The future of Stock & Super Stock

[Bob Mulry]

Hi All,


I just came across this quote on the Division 7 web site regarding the racing at the National Open at Sears Point.

"Stock/SS combo will also feature no heads up racing (if two cars in same class - they will dial in). "

Is NHRA just testing us to find out how far they can push before we start pushing back?

Entry is ONLY $150.00 for a bracket race to win $1000.00 sounds like good deal to me?

Let me move on to the LODRS race at Sears Point.

It looks as if the person who set up the run schedule has never been a racer, much less ever attended a drag race of any kind.

Let's see 1 run on Friday and 2 runs on Saturday for Stock. So let's take a look at setting a record at this event. First sub record run on Friday, wait until Saturday to back it up, pull the engine down Saturday night and race the eliminator Sunday morning.

What happened to 2 runs or more on Friday, 2 runs or more on Saturday and race the eliminator on Sunday?

Do have too many cars or the wrong cars at LODRS events?

I guess this is ALL a test to see how far we will stoup over before they bend us over?

It just looks like they want to have bracket races ONLY?

Is this the NEW & IMPROVED NHRA?

Is this Wally's dream?

Is this a preview of the future?

Is this a bunch of bull****?

Bob

[Keith Lynch]

Bob, I think its the latter. No, its definitely the latter!! Remember Bob, racing NHRA is like getting married......... shut up and do what your told. Keith

[Bill Edgeworth]

Hi Bob,

Same situation in Division Six, the last two of our national opens had no heads up, no fuel check and no scales.

[Andys dad]

I heard they only got in 1 round of stock at the open at Sonoma today. I was told it was a real screwed up mess. Only hear say - I was not there.

Hope they can improve on that this weekend. 1 run Friday? 2 Saturday. If it were not for Andy I would not go on Friday. Loose too much money by not working.

But we do anything for our kids.

Drag racing ia an addiciton for which there is no rehab or cure

[greg fulk]

"IF" this is the way thing are going to be....then they need to do like IHRA come in apart make sure everything checks...screw it togather and run! if your not fast enough for the record..to bad..if ya are then you know what the car is going to run ...all ya have to do is go with it.

[Greg Hill]

Bob I have a suggestion about the National opens, don't go. We even have heads up runs at the combo races in Bowling Green and at Ohio Valley. If you guys don't support them they will be forced to change. Let the track owners know how you feel. If they don't have many cars they will either cancel the race or put pressure on NHRA to change it. If they cancel it's no big deal because it's just a bracket race anyway.

[Bob Mulry]

Originally Posted by Bob Mulry

Do we have too many cars or the wrong cars at LODRS events?

I know that I am an old fart but I can still remember NHRA when it was a performance oriented association.

The divisional meets had TOP FUEL, NITRO FUNNY CAR & PRO STOCK but we still got 6 or 7 qualifying or record runs.

I don't want to single our .90 brothers, because they have to eat the same **** sandwich that we do, but I think there has to be a limit on Top Comp, Top Sportsman, Top Mini bike, Top Snowmobile, Top ****, Top golf cart, etc.
that are now run at divisional meets.

I know that life is like a **** sandwich because the more bread you have the less **** you have to eat.

I just hate also having my nose rubbed in it.

Bob

[Dick Butler]

I have been discussing the fact NHRA has overexpanded the number of classes because they only were watching how many cars enter and pay entry at Points meets and Opens. That is their income to pay purses and make profit. They have decided rather than advertise they blame the track operator for no crowd KNOWING a race was being held. No spectators meant "no one cares about Sportsman racing".
TOP/SS and TOP/STK and in Div 1 JR/STK are attempts to turn the show around to use heads up racing for fun for the racers and recreate a "SHOW" which IF advertised could draw spectators again.Spending all the time and money to build a class race car has to have a place to run them.MANY people still want to RACE each other to see who has done the best of tuning etc.
With the TOO MANY class condition of S and SS today, there is a class for everyone to run anything but this creates the problem of no recognition for class racing or "heads up racing" because everyone essentially has a class for themselves. If only 4 cars exist in a class in the whole country or worse ONE how can you expect NHRA to recognise class racing as what people want to do? They dont recognize there are only so many racers to build the class type car.What would make them think everyone really wants heads up racing? Its easier to not discourage the "weak" cars playing the "I wont come because a fast class car might beat me " card.
Last year a petition circulated to STOP the NHRA plan of combining classes. I think you should recognize that if you work to keep the 100s of classes to keep everyone making bye runs the organization really thinks "everyone"WANTS to just bracket race like points meets so whats the difference if one more run between same class cars is dial in too. One entry might be lost.
Reduce the classes to about 1/4 by wider weight breaks, GT and SS in same classes with possible wt break for pre 80 body style, Carb and Injected together. Trucks in regular classes. FWD in regular classes. Mod cars in COMP. OR other methods . Then when every National has 10 cars per class suddenly a show develops which people come to watch on S and SS days TOO.
OR make more heads up races with combined classes. Like TOP/SS and TOP/STK for the S and SS racers who want to do this more often than once a year. The word is "its the most fun had for YEARS"

Help us support Class Heads Up racing. Thanks for Reading Dick Butler TOP/SS and TOP/STK div 3

[vic guilmino]

Why travel 6 hrs. to a race for $1000 and 150 entry fee ??
stay home and run at local track $1500 and 100 entry fee????

[Bob Mulry]

Dick,

YOU ARE THE PROBLEM..........

What's the record for your new & improved class?

Combining class (STOCK & SUPER STOCK) might not, I repeat not, be a bad way to go.

I don't think sticks & autos in the same class will work because look at the fine job that NHRA has done with the AHFS, just change the weight breaks. All this can only occur with lots of input from us, the sportsman racers who race in stock and super stock

There would be more heads-up runs, which is what you desire without adding a new show that takes track time away from everybody else.

The divisionals still could be used, as they had been designed to be used, for the local racer to set records and race against other cars in the division, which would lead to a divisional championship.

Sounds pretty simple when you spell it out.

If you want top/stock or top/super stock talk to your local track and become part of the Wednesday night or weekend bracket show and not take more time away from the divisionals.

Dick, I mean no disrespect to you or your ideas, but I think it is time to speak up about what's really important to sportsman racing.

Every new class or eliminator is a step towards the end of drag racing, as we know it.

The divisionals have had problems drawing ever since the pros left. No advertising and no hype to fill the grandstands. My belief is that adding another eliminator, which contains very few cars and is not geographically dispersed across the country, is a plan for failure.

We can just keep diluting the product, sportsman racing, until there is nothing left or we can take a stand.

Bob