[Jimi B]

When I first read the original post I thought it was silly. But I do agree that it was and still is cool to see race cars out on the road. I also have memories of my dad and his ramp truck, and the late 60s ramp school bus we had in the 80s. We still have an open trailer, despite having fairly newer motorhome. We still do get the thumbs up and questions at the gas stations.

If anything has killed our sport, I do not think that killed our sport. At least not that aspect of it. Like most communities, the people that had money, still have it. And it sure shows in our sport. From what I recall in the 90s, you were doing alright if you had a nice dually and an enclosed trailer. You could go to a divisionals even and see many open trailers. Now its all stackers and toters. Drag racers have done the same thing that our entire nation has done. Financed themselves to death, and spent money they didnt have or at least should not have, on things that weren't needed. Don't get me wrong. I get out of bed every morning and chase a dream in hopes ill be pulling in to the track with a toter and stacker some day. But we definitely have spent a lot of money on keeping up with the jones's that wasn't needed.

Bigger than that probably. GAS PRICES. Not the economy as a whole.

As far as the the younger generation. I'm in between in my mid 30's. I have a lot of friends and engine customers in their early and mid 20's some even in their teens. I grew up at the drag strip in the 80's and 90's. I got in to imports in the late 90's right after high school. I love drag racing. Fuel cars, Pro Stock, Alcohol cars, class racing, super classes, and bracket. I love all of it. I love my sport compact racing too. In my opinion... I don't know about the 50's-70's but there are a lot more young guys in to drag racing in the last decade then when I was a kid. My high School was directly in the middle of 2 drag strips within in 5-15 minutes. One of which literally on the same road. I never saw random kids from my school at the track aside from a cpl with parents that raced I knew. Today it seems like all the teenagers and early 20 somethings have, want, or know something about "tuner cars" and have been to the track. And most them did not come from families that raced. Even in the older generation I have always found those people interesting. The people that got in to racing completely on their own. Now I have said that a lot of it is the Fast&Furious fad and most of them are not true gear heads that will stick with it. But some of them are. And those are people that may not of got in to racing if it wasn't for the tuner cars. Some of them have crossed over and are now in to class racing and other drag racing with domestic engines. And to them it never was import vs domestic. It was new technology. And guess what, the domestic cars now are using that technology. Even in class racing. Like it or not those folks bumped up the bar for the old school/domestic guys. So I disagree about the young ones not being in to racing. They just aren't in to the racing you are in to.

That is not their fault though. I have always said we need to unify rather than alienate no matter what side you are on. Most of the sport compact guys would think that Comp, Super Stock, and Stock is amazing with the different engine sizes, configurations, and forced induction with at least some heads up racing would be pretty cool. But they do not know about it. That stuff is not marketed. And the pro cars aren't marketed correctly. On top of the cost of racing being too high for pro and sportsman. Cheaper racing=more racers=more spectators=more sponsorship=cheaper racing=MORE RACING. Pretty simple cycle on paper.

Someone said you can not go back... But I disagree. Even in my short life their have been things that I have looked back on a few years later that I wished I would of tried that at the time seemed unorthodox. What ever it takes to make more of our racing. Make it more affordable. Id be all for rules that make it affordable across the classes even if it all the classes slowed down.

Unified... Bring the small tire/doorslammer, sport compact crowds, and conventional nhra closer together instead of competing against each other. Make sportsman racers part of the show and maybe make some of the sport compact classes and door slammer cars fit in comp/sstk.stk. All good on paper.

I've lurked and sometimes been active on this forum for years and everyone talks about Compton and company. But who holds them accountable. Who has gotten them to verbally or at least virtually acknowledge our complaints? Every now again I see an online article talking about NHRA knowing there is a problem but its just not that simple. If you do this to that class then they are not far et wise then the next slower class etc. If you do this, then what about that. Well they ask the questions hypothetically to their inner circle, but about asking all NHRA members? What about asking the family at home watching on tv that has never even seen a drag strip in person? What about asking all the other drag racers from other series that do not race NHRA fora reason? Why not truly ask everyone that has a stake in it? Why don't we the people complaining make them ask all of our opinions? With out protesting that is... What can we do to make Glendora accountable? What can we do to figure out if it is their fault or not? If it is all about greed.. Salaries, kickbacks, etc. What can we do as members to fix it?