Would You Quit?
 

Let's say NHRA announces one more season of S/SS racing, and then they're going the way of IHRA, with just bracket racing and the Pro Show.
What would you do?

I'll outline a few choices and then tell us how you would proceed in the future, and briefly, tell us why.

This is not meant to be a poll or a ballot. Let's just include S/SS drivers who have raced in the last two years for Wallys.

* I would race my car at independent S/SS races near me , or possibly help to start one in my area

* I would immediately put my car(s) up for sale

* I would put my car back on the street and take it to cruise nights, etc.

* I would use my car for big money bracket races

* I would race it at the local Summit series and hope to get to go to Pomona and win a Wally that way.

* I would keep my car as a museum piece, or donate it as such.

What else?

Please..Let's keep this narrowly focused.
Thanks

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Local associations work. More grass roots. Bracket racing is fun, but the added performance goals are important to me.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

NMCA has 6 events this year, I could see them move to 12 within a few years. Best deal for the sportsman racer.Call Michael Beard back with his S/SS shootouts. There are enough regional S/SS associations to create divisional organisations and everyone meets at Indy when the weather is better for a S/SS/Sportsman blowout. Someone wave the wand and make it so. If you are waiting for NHRA to do something new or beneficial for the sportsman racer, I hope are holding your breath and puckering up.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Markie, Connecting Highway and the Condiut are options.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would probably do two of the choices, first I would definitely race the association races. I enjoy them but rarely have time to attend because of limited time which I mainly devote to racing the division and national event races now. Second I could definitely see myself racing alot more of Michael Beard's races. Good car counts, well run and very good payouts!

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Thanks, Ed ..One I hadn't thought of.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would race local s/ss races and big money brackets. But I think I would seriously consider selling out and try dirt track roundy-roundy racing. Guys I know have a lot of fun with that, lot more track time. I fully expect NHRA to change s/ss into a couple of brackets if they keep it at all, maybe 0-11.00 and 11-slower no electronics, safety rules only, body rules as is.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

This is a tough one to answer. I presume the fact that my car is a stocker would no longer mean it's worth more than a comparable bracket car. I suspect I'd keep it, run the association races and Summit series with it and sell my bracket car. Use the money I get to do a project car for the street. Mostly a cruise night car.

On the other hand if it was worth much extra as a stocker I'd likely sell it and keep my bracket car, and have that much more to put into the street project.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Quitting not an option, tried that unsuccessfully 3 different times. Unfortunately “local” association races are 250-300 miles away so the Super Stock motor stays in for month that I can hit those plus an NMCA event, otherwise in goes the bracket motor which costs less than one freshen of the good motor. My days of having 2-3 running race cars are long past...my CFO would definitely object.

Might sneak in the BMW E30 325 to a few track days at Roebling Road, Road Atlanta, Kershaw, etc. For those who’ve never done those the seat time is unbeatable and it is literally a blast.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would focus on local S/SS Association races and Divisionals (if they kept those). I haven't really had fun at a National Event in years, and the Association races (particularly) are as close as I am able to get to feeling like I used to feel when NHRA racing was in its youth. Just a bunch of local guys who are all friends having fun together.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

No I wouldn't quit. I do think stock is getting a little out of hand. I know I'll take some shots about that statement. I drew the line on the seat changes (my line and I'll live with it) . The local association races are the future I think. I spoke to Scooter before IHRA canned us all and mentioned if they were able to involve the local associations with there Divisional or National events car counts would be increased. At the time of our discussion , Scooter had mention the ship had all ready sailed and there was no saving it.
I was instrumental in starting the Can Am Stock Super Stock series and we are running strong for over twenty years. I have also raced with The Great Lakes S/SS races (3 years in and getting bigger) and those series are fun and are usually are two day races. Maybe one day all the associations will get together and have a points structure that there could be a divisional type champion. I would hate to see NHRA dump us. I will run as much NHRA this year as I can and hope to run Indy this year . But the thought of racing a car that has a tin dash and plastic windows isn't my style.
.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Thanks.
My set up for this piece would be NO NHRA S/SS or Comp. No performance classes..Just brackets (TS,TD and .90 classes)

I know what you mean about the association races.I feel the same way.
This was my inspiration here..To see if more people would support them if the unthinkable happened.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Not sure what I would do but I would not quit.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Regional S/SS races, Heartland/Midwest races are very well run and payout is second to none. Great people to race with.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would probably Primer my class cars and
go back to Street Racing again......I certainly
made a lot more money doing that in the Old
Days!







Just Kidding (Maybe)

Re: Would You Quit?
 

X275 for me!

Re: Would You Quit?
 

One thing you guys don’t understand....Without the good folks at NHRA, there are no updated horsepower figures, .....No tear downs at the local association races ....No Problem....I know , I know ..we have minimal tear downs now but...without the blessing of NHRA...you ain’t seen nothing yet.....

Re: Would You Quit?
 

So M.J., are you trying to make me laugh or cry?

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I mean without NHRA, There will be NO up to date factors.....so there will probably be no heads up , no scales ....at the association races...kinda like bracket 2 non delay....

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Can you say Top Sportsman.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would continue to race with our Southern Stock Super Stock Assn. and then maybe do some index racing when I could. Maybe some other associations events in the south east. The cars would loose some value if that were to happen. Car counts have been up a bit since the economy has rebounded. So I think we are pretty safe unless the Democrats get full power. Then All racing could be in jeopardy. Hope that does not happen. Racing is a huge business.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

In the “what if” scenario Mike just painted the “Green Deal” era will indeed usher in all kind of changes that will hurt big sponsorship funding the fuel teams and then it starts to impact us. Can you say eCOPO? Jeff Lane read the tea leaves...the pendulum is going to swing, it’s just a matter of how far.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I saw a video where a nice blue Chevrolet eCOPO made a very quiet 9 second pass.
Mike A114

Re: Would You Quit?
 

The blue eCopo that you are referring to is the one that Jeff Lane is involved with. Pat McCue is the driver. The car went 9.83 @134 m.p.h. at the Winternationals.

I just yesterday found the dyno specs from this very car. 649 H.P. and 653 Ft. Lbs of torque, at the rear wheels. This was done at a local facility.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

If racing as we know it were to end, I would have to commit full time to trying to figure out what to do with the money I was saving.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Mark, to answer your question:

* I would race my car at independent S/SS races near me , or possibly help to start one in my area

When I got back into this Stocker deal in 2013, it was because of what Midwest Class Racers offered. MCR also partners with NHRA Div 5 and we run our Combo events at NHRA National Opens. This has benefited both NHRA and the tracks by virtue of increased participation. -Al

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would dismiss quitting as an option for me. Over the past dozen years, our Can Am Stock/SS Series has proven to me that friendship is my primary reason for planning my summer schedule around race weekends. I would hope that local groups such as ours would continue to operate and modify the format as necessary to maintain a healthy membership. Nostalgia events would, no doubt, grow in size with the influx of “orphan” Sportsman cars from the qualifying years; my car falls into that era.

Chances are that I would see what the rest of the guys had in mind and react accordingly - if they decided to take up golf, I might have better odds to win a few “rounds”.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I would love NMCA and NMRA grow and get more races been reading a lot about those 2 both seem like great deals

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I’d run local S/SS and NMCA races for the time being and see if anything presented itself for the performance aspect of stock and SS. If the performance aspect went completely by the wayside, I’d probably go X275 racing or something similar. Would also consider building a F1000 car and going road racing.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Whats X275 ?

Re: Would You Quit?
 

No, Wouldn't quit.
Do what I could for #1 & #5.
Haven't got my car to run the index yet but getting closer. Why stop?

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I think I would sell my car and retire from racing all together. Save some money and travel. Find something else to do with my life.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Old link, maybe different rules now?
https://www.dragzine.com/news/what-i...radial-series/

Re: Would You Quit?
 

I definitely wouldn`t quit. I could still run my local track`s Combo program as well as Bracket Race. It would only eliminate two races from my normal schedule and still have 4 opportunities for Wallys every year.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

MJ gets it on the nose. Without the the "base line" Nhra rules/ tech, the associations will only fizzle and die into bracket racers with letters on their windows. Back to the orig post How easy is it to quit ???? If your a causal player, own a stock bodied type of car , pretty easy. If your life has evolved around it and you've progressed to vehicles that are so specifically built, not so. How do you sell what you have when there are no buyers cause no body races? I think maybe dry lakes for me.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

And you don't think that without the "Ivory Tower" types breathing down their necks you/we couldn't get a Travis or a Redman in conjunction with a Dwight to do what they just barely do ? They don't even enforce their own rules anymore!

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Certainly people can be found and put in place to run Association type races. I think the degree of rule enforcement will become an issue.

Re: Would You Quit?
 

It already is!

Re: Would You Quit?
 

So this is how you kill Stock Eliminator... minimal enforcement of the rules. Now, did NHRA hire a consultant to figure this out. At least IHRA just came out and cancelled it. Stock eliminator cars, with a history, will now be the hot selling vehicles on Jackson Barrett?

Re: Would You Quit?
 

Couldn't agree more.

Speaking for our association (Midwest Class Racers), we work with NHRA Division 5 and the tracks. While many of the MCR events are 'stand alone' events, several each season are dovetailed with NHRA National Opens. The racers win more money (we race a combo on Saturday and Sunday) and they get a grade point. The track and NHRA sees higher attendance with our partnership.

In our part of the country, MCR (headed by John McLeod) and the Heartland Stock/Super Stock group (administered by Johnny and Stephanie Diekema along with Logan Wernet) have successfully partnered together along with NHRA at the Division 5 National Open at Earlville, Iowa for several seasons, now. Everybody wins...it works. :)

A good association is one that brings everyone together and offers options to the racers.

Hope to see you at a race somewhere this season! :) -Al