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are left with nepotism and the extremely rich as the face of auto racing, as opposed to the most talented or entertaining.

Grand Prix racing comes to mind, only the very rich, but, they have a lot of fans and no 200 races a year. Example, the Redskins had RFK stadium, 55,000 people only and a waiting list of 20 years to get season tickets. Fast foward, new 100,000 seat stadium, still have seats available for season ticket holders. NHRA has way to many events a year, just like NASCAR, pro baseball, basketball and football. Flood the market, then interest wanes.
Might add, the sponsors won't spread themselves to thin either with fewer races.

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Excellent explanation of many "sports" current predicament---Now the big question is how do you solve the problem??? I agree most kids today have absolutely nil interest in any form of any thing to do with automotive, unless a family member was involved either now or previously. The entire US is no longer a car culture, cars for the average person are impossible to work on, and the interest is not there. Cars are no longer an extension of a persons personality as in days past they simply are a mode of transportation from one place to the next.
SOCIAL MEDIA has replaced cars and many other past interests.Kids rarely go outside to play they are glued to video game monitors, computers or CELL PHONES-- Every kid in my area has a cell phone. They don't even call and talk to their friends they TEXT---CONSTANTLY!!!!

They come to my house the cell phones are turned off when they come in the door!!!! You want to use your phone GO HOME--nothing is that important that a teenager needs to be looking at their phone all the time--

I thought the video was spot on and offered the explanation of what happened, how it happened and what caused it to happen and gives little hope of rectifying the current situation in the future--FED 387

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Start allowing foreign makes and you will see a resurging grassroots interest in Stock and SS.

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I doubt that !

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Yeah, the import series did so well....LOL

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^^LMAO! Think it was the NOPI Drag Series ?? for Imports that didn’t make it. NASCAR has ONE Import and it’s not saving them.

Next....

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I was kind of thinking the same thing. Nascar loosing popularity at the top 4 levels is like the NHRA and the pro levels. But what does that have to do with the S/SS guy on here that goes to work every week and maybe, if they are well off, 8-10 Nats & Div's combined. but most of us are 5 total or less. I have no belief that the NHRA will get better or change much in the next 10 years, I don't have the time or finances to lobby them to change or start my own deal. So I just try to get everyone I know with kids to bring them to the local track and hang out at our trailer to get them hooked so the sport has a future. I can do that, and I do that part of it.

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While many portend dark days ahead for NHRA we can at least hope they remain viable as a sanctioning body. Face it, there a lot of great tracks run by good promoters who successfully run all kind of events...10.5, No Prep, Radial Wars, etc. and yes, even imports. As long as the Association races remain in play perhaps NHRA will eventually recognize, market and reward Class Racing and today’s youngsters will be drawn to it. Heck, if they even listened to their own announcers like Reinhart they’d understand and appreciate what they already have. Having other companies foot the bill for categories like Factory Stock, Top Sportsman, Pro Mod, etc while they pay big salaries to a legion of bureaucrats is shameful. Would bet if you asked each of them what NHRA’s mission statement is you would get different answers. Government fails because it serves the bureaucrats instead of the people....ditto for NHRA. But let’s keep lobbying NHRA and our Division Directors, support SRAC and race whenever we can.

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Dan, you picked a heck of a week to quit smoking crack! Stock and SS have no problem whatsoever with "grassroot interest"!

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No one likes the smell of burning rice !

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...and S/SS is a small niche within it.
Mike A114

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One of the problem I see as far as the younger generation is the high cost of buying the current fast cars. Hellcats, GT 500s and Copos. They could buy the lower HP cars but by the time they buy the add ons they would have the same money just buying the fast ones straight out. What kid has $80,000 laying around? The rice burners are their only option unless dad is already in the sport with an extra car. Very expensive today if starting from scratch, just think how much you got in your car right now (whatever the year) not including the extras. Defiantly not like back in the day of $2900 RR , $3100 Z28s or 428 Cobra Jet Mustangs. Most all of us kids could afford one of those making $100 a week.
Mike

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Now that right there is just B.S.. If a kid wants to race, he's going to race and there's plenty of reasons why that kid shouldn't/wouldn't want to race. But many tracks have very good "Friday Night" programs that DO attract the kids and can get them started in the right direction.

Ya know, another thing that needs to be done that I never see anybody on here talking about is personally mentoring a kid or 10. I had a kid in my shop just last night who I've got to get to the track next year. He needs help with his 08 4.6 Mustang that he put a Pro Charger on and now, he can't get it to "hook". He knows the programming end backward and forward but he needs help with the suspension stuff.
P.S. I told him that I know a guy that races a 08 CJ Stocker and has gone some low 8s with "Stock" suspension. I think that this Yo Ken guy is his new hero!

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Great story Billy. Kenny should be a hero for all of us for obvious reasons!

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Coleydog, my man Billy is right there are still young kids out there that are meatheads in their own right. I go to test occasionally at Jacksonville on Friday night street wars, Ofcourse Jville has Camp Lejuene military base and there are young military guys from all over the country with alot of the new cars and they are flying! Most of the time they all seem interested in my car and I always take time to explain what we do. I have invited them to come along to a race on occasion but none have took me up on it yet.

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"Now that right there is just B.S.. If a kid wants to race, he's going to race and there's plenty of reasons why that kid shouldn't/wouldn't want to race. But many tracks have very good "Friday Night" programs that DO attract the kids and can get them started in the right direction."

Nice opinion, how many kids want to race moms minivan, just to race?
It takes money today, what they don't have. Joe blow kid doesn't walk into the Friday nite drags, they come with friends or dad-moms who have real race cars. The vast majority have ricers (I hate them) daily driver (gas millage) add a tach, muffler and slam em on the ground, instant race car, and these are the one in a thousand kids that even like cars. When the last of the baby boomers die off, its over.

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If a kid wants to race yes, he will race Mom's minivan. And when he beats his bud's Mustang or Charger he'll be hooked.
Yes, "Joe Blow kids" just walk into the Friday Nite Drags all the time because they're always looking for something to do and maybe they heard their buds talking about going and went to see what it's all about.
So YOU hate "ricers", so what? That's what's out there and that's what's cheap! They've got to start somewhere! The first trip down a Drag Strip for me (in the 60s) was on a Thursday night at Island in a friends 21 second VW. I think that I turned out alright (somewhat)!
Maybe you should go to the "Friday Nite Drags" sometime and see what's really going on. Maybe show a little interest in a kid (that's not yours) and offer him a little advice and help.

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Oh, this is great news....another Michael Beard in the making....just what we need....
LOL...

This is a joke, Michael is a friend of mine...he was mentored by Billy ages ago...and we all know how he turned out.....

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Mentoring the youth that come to the races is the best thing we can do.

When I raced, if a younger person (boy or girl) had questions about my car or racing in general I would give the best answer possible. Whether it's helping another racer dial his or her car properly, or giving tuning advice, all help should be given. That's how I learned years ago.

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M.J., as much as I would like to take credit for/deny even knowing Michael, it was his Dad, Stephen, who taught Michael the ropes. And he did a much better job than I ever could have.

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"Maybe you should go to the "Friday Nite Drags" sometime and see what's really going on. Maybe show a little interest in a kid (that's not yours) and offer him a little advice and help."

Been going to races for over 50 years and love the Friday nite grudge races, I have helped more racers than I can count with every aspect of a car. Maybe "hate" was a little harsh, I just prefer the sound of a V8. My wife being a retired high school teacher (44 years) I been around enough "kids" through the years to know where they're coming from.
________________

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The KIDS like we were decades ago bought what they could and race it.
Today many of the cars they are interested in are not USA metal.

You can ignore this new generation all you want..
Call them names or ricers or what ever.
They will migrate to the Venues that will Invite them.

Next 10 years will be a dramatic change in S/SS.
You can already see the passing of friends on Class Racer.

We rent this planet...how we leave it for others is our responsibility...!

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Oh, my sincere apologies....the problem with turning 60 years old is you start getting things mixed up....It was BUFFDADDY that you mentored with the sunbird... just had the wrong Michael....

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This blame the millennials act is getting old. As a said millennial that loves super stock racing, let me defend my generation.
I don't see how what is proested today is all that different from what was protested in the sixties. And if you can't grasp global warming, I have zero intention of educating you.
And yes, it's not a car culture. But that fad was already dying before we started getting adisposable income. But I don't hear generation x getting the blame. The unsustainable model you complain about happened on the baby boomer watch, not ours. Motorsports used to be at the cutting edge of technology. Driving innovation into the auto sector. Now technology has left drag racing in the dust. We are spending tens of thousands of dollars at trying to refine 19th century technology. Do you think that much time and effort went into steam drive technology in the 1930's? I am going to see s/ss as we know die in my life time. I don't know how to fix it, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.

Side note. I would be interested in seeing how fast Allen Johnson could make a vehicle go down the track. No rules, no limitations, probably no driver, just how fast is possible.

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Agree with most of what you said but Global warming by humans is a made up lie, thought I should point that out.
Look up Pat Michaels

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NASCAR lost me when they allowed Toyota to come in. The Playoff format sucks. I am a fan of the traditional points race, where "consistency" counts, not just wins.
I cant believe NHRA followed up with the stupid "Countdown Playoff" I don't watch any NHRA Pro classes, hardly any full side by side passes by the nitro cars, watching 16 Camaros race in P/S is not exciting to me (and Im a Chevy guy who races a Camaro). And the Bikes are not my cup of tea. That's just my opinion.....lol

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Well said.

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When Nascar allowed Toyota in that started it, along with the death of Dale Earnhardt, but NHRA needs to put more emphasis on the SPORTSMAN racer, he is the backbone of the sport, people are tired of the JOHN FORCE interviews , even when he loses he gets too much airtime,the PROS get 4 time trials, while the Sportsman is lucky to get 2 runs down the track. The Stock/Superstock racer makes the field for all divisional and National events, yet they get the worse pit areas and are treated like the RED HEADED STEP CHILDREN....
If they did not show up for a National Event, what would TV do? another loud interview with a millionaire ? Get back to the grass roots racer , the man who trashes his combo weekly to get the best out of it, so he can compete on a National level, give him some real TV time and cover more than the final round,,,

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Exactly. I have a lot of difficulty having any respect for the intelligence of anyone who falls for that scam.


The planet has been warming and cooling for millions of years. In my lifetime, we've been told that we'll all freeze to death, and that we'll all melt in the sun. Literally, in the seventies, they were warning us of the coming ice age. It's ludicrous.

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NASCAR started dying when they decided to start letting manufacturers run cars that did not fit the rules, and alter the bodies dramatically to fit. It started with the GM G bodies fitting the rules in the eighties, but the Thunderbird didn't, so NASCAR let Ford run it anyway. Then the next thing you know, there were stupid looking ugly 4 door front wheel drive "cars" out there. So the cars no longer looked like the cars fans drove or wanted. Once you begin perverting something like that, it's the beginning of the end. Funny Car is the only exception.

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And don`t forget, the "Experts" said we were going to run out of oil by the mid 70s too! And according to Al Gore, shouldn`t New York be about 10 feet under water by now?

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The millennials "act" is not an act. It is entirely real and YOU, not your generation, are in a minority, as a lover of cars and drag racing. You generalize to "defend" your generation, implying that the millions of people who perceive the majority of millennials as whining, self-serving, live-with-Mom-and-Dad, America-hating crybabies are wrong, and that because you like drag racing, all millennials do. And your snide comment about global warming is typical of your generation. No substantiation provided for the statement, just a sarcastic implication that if global warming isn't universally "understood" and accepted, those people who still question its legitimacy are idiots, for whom you can "do nothing". And precisely who in the hell are you? What qualifies you to teach anyone anything about global warming? Why in the world would anyone listen to you, if you did deign to try and educate them? You speak with completely unearned authority, presenting opinions and gossip-science as fact. And finally, nobody said millennials are solely responsible for the decline (and soon, death) of motorsports, but they have done virtually nothing to help.

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Nicely put!

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As a side note , motorcycles sales are at a new low among millennials, and the industry won't be able to sustain, at the current rate. I suppose the sales of electric scooters are UP ,though.

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Wow. He literally agreed its not a car culture...


So what qualifies you to attack him? What qualifies you to attack a generation? Seems to me he was responding to an unprovoked and overly generalized attack on a generation that you posted first.... but anyways...


Back to the topic, I think JohnRodericks' post about the money and failure to adapt as a root cause is spot on.



Drag racing is still popular, its just that people have other events that bring more excitement and value for the dollar than the NHRA.

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Well the thread has drifted a bit but suppose the dialogue about how different generations have far different perceptions is pertinent. Today we’re witnessing ceremonies honoring the life of our 41st President. Part of the greatest generation who leaves a legacy of service and responsibility to country, family and others. Many of my generation grew up in a raging Cold War when warning sirens were for far more grave events than tornadoes. We remember the Cuban missle crisis and when JFK was mourned. We were directly affected by the Vietnam war and the erosion of trust in our institutions. So perhaps we do view subsequent generations as “soft”. With the exception of those impacted by post 9/11 conflict they’ve largely escaped much of what we dealt with so often. The muscle car era sure was a great time for us though, a distraction from weightier events and one we want to continue. Sometimes we can be a little fierce in holding onto a passion that helped us and don’t think social media and other such “activity” is a worthy substitute. And while change is a certain and even healthy thing it can’t abandon the backbone that made NHRA great, otherwise it will simply fade away to be replaced by some VR fad that will in time run it’s course as well.

Don’t subscribe to much of the global warming hyperbole. Nature can sweep us aside in a flash. But do believe we’re stewards of this earth and thus admire Teddy Roosevelt, who shared John Muir’s view that if a single dollar could be earned by stealing from the earth people would line up to do it. Along those lines George H.W. Bush shepherded the Clean Air Act. That kind of stewardship is one of the “core values” that Roosevelt and Bush shared. Great presidents both.

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I didn't "attack" his generation, and certainly didn't attack him (how could I, when he hadn't yet posted his response to my original message?), and I doubt that anybody who reads my post would come to the same conclusion you did. I made some general statements about millennials in my original post, some of them admittedly sarcastic, but was careful not to "attack" them. But if I had, my qualifications would be age, education, work and life experience and the ability to understand what I read and see, on the street, on the news and on television. People don't generally impugn another person, culture, country, etc. without any reason, and this is no different. I made an amply demonstrated observation (i.e. millennials don't participate in the car culture to the degree that previous generations have), and his response (and apparently yours, as well) was that I'm picking on him and his generation and that because he likes cars, all of his millennial brothers and sisters do, as well. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar...

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Sorry. Can confirm the interpretation of rocketolds400.

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Just one correction, its 20th century technology. The 19th century would've been the 1800's and we spend all this money refining the old technology because that's what Stock/SS is all about.

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Us old guys a laying in the trenches waiting for the replacements that will never show, sad