]

Well, I stick by the fan base, and track count falling. Normally, you go to your local track, they have seating for 5,000 people from memories of their glory days, and there are 5 people in the stands. Also, in the 70's, there were 7 tracks within 180 miles. Now, there are 2.

[randy wilson]

Also, where in the hell did the kids come up with $250,000 to buy a stocker. I need to get out more.