Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Why was there ever a Crate motor class?
Car Mfg's were selling crate motors and put money into the IHRA to help their marketing.
Are MFG's putting money in NHRA to market Crate Motors?
Want to have a class... come up with MFG cash.
Now in unison can we all say COPO, DRAG PACK and what ever Ford calls it today...

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Billy found cars that are in the system to my knowledge he never once asked NHRA to add cars or classes so he could build what he wanted.

Apples and oranges to what you want done.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Everyone wants to push the easy button and make statements about OEM parts availability to justify why they made a decision to build a combination. Parts are out there, I don't care what combination you run. It takes a little more effort to find them, and they may not be local, and they may have a price tag too. That's where some of the abrasive comments come from, racers that made the effort to find the parts, and others that made a decision to go an easier path. Now that path has put them in a financial burden to compete within another organization. There is no doubt that it would be frustrating.

We build our cars to compete within the rules for the organization and tracks that are local to each of us. In my area the closest IHRA track is over 7 hrs away, you're not going to see me there to support it. IHRA tracks are not as popular in a general geographic area as some think. Bottom line, the amount of racers within a specific class to support a given track and/or organization will impact sustainability.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

COME ON that is not relevant !

Stock/Super Stock made so many changes over the years because the racers wanted them.

Todays Stockers are a whole lot quicker than SS was on the 80's.
SS'er are more like yesterdays Modified Production

Fuel Injected Classes were added because FI became a new issue.

Factory Stock cars were added !!
They are so quick they could compete with yesterdays ProStockers.

Classes were added because of a need !

As for easy button everyone looks for it!
That is how S/SS and Class Racing morphed over the decades.

D

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

NHRA has made changes to the stock an super stock classes over the years. Most of the changes have been either safety related or changes NHRA made to make it easier for the tech people to check the cars and engines and keep them compliant. There have also been some rule changes to help the older cars with newer parts that have been getting very hard to find. They are also allowing some better parts in the engines to help with reliability which helps with safety and oil down delays an saves the racers money in the long run.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Dan, I explained once, rubber checks came from the small rural tracks that had to pay IHRA up front to hold one of their races, then did not draw enough cars to cover expenses.
After hearing from the track owners (when calling about my checks) about their money losses, I just tore up the checks. Weren't big enough checks to make or break me. They cut prize money due to very low car counts. Thankfully I have a car that could run with either association. I only wasted part of one summer trying to support them. It was obvious to me it was a dying deal.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Actually down here in the southeast the fields were steadily growing each year. Last year the car counts were the best in many years. But still not what the NHRA races were getting.
I always tried to shy people away from building an IHRA only class car. It just didn't make sense to build a car that could not run both sanctions or have an engine for both sanctions. IHRA could not have survived as long as it did with just the IHRA only classes. Most of the racers in the SE were NHRA and IHRA competitors. I ran as many events as I could in my division and I for one will miss the IHRA races. They were very user friendly and fun. I liked the 1/8th mile just as much as the 1/4.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Anybody keeping a log book had data to dial from 1/8th mile. Easier to drive the stripe at lower MPH. Just not as much fun to me. What they had around here, I don't remember what number division they called it, were 1/4 mile. Never saw car counts that low at any NHRA track.
Those that went were mostly some of the same guys that ran NHRA around here. They had an IHRA National event here at Tulsa, at that one I saw some cars I did not know, running some of "those other" classes. Tulsa, thankfully, did not stay IHRA very long.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Actually, the faster the speeds, the more distance covered per time. .01 at 102 mph is 17.9 inches, whereas .01 at 128 mph is 22.5 inches. Although you are traveling at a greater speed, you have more time to judge the approach rate, and a greater margin of error in driving the stripe.

Re: Crate Motor Class
 

Never mind