[matt82114]

I'm just a casual fan, but I have always liked stock and super stock. Pro Stock started intriguing me when I was in my mid-twenties. Full disclosure, I'm 35 now. And I probably know and understand way more about each category then 99% of the other casual fans simply bc I enjoy learning about the ins and outs of the classes.

But I started to lose interest a couple years ago when I realized that the class is just becoming so mundane and uninteresting. For a time it almost seemed like whoever let the clutch foot out first would win the race. Okay, so we have these really expensive cars that are so evenly matched it comes down to who can let the left foot up first. That gets pretty boring race after race after race after race.

But I'm one of those casual fans who has always liked watching drag racing ever since I was a little kid. I still remember my dad taking me to Baylands in Fremont, California.

If I had the money and the time, I would absolutely figure out a way to have a stock or super stock car. But to be completely honest, I just cannot see spending $30,000 for an entry-level stocker, another $50k for a very used motorhome & trailer, and spending the amount of time and money it would take to be a division 3 racer for a hobby. Does that mean I think stock and super stock are going to die? Absolutely not. But I'll sit on this side of the fence for a long long time simply watching you guys and respecting (the absolute dog snot) what you do.

Whether it is stock, super stock, top dragster, top Sportsman, comp Eliminator, or any of the super categories, drag racing "participants" has evolved into a blue-collar sport for white-collar people.

In regards to the FS cars taking over Pro Stock; it is something I would like to see. I think as of right now it's pretty neat that the same cars I can watch go down the quarter mile in low-to-mid 8-seconds look just like their street legal counterpart driving around on the road.
I do think it's only a matter of time though that the guys with the deepest pockets will eventually rule the roost and take over the factory Showdown cars if they do become the new Pro Stock. The only way to save that would be if, and I do mean a serious if, NHRA can regulate it and keep it to where the above average joe's can still compete with the Grays, Ken Black, Elite, Etc.

When I'm in the stands, either at a divisional or a national, other fans like the FS cars. Sure, they don't know jack squat about the cars, but they can relate to them. And that's how you spark interest. Finding common ground.

I truly am sorry that NHRA put you guys through so much crap. You guys put so much Blood Sweat and Tears into your hobby and NHRA pretty much doesn't give a darn about it. So I guess you can say that's another reason why I really don't want to race in any category NHRA has to offer. Because what's the point of spending all of that money and time just to feel like I'm getting crapped on week in & week out.

Sorry for the long post. Just thought some of you would want to hear thoughts from a fan and not a fellow racer.

Matt Hanley
Hendersonville, TN