Re: Honestly
 

Without question I would. I have developed some of the best friends and relationships due to racing. It would be difficult to quantify a value to that, but it is way up there for me.

I am not an active racer and my limited success on the track reflects that, but I cannot count the number of people I am thrilled to see on and off track due to racing.

Thank you NHRA for drawing together so many high quality people even though they find a way to consistently irritate them across the board. And thank goodness this group of people continue to come together inspite of the NHRA's decisions.

Re: Honestly
 

Billy I had almost the same conversation yesterday with Frank. When a lot of older races started they didn't pay anyone that ran a bracket classes. You got a trophy. Most tracks had there Modified, Stock and Super Stock combo and those were the classes that were paid money. If I were to start today running a bracket car is the only smart choice with the big pay bracket races. Then again I don't know if smart and racing should be in the same sentence. So I guess I'd still run Stock. I like the idea of competing not only trying to win a race but to also getting the most out of my combo within the set of rules we are given. It keeps me awake nights. Spent most of today looking at dyno numbers from a couple of days ago. BP

Re: Honestly
 

In 1976 I turned 20yrs old. I worked at a Dodge dealer working on lean burn engines in the Ralph Nader world. I bought a brand new 1979 Aspen with a 360 3 years later for stock eliminator. That was probably a fast factory car in 1979 that went 14.90s of the lot.
Now 20yr olds buy 9 second cars. Hard to compare but 20yr olds still spend money on cars. Our sport probably would require a mentor of some sort now to compete. Need a pure stock for new cars since they are way to complicated and expensive to "Convert" to stock.

Paul

Re: Honestly
 

Hi Billy, don't know if I can private send it. Here it is about 1980 at my first attempt at stock eliminator. Stephen McGrath of course behind the wheel. You might remember Steve.

Paul

Re: Honestly
 

I absolutely would do it again. I have wanted to race Super Stock since I was a very young teenager. I built a homemade flowbench back in 1988 just to be able to start to learn and play with this stuff. I am fortunate enough now to have a nearly complete home machine shop, dyno and everything else I need to do 90% of the work to run this class. Which, btw, is a far greater personal reward experience for me than actually racing. (Which is a good thing...... because I certainly have not evolved into a very good racer !!! :)



I will enjoy what we have until it no longer exists, then I will quit. I have essentially no interest in racing any other class, (love comp eliminator, but I have yet to hit the lottery) and totally non-existent interest in bracket racing.



For the record, I am 52 years young.



Kp

Re: Honestly
 

1970's I bought a 1968 Cobra Jet ,it only had 4.30 gears and a Rossi converter , I had no trailer just tow bar mounts but nothing to tow with ,this was my only car for my wife and I ,I drove it to Pomona to race in Stock Eliminator and drove it back home again at night , I wish the younger generation could even have half the fun I had at a very low cost

Re: Honestly
 

"1968 Cobra Jet ,it only had 4.30 gears and a Rossi converter"

Great picture John

Re: Honestly
 

I definitely would! I really enjoy all types of drag racing, but I enjoy stock and Superstock the most.

Really to be fair from my point of view, every form of drag racing has evolved whether we like it or not.

We are taking stock Superstock,but consider so many of the bracket classes are ruled by driver aids that are known and of course some thst are yet to be discovered. I think back to some drivers in my area growing up. They were killer. They also were among the first to have delay boxes back when no one knew what they were.

The challenge of making your own car and your own driving better is really enjoyable. Add in the great people I have met over the years and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I am fortunate to have some really nice cars now, but I recall early days at the drag strip where we literally raced whatever we had the keys to. Especially some real beater street cars and scooters motorcycles, you name it, if it ran and passed tech we would run it. We didn’t have any money, but the fun factor was there.

The performance part is still important even to pure bracket racers. Most of the go fast parts would not be available to the masses if not for pro stock comp, even other performance classes where someone figured out how to go really fast.

We all benefit in that area.

Re: Honestly
 

What's notable here is that about 99% of the parts in this car are OEM or over the counter local parts house replacements.
Today? Forget about it!

I better start a new thread on this subject..soon

Re: Honestly
 

billy, you will remember this comment...."its a rolling car show",which is nice.just rename it all "stock appearing eliminator" and be done with it.