[Evan Smith]

There is so much sandbagging in Stock that no one really knows what any car is capable of. Virtually every fast racer has 'bagged in one way or another. It doesn't matter whether you lift, hit the brakes, switch classes, run heavy, etc. etc., sandbagging is sandbagging.

Not showing your hand, whether on track or with under-rating engines has been a part of Stock since its inception. Unless racers run there cars balls-to-the wall all the time (which we all know won't happen), we will never really know how much power any engine makes, how fast we can go, or what the REAL factors should be. In time, just like with other combos, we will see what the CJ can do. I agree that the CJ is underrated, but so were/are many, many other engines.

With that, why should CJ racers be the only ones to have published hp figures or hp figures known to NHRA? NHRA is not going to purchase every combo to determine its real output. Do it for one, do it for all! Doing chassis dyno tests won't work either because it is nearly impossible to extract good data with slipper clutches and/or loose converters. I know this first-hand.

Lastly, the idea that Ford or Ford Racing paid NHRA money on the sly to approve this combo is inaccurate. While I am certainly not privy to all inner workings and meetings, I can tell you that Brian Wolfe (Director of Ford Racing) and his team would sooner race elsewhere than to "slide" NHRA money for anything. I tire of hearing these silly accusations by the uninformed who are fishing for something to bitch about. There have been some valid points made about this CJ topic by Bruce and others, but some of the crap is just plain idiotic. With all the new high-hp cars on the horizon perhaps it's time for lighter weight breaks. We need more proactive "tuning" of the rules by NHRA. I totally respect the concerns of those with the proverbial "dog-in-the-fight," but some of the statements made by grown men are childish, uninformed and made by the same old nay-sayers who never have a positive thing to say about anything. Stock is far from perfect, but if this form of racing is so bad then quit crying and go fishing.

Evan