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bill dedman · 04-01-2009, 06:08 PM

There was a time when all this was driver-weight bidness was moot. I don't remember the year, maybe 1977, or thereabouts, but I had a close friend who had built an A/SR, and it was fast. He weighed over 300 pounds, and at that time, NOBODY weighed drivers, with or without the cars; drivers were just dead weight that the motor had to pull, and were not factored into the classification process in any way, shape, or form, in any class.

If you had the famed "trained, 9-pound mongoose" made famous by Hot Rod magazine in the mid-1950's, driving for you, you were ahead of the game!!!

I had a Moroso Power/Speed calculator, one of those antique "slide rules" that would show you how much horsepower it took to put X number of pounds through the quarter mile in any given amount of time. Gave you MPH, too.

Of course, it was just a ballpark figure, but for comparison purposes, it was pretty educational.

I worked the numbers on my friend's Street Roadster and found out that it was taking about 50 horsepower MORE to run any given number than it would take if he had Judy Lilly driving the car...

SO, I wrote a letter to National DRAGSTER with my findings and suggested to the editor (Bill Holland, at the time), that they weigh the drivers with the cars. He ridiculed the idea, and asked if I thought the drivers should be weighed in their Jockey Shorts, or fully clothed???? He thought it was hilarious... and, un-enforceable.

It wasn't much longer, after that, that some big-guy Pro Stock drivers successfully prevailed upon NHRA to make the driver weight a part of the classification weight. Apparently, Don Nicholson and Dick Landy had more "pull" than I did. No kidding.... Imagine that!!! lol!

Never heard a PEEP from Mr. Holland.... LOL! Not a f'n word.... Wonder what he thinks, now???

For a good laugh, grab the March 20 issue of Nat'l. DRAGSTER and check out the text at the bottom of page 20 under "What's NEW?"; the Stocker segment at the bottom of the page. Somebody named John Bailey is going to have a Firebird that can EASILY go head-to-head with the new CJ Mustangs... LOL!!!

Bill

04-01-2009, 06:08 PM	#83
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Overweight Stockers There was a time when all this was driver-weight bidness was moot. I don't remember the year, maybe 1977, or thereabouts, but I had a close friend who had built an A/SR, and it was fast. He weighed over 300 pounds, and at that time, NOBODY weighed drivers, with or without the cars; drivers were just dead weight that the motor had to pull, and were not factored into the classification process in any way, shape, or form, in any class. If you had the famed "trained, 9-pound mongoose" made famous by Hot Rod magazine in the mid-1950's, driving for you, you were ahead of the game!!! I had a Moroso Power/Speed calculator, one of those antique "slide rules" that would show you how much horsepower it took to put X number of pounds through the quarter mile in any given amount of time. Gave you MPH, too. Of course, it was just a ballpark figure, but for comparison purposes, it was pretty educational. I worked the numbers on my friend's Street Roadster and found out that it was taking about 50 horsepower MORE to run any given number than it would take if he had Judy Lilly driving the car... SO, I wrote a letter to National DRAGSTER with my findings and suggested to the editor (Bill Holland, at the time), that they weigh the drivers with the cars. He ridiculed the idea, and asked if I thought the drivers should be weighed in their Jockey Shorts, or fully clothed???? He thought it was hilarious... and, un-enforceable. It wasn't much longer, after that, that some big-guy Pro Stock drivers successfully prevailed upon NHRA to make the driver weight a part of the classification weight. Apparently, Don Nicholson and Dick Landy had more "pull" than I did. No kidding.... Imagine that!!! lol! Never heard a PEEP from Mr. Holland.... LOL! Not a f'n word.... Wonder what he thinks, now??? For a good laugh, grab the March 20 issue of Nat'l. DRAGSTER and check out the text at the bottom of page 20 under "What's NEW?"; the Stocker segment at the bottom of the page. Somebody named John Bailey is going to have a Firebird that can EASILY go head-to-head with the new CJ Mustangs... LOL!!! Bill __________________ Bill Last edited by bill dedman; 04-01-2009 at 06:21 PM.