TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

While not "directly" impacting Stock and Super Stock I see that NHRA decided to contest TS and TD at the National Championship level as opposed to Divisional only level in the past (like Super Street). In the process they added those classes to 3 additional National events (up to 14 from 11). One would suppose they want to reward contestants in those categories who obviously have large investments along with offset some revenue losses from decreasing car counts in other classes. I choose to see this move from an optimistic viewpoint in that some of those same contestants also have class cars or will possibly add them to their stables as people try to have multiple class entries in order to increase their chances of success.


Here's the announcement....


http://www.nhraracer.com/content/gen...933&zoneid=175

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Oh, goody. :-(
Hate running behind those people. They not only track water during their burnout from the water box almost to where you stage, around here they stop side by side on the return road, blocking it visiting and discussing their runs, while waiting on their golf carts to show up.
I just can't wait.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Ed,

"Hate running behind those people", what are they a disease of some kind???

And Stock and Super Stock never clog the return road while at fuel check and the scales???

I am a huge fan of you guys but come on let's keep this as a positive for the sport and not resort to petty thoughts.

After all that is happening around the world and especially this week, should we not embrace good friendship and this great sport we all enjoy so much?

Mike

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I don't remember seeing S & SS cars sitting three wide down there so others can't get past. You have to sit behind them, or hope you don't run over any surprises in the grass trying to drive out around them. Ever hear of single file? Like everybody else lines up at fuel check or the scales? Don't remember anybody else completely blocking the return road.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Maybe this cuts down on the number of throttle-stop cars? I'm not a huge fan either, but I'd rather watch TS and TD than even listen to SG and SC from the pits.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

After all that is happening around the world and especially this week, should we not embrace good friendship and this great sport we all enjoy so much?

Mike




I agree Mike. I don't have a dog in this hunt, but think common sense among racers is important. If you are waiting to be towed back to your pit space, wait to the side so others can get by, simple. Just so you know, I attend several local events.


Now here is an idea that will surely get some varied responses from all of you. If NHRA is going to bring more classes into the arena how about limiting the number of rigs for the professionals??? How many rigs do they need anyway??????? I know here at Seattle there are pros down in the sportsman pits.


I am sure this is all about the money for NHRA, but I am sure space is limited at most events, right? Yes, part of this about bringing more racers into the mix, but there does need to be a limit someway, somehow. Especially at events that are limited on space.


Bottom line, let's all have fun at the races and make room for everyone.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Funny....it wasn't that long ago that some classes were shut out from National events because there wasn't enough pit space for them.Huh. .??So, all of a sudden we have more pit space ?? Did Al Anabi take up that much space ?? LOL.........


..M.J.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Jared, I agree with you 100%.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

,,,,

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I agree. The SC rails & cars do. The ts & td cars are just bracket racing as well, make them drive them back.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

So Ed, why do you have such a hard on for bracket cars? This isn't the first time I have read your post about "just bracket racing". I have to believe there is a bottle of shoe polish in your car also. Lighten up a bit, we are all racing for the thrill of victory, our moment on the big stage.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Charlie, I believe I said they are just bracket racing too. Like the rest the rest of us.
And I do hate this shoe polish bracket crap. I liked running off national records better. Meant something to be faster.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Well Ed, I look at it this way. You can win from the bottom of the sheet same as you can win from the top. That said, winning on Sunday for the big trophy is a much better feeling than winning the little trophy on Friday.
Have a great season, hope to see your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone, aka, National Dragster.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

THIS

THIS

AND THIS

Hopefully a higher up can address these concerns.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Your right Charlie. They have dumbed it down to where you don't have to know how to make one run. Don't have to work at it and spend time testing to get faster, with these way too soft indexes. If I was running things, I would knock at least six tenths off them. Certainly not performance based any longer.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Agreed lol

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Why all the hating of other categories????
Every racer should support all the categories.
Hating other categories for any reason is a form of racism toward other racers.

Our Sport is in trouble and all the bashing of any category is not good for the Sport we all seem to love.
We need to support each other not bash the categories we do not run ourselves.

By the way I have been blocked on the return road and even in my pit when parking to close to the fuel check, many more times by Stock and Super Stock racers than ever by the Top Sportsman and Top Dragsters. Just chill it all clears out in a short time.

Go ahead and bash me now. I am old and I can take it. I have had worse in the past..

Rick Cates
Canyon TX

Yes I race Super Gas now.
Raced Stock in the past. I have class win trophy's before they were Wally's that is how old I am.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Rick, are you talking about sitting in line? Or can't even drive past them? We all have to sit in line at the scales, I'm talking about can't get around them to get to the line at the scales. Sitting three wide, shooting the breeze with each other while their gold carts are lumbering down that way. How about leaving a path open?

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Very good post I was thinking the same thing, we are all sportsman racers and should embrace one another if we want sportsman racing to continue. Personally I like it all, its all racing at the end of the day.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Ed, yes I am talking about sitting in line trying to get back to my pit.
Probably the worst place I have experienced is Noble OK where I have sat for an extended amount of time cooling my car with three or four wide and several deep completely blocking the road checking their fuel at or near the scales. (Stock or Super Stock racers) You probably know Noble and there is not much choice in returning to the pit area unless you park out in the field.

My point with the post was it is not good for any of the racers to make disparaging remarks about other classes. We all live in glass houses so throwing rocks at other classes is not a good thing for any of us who race.

I am retired and race more now than I was ever able to in the past and I would like to see our Sport flourish. However, our Sport is in trouble in my opinion so we all need to support each other in all the classes.

Some of my best racing friends run Stock, Super Stock, Top Sportsman and I run Super Gas. Go Figure

Just My 2 Cents
Rick Cates
Canyon, TX

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

At fuel check there they pull us off in the grass on each side. I have never seen three wide there, when I'm down there. Never seen it blocked. I don't know who you run behind. Super Stock usually has to run behind Super Comp & Top Dragster.
Just re-read that. Super Gas runs after Stock & Super Street

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Rick is correct, let's embrace that they are adding a National Championship for TD & TS and are giving these guys a chance to run for something. Yes they may take awhile to be towed back to their pits but, they are racers just like all of us. Are we all in a rush to get back to our trailers to sit for 4 hours before we get called again? Should we bash them that they purge the nitrous too long or do too long of a burnout? Let's not turn this into a class by class bashing session and be glad that someone stepped up and are including them in the fun that most of us have had the pleasure of all these years. If you don't like throttle-stop racing then don't watch, some of us enjoy watching it and understand what is going on and the games being played on the top-end. It's getting kinda old that everytime someone brings up something way off subject it turns into throttle-stop racing and how it needs to go away

Rob Keister

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I've raced at 68 different tracks, and I have never once had to wait for any TS, TD, or any other class (but my own) on the return road that I can recall. If you have issues with individuals or facilities, address those, rather than broad-brushing a category.

$.02,

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

never understood why they cant just drive up to the lanes and drive back why is a tow vehicle needed there bracket cars not nitro or pro stock that need to be towed back to the pits but I am happy they are getting a shot at the Nat Championship now Super Street needs to get on board !

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Alot of the TS cars are capable of prostock et's but I think the answer to what you're asking doglover is they use them because they're allowed to, I wonder how many of the really fast super stock guys would use them if allowed.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

James, they need nitrous to do it. They bracket race like the rest of us. Not exactly on the same level as Pro Stock. Make them drive them.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Calling STOCK TO THE STAGING LANES will now be 6 AM !!! :-)

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

whats the big deal that they tow em back? and why do you hate every class that isnt Stock,S/S,Comp or pro Stock? and why do you look down on them soo much for?

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Very true Ed, I think its just the fact that they allow it and I can't blame them for taking advantage of it. It may be safer for everyone than them guys driving around the pits in one of those things as far back as they sit in the car.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

What I already said about them parking 2 & 3 wide on the return roads around here blocking it while waiting on their golf carts to show up. If they drove them back we could get back quicker. Not watching the rest of the classes doesn't mean hating them. Just not interested in them. Don't know who you are, or why you think you know so much about me? Have we met?

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Nope and no I dont know much about you but you just sound like a hater of most drag racing and other classes.....and im sorry but Top Sportsman cars are not just every day run of the mill bracket cars

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

They dial just like the rest of us. Good radiators & fans, they could drive them.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

"They dial just like the rest of us. Good radiators & fans, they could drive them."

And there is a statement Ed that tells us exactly what you know about these cars and this class.

Next time you see Erica, AJ and any of the Gray boys just ask them to drive them back to their pit. They have good fans and radiators too.

Not sure what the hate-on for TS and TD but you sure haven't any gained any extra supporters here.

Mike

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Ed, We run at minimum weight for the class, no power adders and we run hard. We can get back to the pits safely and as fast as you can. We dont screw around. Out here the cars are never side by side on the return road. They might be lined up in a row but not double parked that I have seen. In my opinion there is no need to drive these cars back. These are not Super Series cars and I am not taking anything away from my friends in the 90 classes. These are VERY fast Qualifying bracket cars. When you see Stock, Superstock, Comp, Pro Stock, P/Mod and Top Alcohol racers in the buildup area and on the fence watching the races... That right there tells you something. We are very happy to see NHRA take Top to the next level. You should try fender racing at over 200!

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I've got a few friends that race these classes, even they at times complain about the conjestion going to the lanes and on the return road. However they pay their money just like everyone else, and if there is an issue it should be brought to an officials attention. Yeah I've seen them all spralled out in the shut down but they have to be careful not to run over or get hung up in each other chutes, add the fact they're wheelie bars are hanging out quite a distance and I can see why they spread out a bit. There are a few around here that do in fact drive their cars back not many but a few. We all have to face it the NHRA is looking for income, if it takes dangling a "national title" carrot out for these folks then so be it.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I guess I'm the minority but I'd prefer that all cars with a hood scoop be towed around the pits instead of driven. Super gas included. Perhaps some of you haven't driven a car where a scoop blocks half your vision. Pit areas can get pretty packed with people from time to time.

Stock / SS racers have to be amongst the most dramatic.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

If ts is normally aspirated, I appologize. It is the td cars we get hung up behine around here. At the Noble track it's the worst. Sitting down there blocked in behind the td cars, it is hard to miss the nitrous stuff haning on them. Nobody I know "hangs on the fences" watches them, but then I don't know everybody.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

I like the top sportsman cars. Not so much the top dragsters. They are just boring like the other dragster classes. Just my preference though. I don't like having to run right behind either top dragster or super comp. They drag the water way up from the water box doing the across the line burn outs. If the starting line crew does not prep the line after they run it causes problems for the first 5 or 6 pairs. I just lag back a bit if we are running after either one of these classes so I am not one of the first pairs.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

Same thing we have here. I'm never around the ts cars, do have to run after the dragsters. Sure don't want to go up first when behind them.

Re: TS and TD National Championship 2015
 

No need to apologize Ed. No big deal. We run T/S and If Jeff had to drive back it would be scary. It is a Pro Stock GTO and in my opinion it is a safety issue. You cannot see over the scoop and right front at all. That is the biggest reason they sit on the side bar to steer the car. If T/D wants to drive back... Go for it. It should remain an option. The doubling up on the return road is a track issue and common sense...