[Steve Hagberg]

Thanks you Mike for a very thoughtful post. I think you're spot on with where we're at with stock and super stock right now. I bought my first new car in 1966, a Hemi Belvedere, raced it for a few years, and still have it. So when 4 years ago I decided to try stock class racing again, I naturally related to the cars of my youth. I wish I could somehow accurately express the emotions I felt as a 23 year old competing with a new factory muscle car at the height of the factory musclecar era. Pure excitement and adrenaline don't do it justice. Now I'm racing a 46 year old Hemi car and still having a lot of fun. To me this is all about having fun. And as I've told many of my friends, if I were twenty years younger, I'd be all over a new DP Challenger. I won't be able to do this for a whole lot longer, but as long as I'm having fun, I'll be there. And you're right, the odds of running up against a new generation car and losing isn't a whole lot different that just losing a round because of missing the tree or the dial. I think we all need to just focus on the long view, have fun, and try to think of keeping this going for the generations to follow. Steve