Re: Coming Soon.....
 

The problem is, we are arguing with each other instead of all of us arguing with nhra.

It's not "we" against "him"...he's following the rules and doing what it takes to get something able to race in Stock. The issue is the rules or lack thereof.

You know what would REALLY stick the young kids in the drivers seat? Putting ALL the cars in the guide. How many of you have been asked about stock and how it works at the track by a bracket racer who is running his new (er) car and you have to tell them "sorry, your car is not in the guide"????

Heck I was even told "you should convert your foxbody to a stocker, the payout is better and for $100 (our local entry fee) you have a better chance of getting some money back (pays back farther)...can still run it as a bracket car if you want but if it's legal, you can race in this series too"

Love to be able to tell someone, "your 4 year old car? It fits (whatever)/SA, right now you are 2 seconds from the index, get gears and a converter and cam/springs to start with and see if the car is competitive" instead of "sorry, not in the guide, you need a mid 90's or older car" (and we're in the rust belt where 5 year old cars are rusty!!)

I'll accept a turd yota if it's in the guide, my issue is not that it wasn't and had to be added, it's that it should of been there in the first place and none of this arguing would of been done.
We need some people in nhra that actually cares about S/SS and wants to see if flourish. Someone who will go to the manufacturers and get the specs. Have an open line to the manufacturers, "hey, it's nhra, can you send the latest vehicle specs please"?
Did every single vehicle in the guide presently only get there because someone did the leg work for "their" car?? Don't think so, that came later when the real support dried up.

Put yota's, honda's, heck kia's in the guide and you will be flooded with fwd 16 second cars, but that is STILL an increase in purse!! With v6 mustangs, camaros, challengers in the guide, people in the rust belt can build a newer car without having to buy a cobra, copo or drag pack.

(I had to go on a bit to give my $.84Can to equal $.02 US).

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

On the other hand Billy, some of us in those 17 second cars find it really thrilling to see that 8-9 second rocket flying up next to them (especially after watching that amazing wheelie they just did in the rear view to see if they are green or red and if it is going to be a race at the stripe or not). I certainly know it is what keeps me interested (and my blood pumping these days the most beyond a heads up class race for another Wally).

Fast or slow, my fellow competitors know too (I hear it in their encouraging convo pre-pass, and afterwards if I am successful against 1 of those fast bullets/rockets).

Being anywhere in the bottom half of the qualifying sheet is tough, but as you well know it makes you work harder to improve things you can over time.

I go there knowing my quadrant on the ladder will be deep with the FS/ Stockers, right now just working on the car to move up that Q sheet a bit and attempt to get away from them as a guaranteed 1st rnd opponent, and on myself w/the car to steal the tree an 1/8th mile before they even see their yellows drop and give myself a fair shot at the stripe.

I have seen a lot of red lights in my lane over the years (but never as many really close ones as my 1st year back racing stk -.002 to -.010 just knowing I needed every bit of as close to trip zip as I can get to even have a chance against that usual late model rocket ship that I find most in that other lane now. But, it is making me young again!

It certainly makes me smile more lately. It has been costly, working really hard for every single tenth of E.T./under index improvement, and it is all worth every minute of the work knowing there are almost zero off the shelf go faster parts to be found. The research alone is amazing andI am learning a lot.

I cannot wait to get a chance to possibly line up next to that beautiful Supra and even get the chance to race Darren Poole-Adams. I know he has worked as long and as hard as I have, his is newer and faster, but neither was just a purchased proven combo, but a massaged very personal pc just to get there on the Q-Sheet that took dedication and time that of all people I know you appreciate as you have done it to so many combos over time.

If nothing I salute him for his tenacity and hard work getting there. Are there things that bother me about the rules...yes, he got to drop from 17" wheels to 15's, and I cannot drop from stock 14's to 13's (so I could just have more FWD slicks choices). But, that is my cross to bear I guess.

Adding new info...

It was just pointed out to me a bit more info, some I knew existed, some I did not know (I assumed other combos came with a smaller rim size that did not come factory with them but run smaller). I already knew about the FWD traction device exception of any traction device allowable, and do agree highly that FWD tires/wheels are the absolute in traction devices that fit, but the conflicting rule in minimum 14" Unless it came Stock with a smaller rim size (wheels/tires in 11A), along with the G.R. of 12" minimum. It was the conflicting rules (that make things tough), that I was pointing out, but the exception (for FWD cars only, making up for the non-FWD cars ladderbars, etc), I think in this instance would overcome the actual written. In this particular case I would if I wanted to go that smaller size, get a written opinion before proceeding to do it (even under the known exception being very open and really easily defended), even if others are already doing so.

Either way I personally appreciate the input.

Toyota/BMW/GM/Ford front to rear no matter what is a very interesting STK Elim. combo. (Try to find anything like it in the guide anywhere...lol.) To me personally in the lane next to that very cool car....It would never be anything but a very cool bracket race. No chance for a heads up match up (closest is an index against index class combo matchup), so it is just a cool faster against slower combo racematch up,

Looking forward to see the front wheels in the air leaves and how far under he runs with it!

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

I gotta say, despite all the folks in here protesting this car, the reception of it has been better than expected. I expected it to be like 80/20 dislike vs like but I'd say it's closer to 50/50. That just tells me Gump did a good job of building the car to the rule set and being transparent about it's build and justification.

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

If something is able to be added to the guide, should such an addition not be able to be seen in that guide by anybody that wants to see any such additions ? Or is it to only be readable to a top secret select few?

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

Once everything is approved by the NHRA it will be added to the guide. Then the whole world can see it. Which is exactly how it has always been.

I showed this car at the High Performance Expo in Charlotte because they wanted something new and exciting to showcase. Otherwise, it would have shown up at the next NHRA race local to me after it hit the guide.

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

Wife and I were doing the RV travel deal in the Carolinas last week and was sorely tempted to swing by Shadyside?GO GUMP GO (like the poll).

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

Must be nice to have enough pull to be able to build a car BEFORE that car is in the NHRA Classification Guide, and thus should have no specs, or "approved replacement" parts. When I build MY Stocker, I had to find a car and combination that was actually in the guide, before I even knew what casting numbers, specifications, HP ratings , accepted shipping weight, and so many other bit of information , which is exactly how it has always been until now.

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

Do you know the history of the 1968 Cobra Jet?

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

Rory, You are wrong, there were no 2003 specs for any Ford in the guide and I wanted to run a 2003 Cobra. So I contacted NHRA and ask them what I needed to do, They told me I had to get someone from Ford to summit all paperwork and specs to them. I contacted Jesse Kershaw and he agreed to send the info. I was building the car per Ford's specs while the process was taking place. Took almost 2 years to finally get it all done. The specs hit the guide and the car was finished around the same time. My uncle went thru the same process back in 1997 to get the 1995 Cobra R in the guides. So as far back as 97, the process has been the same.





Bret Velde
2003 I/SA
Coming soon

Re: Coming Soon.....
 

My memory of the few turbo cars that have been tried in Stock and S/S is that they are usually very fast in their class, but not very consistent. So, a car like this will probably wreak havoc in its class at Indy, but generally not go very far in eliminations.