BVR top fuel done!
 

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-...om-drag-racing Sportsman may end up being the big show before long?

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I would think this would be a great subject for The Lounge.

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Looks like they need to go back to the Quick 8 for the pros, no bump in qualifying = no fan excitement for the fans.

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With the runaway cost of campaigning a PRO operation NHRA is likely to be down to 8 car fields before you know it. Fuel is virtually down to a DSR vs. JFR exhibition schedule as it is now (if something happens to one of those two then what?) . Understand Mark's lounge comment but the health of NHRA affects all racers.

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I am not sure if there is 16 competitive top fuel cars still in existence. NHRA might drop to 8 car pro fields. This will help with the TV time and not look so bad with unfilled spots on the ladder. TF FC and pro stock. Like Jim said with out DSR, Callita and Force there is no pro show. This is just the start of the old guys retiring.

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Jim, It may affect us in the long run, but what we say about it here will have no effect on NHRA.
I contend that, without fuel cars, and fuel zombies wandering around in a daze, walking in front of you on the pit roads, there is no longer an NHRA as an entertainment venue.

Have to add here..That may not be a bad thing.
It's no secret that Sportsman cars don't do it for the money. I see more and more S/SS cars with no decals at all. They just want to race somewhere.
I know, some of the independent races don't do real well as a business venture, but without a viable Big N, with Wallys, that would probably change too.

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Eventually, the big tent will fold. It will be a fun show watching the brass tying themselves up in knots trying to get their hands on the remaining assets, that is, the tracks, equipment, trademarks, etc.

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And then once again we have touring, match racing pros trying to make a living!
Independent tracks supported by local racers with decent payouts? Divisional Pros again?

Back to the Future!


Maybe it can really come true.


I would pay money to see it........again. :)

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Screw Vandergriff, he was the one who got on TV and said NHRA didn't need Sportsman racers at natl. events. It would be great if the days of pro match racing would come back, but it would still be a Force/DSM dominated show probably. I remember the Pro racing at NY Nat'l on Long Island. That was a show, and the fans were car people not the crowd you have now.
If NHRA starts chopping off heads I hope Dim Light is the first to go.
Wouldn't it be great to go to the track and see 64 T/F 64 F/C and maybe a resurrection of Modified and the rest of the sportsman classes?
OK back to reality.

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Maybe they'll start putting shoe polish on the top fuel cars to take the money and talent advantages the top teams have away. Wouldn't surprise me.

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Before the NHRA made Top Fuel so expensive there were races in Southern California that had 100 Top Fuel cars show up. No one had a sponsor. No one cared about the money. It was love. NHRA rule changes took all that away.

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Run a bunch of cars down the track or stand there watching the prima donna's and their crew of a hundred run around the car prepping then after everything has come to a stop to watch them...big roar and then back to racing...good riddance. Yes national events are a different animal then local tracks but even at a national event, I'm in the S/SS pits not watching that crap.

I'd love to see a completely new "hra" one that is only sportsmen and has a tv show. Hell they give honey booboo a show and all the other stupid crap they show, why not sportsmen? About 10 camera's including in the car and you have 10+ seconds of racing...ahh, who am I kidding, I'm preaching to the choir, unless there's a demo derby at the end, most of the "non-automotive" society today wouldn't watch it.

If I ever win the lottery though....

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NHRA had a lot of help from guys like Bernstein but agree with you 100%. I'd even go watch the Nostalgia Floppers run, bet they put on a better show.

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The problem with trying to broadcast a sportsman show is the only viewers would be some of the sportsman and some former sportsman.
How can an advertiser justify the cost?
It's a wonder FS1 does the show now? Who funds it?
I've never watched so don't know what it amounts to?

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I agree our class racing does not translate well on TV, however, given the amount of car related reality shows seemingly doing well, I think one could put on a show combing car and engine builds ( dyno), "on-the-road" stuff, finish line action as well as "wheels up"',
Knowledgable announcers, human interest personalities, tear downs, pit repairs and everything that goes into class racing. We've got some characters that could capture an audience to keep tuning in....giving time off work, family, travel headaches, getting home in time to go to work....unique tracks: location, owners....heck, Norwalk would take an hour alone
Would take a passionate producer and invested editor
Seems like TV's made stars out of that outlaw street racing....I know we have more interesting racers

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X'2. Could not have said it better. Jr.

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Does anybody really think NHRA ever cared? I've been doing this for a long, long time (back to the days when ported heads were illegal in Super Stock) and I can tell you that NHRA has never been about actually running a sanctioning body. When cylinder head cheating became so obvious and widespread that Ray Charles could spot it, what did the "sanctioning body" do to the cheaters? Nothing. They simply made the cheating legal. And a few bucks-down, "do it yourself" guys quit, because they couldn't afford a $3500 set of heads and a manifold. And that endless, cheating-made-legal progression has taken Super Stock from a class for clever, do-it-yourself racers, who used innovation and hard work (instead of wheelbarrow loads of money) to go fast, to a continually shrinking class of 1975 Pro Stock cars. Every time NHRA had an opportunity to protect the little guy racer by throwing cheating bums out for life, they just stood there, looking at their shoes. Why? because all they ever really wanted was the money, with no hassles.

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Just read where Leah Pritchett has backing from FireAde for Charlotte.

http://dragracingonline.com/agent132...viii_4-30.html

Read somewhere else that Connolly will be driving a Top Sportsman car. Are Matty Boxes allowed in Top Sportsman? :)

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If you want to race Top Fuel and you have a couple of suitcase of money they will put anyone in the front seat. I love the quote by Going Broke "They even gaved a show to Honey booboo" Funny as hell. Seriously we have a show on tv(The Discovery Show Network) that is doing quite well with The Outlaw 405 Group of Street Racer, We could could have a great show, just imagine the controversy between every racer against Dan Fletcher,we could have jealousy,cheating,dirty tricks we could even have have a visit from Kanye and his fat arse wife. Muchbetter than all the John Force BS we are being fed.Who is going to beourBig Chief?

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I'm ready for a new class...."Max Stock"...1,000 ft. Original chassis and wheel base..any engine, no cubic inch restrictions, any fuel...blown nitro, turbo, nitros, or 2bbl. No wheelie bars, no chutes. Great for Tv.....think our (sportsman) insurance would go up to cover the carnage? Pay out,,, $50,000 to win, $22,500 for RU.... $10,000 to qualify......the same as top fuel and funny car now.... WOW, any takers. Indy win for Super Stock is $1,800.