[Evan Smith]

I'm a huge fan of Pro Stock, always have been. With that stated, I'll repeat what Bret Kepner said, and that is for any drag racing class to be exciting, it has to be unpredictable. And to the masses, which might not represent the S/SS community, cars that blow up, get sideways, and smoke the tires at half track are unpredictable and exciting. Is Pro Stock predictable? And I'm not talking about the outcome of a race. But the way the cars go down the track.

Second, since the cars don't generally blow up or shoot flames at night, they must have some form of appeal to the fans. In the case of Pro Stock, this SHOULD come from a connection to what people drive or are interested in driving. Sadly, the aeroteardrops racing today do not represent what the factories are selling, nor does any of the technology. Go to SEMA, you will not find very many Pro Stock parts on display. You will find a zillion bolt-on parts for modern and classic cars. Hot rodders and race fans are out there, but they want to relate to what they have.

The fact is, today's factory engines are capable of making 1,200-plus hp using factory blocks and heads so there is no reason, other than the cost, that NHRA shouldn't be making a move to factory stuff. As I see it, the writing is on the wall, and the cars already exist.

I'd love to see the COPO, Drag Pak and CJ Mustangs develop into a pro class. I believe it would have huge fan appeal, magazines would get behind it, and the manufacturers would jump in since it would most certainly sell cars. But it needs to be on TV to make it work.