CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post

rod · 07-10-2010, 10:41 PM

let me ramble for a bit here. in the 60's and 70's, when i raced a lot, it was really fun. for the most part you built your own stuff and brain power was king and cubic cash was second. class cars were the norm. if you were smarter than the next class car guy, you could win. in '67 mike and i ran a '56 in c/gas with a 4V 327 and were competitive with the hilborn cars [never won nothing] in '69, i had a J/S 4V '57 and could out run a 8V 57, because that guy had no clue what he was doing. friends would help anytime. nowadays everyboby buys what they need, every car is just like the next one. that goes for low class stockers to top fuel. everyone spends so much $ on their car, that they can't afford to help anyone with any tip, elsewise their competitor might beat them by part of a tenth. at the end of the day there are no friends. no friends no fun. the tracks cut down time trials to cut their labor time. no time trials, means every run is a gamble. make a move the wrong direction and you go home, early. money spent for no return. i remember day races which opened at 8:00AM and first round wasn't until 2:00PM. i remember the old Stardust strip in 'vegas would open at 6:00PM, first round was at 11:00. the temp was so nice. the new 'vegas track opens at 4:00PM, first round is at 7:00. there is 30 degrees temp change. how do you race like that? when you go to 'vegas there are 20 spectators. when PSCA races at vegas it costs $90.00 for the cheap class, for one day. the normal guy can't do that very often. next year income taxes will be going up, gas will be going up, gate fees will be going up, parts will be going up. the only thing which will be going down is a racers desire to go. NHRA has long lost care for the little guy, in favor of john force. i know it cost the normal strip owners a lot to do business. without them we can't race. however, until they become 'racer friendly', and help the racer, they won't get cars, no cars means no spectators. and spectators pay the money [which runs the business] , not race cars.
rod in AZ

07-10-2010, 10:41 PM	#122
rod Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kingman, NW AZ. in the middle of the longest stretch of Route 66 Posts: 315 Likes: 0 Liked 20 Times in 15 Posts	Re: Why Aren't You Racing? let me ramble for a bit here. in the 60's and 70's, when i raced a lot, it was really fun. for the most part you built your own stuff and brain power was king and cubic cash was second. class cars were the norm. if you were smarter than the next class car guy, you could win. in '67 mike and i ran a '56 in c/gas with a 4V 327 and were competitive with the hilborn cars [never won nothing] in '69, i had a J/S 4V '57 and could out run a 8V 57, because that guy had no clue what he was doing. friends would help anytime. nowadays everyboby buys what they need, every car is just like the next one. that goes for low class stockers to top fuel. everyone spends so much $ on their car, that they can't afford to help anyone with any tip, elsewise their competitor might beat them by part of a tenth. at the end of the day there are no friends. no friends no fun. the tracks cut down time trials to cut their labor time. no time trials, means every run is a gamble. make a move the wrong direction and you go home, early. money spent for no return. i remember day races which opened at 8:00AM and first round wasn't until 2:00PM. i remember the old Stardust strip in 'vegas would open at 6:00PM, first round was at 11:00. the temp was so nice. the new 'vegas track opens at 4:00PM, first round is at 7:00. there is 30 degrees temp change. how do you race like that? when you go to 'vegas there are 20 spectators. when PSCA races at vegas it costs $90.00 for the cheap class, for one day. the normal guy can't do that very often. next year income taxes will be going up, gas will be going up, gate fees will be going up, parts will be going up. the only thing which will be going down is a racers desire to go. NHRA has long lost care for the little guy, in favor of john force. i know it cost the normal strip owners a lot to do business. without them we can't race. however, until they become 'racer friendly', and help the racer, they won't get cars, no cars means no spectators. and spectators pay the money [which runs the business] , not race cars. rod in AZ