Entry level class?

[Billy Nees]

Someone just recently posted on another thread that Stock is an "entry level class".
Is there even such a thing in the NHRA anymore? I know Stock definitely isn't.
Super Street? Hardly. JR. Dragster? Yeah, right. Maybe at the local tracks the Street Bracket program (ironically called Sportsmen) could be considered entry level but nothing at the Div. or Natl. level.
Any thoughts?

[Alan Roehrich]

Entry level classes rarely remain entry level. Someone will always come in and decide they want to be the big fish in the little pond, and don't care what it costs.


Of course, the days of finding parts suppliers willing or able to take on small low volume projects and spend time and money on them seem to be getting very close to over.

[tstickff]

Billy I think Super Street is more entry level than stock these days. Any platform goes, you don’t have to spend tons of money to go 10.90, I know those guys like to go 150 mph but you don’t have to be that aggressive. I think you could make a crate 383 stroker motor go 10.90 for pretty cheap if you wanted to do the divisional/National scene. Only real restriction is the min weight for the class

Tim Stickles

[Frank Castros]

Super Street could be an entry level class if it was restricted to NO ELECTRONICS and FOOT BRAKE ONLY!

[Mike Jones]

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

Super Street could be an entry level class if it was restricted to NO ELECTRONICS and FOOT BRAKE ONLY!

...with a MPH rule, say 125?
I am in no way saying this should happen to Super Street, but an entry level class should probably look at both E.T. and MPH restrictions.

[Alan Roehrich]

Sure, you can run 10.90 fairly cheap these days. But being able to run 10.90 doesn't necessarily make you really competitive. If it did, people would not be building 540 big blocks with 800+ HP.


That's exactly my point. Someone is always going to come in and buy big HP, etc., to gain an advantage.


If you wanted it to be entry level, remove the throttle stops, delay boxes, and air shifters.


Notice, I do not run Super Street, I have a couple of friends that do, and are competitive. I am absolutely NOT calling for or proposing rule changes for their class. I'm just pointing out where the money comes in, and where the entry level goes out. It's not "my" class, and certainly NOT my place to tell them how things should be.


Forty years or so ago, we were running Super Comp with a ten year old Hal Canode Top Alcohol hard tail 240" dragster, a big block Chevy with a flat tappet cam, oval port heads and a single 4 barrel, a PowerGlide with a trans brake, no throttle stop, no delay box, and no air shifter. At least 3 or 4 times, we qualified number one with an 8.90X, and went rounds. We adjusted the ET with the shift point and about four pieces of lead, cast in old small block Chevy valve covers. We had a "big motor", it had more compression, a huge roller cam, Gary Williams rectangle port heads, tunnel ram, and 1150 Dominators. We had to put big tires on it, put all the lead in it, and put it in high rear about 10' off the starting line. We actually had two Super Gas cars running the same combination. The engines were interchangeable. You'd be hard pressed to find anything that mundane, mild, and basic anywhere in Super classes today.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Someone just recently posted on another thread that Stock is an "entry level class".
Is there even such a thing in the NHRA anymore? I know Stock definitely isn't.
Super Street? Hardly. JR. Dragster? Yeah, right. Maybe at the local tracks the Street Bracket program (ironically called Sportsmen) could be considered entry level but nothing at the Div. or Natl. level.
Any thoughts?

I had high hopes when Jr. Dragster first started. I had visions of affordable cars that families could buy/build for their kid(s), and get a large number of kids involved in racing. Sadly, that was not to be.

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Someone just recently posted on another thread that Stock is an "entry level class".

stock is an entry level class for anyone that has the means to purchase one of the factory stock eliminator cars.

[Hoss5112]

Stock is not an entry level class. It is one of the toughest most competitive classes there is. As a former Super Street racer I can honestly say Super Street was intended to be an entry level class. When NHRA decided to move to the .370 pro tree many Super Gas racers moved to Super Street due to the inability to cut a good light. When that occurred many Super Gas cars with larger cubic inch engines caused racers to build faster cars. I believe NHRA should not allow tube chassis cars and limit cubic inch in order to return the class to what it was intended to do.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Hoss5112

I believe NHRA should not allow tube chassis cars and limit cubic inch in order to return the class to what it was intended to do.

Good luck with that. From my experiences with the NHRA, I have found that whenever they give you something (even if by mistake!) they very rarely will take it back. Kinda like welfare checks! ;-)