Unscientific informal poll

[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

No, I dont think there is no car culture, I just dont think many of the people here are part of "Car Culture" now, not the same as the strangeo's I hang with.

38

There are like Travis said younger (than myself) people very very active in performance, class cars, no way they see it as too restrictive, expensive and unneccesary. Not much "bang for the buck" in a class car to double street duty.

There are the "ricers" there are the "Kustom Kulture" and the Street fighters out there in DROVES

A class where ANY Car was allowed, foreign or domestic based on Cubic inches would probably attract more, maybe a NA and FI seperation indexed like the SS/GT ? , but the import guys feel a bit "out of the loop" expept in the brackets, drifts, and just about everywhere but the NHRA and IHRA proper.....

That from someone who has lots of friends in the other categories.

Car Culture is alive and well.....its just not NHRA ("worthy", "accepted" ?) Car Culture.

Originally Posted by Travis Miller

Ys 62, but if I may add something else....you knew I would. LOL

There is still a car culture out there. We just do not see it because the new (read as young) fan base is not wrapped up in our type of sportsman racing. Our type centers around Stock and SS that we grew up with. That is why we frequent forums such as Class Racer.

The new car culture is centered around much faster cars than we race. It is not imports as a lot of us would like to think. The imports fans have moved on to drifting or bolted-on body parts at car shows. What I am talking about is the large fan base that follows the fast streetcar group. From the stands, these cars look like your normal late model Mustang, Camaro, etc. That is until they actually make a run down the track. The cars I am talking about get their horsepower from nitrous, turbochargers or pro chargers.

A high percentage of rollcages that I certify today at chassis shops are these type cars. And I am talking about freshly built cars, not re-certifications. If you want to see where young fans are going today, go to one of the fast streetcar races at a local track. You will be amazed at how the young fans of today remind you of when you were young yourself. They have the same passion for racing as we did years ago. We had musclecars off the showroom floor that we bought and modified. They have cars they have bought and modified with stuff that puts out a lot more horsepower than we ever thought possible. They want to see something fast. Our Stock and SS cars just do not tickle their fancy.

Travis

(Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by me on this forum are exactly that, my opinions.)

[Geerhead55]

Yes,,I'm 57. Travis is deffinately right about today's youngsters. Last October a friend and I flew back to Memphis for the annual LSX Shootout and NMCA race and the "under 35ers" were there doing what we all did years ago,, they just have a different type of race car. They have their own group of stars( The Ohio Boys,,SAM race group and so on) who the younger fans follow and crowd around. It was an eye opener for us, as nothing like that gets run up in the NW. Any new generation stock/superstock racers will most likely come from families already involved in it. There were no imports at this event,,,sadly the announcement that Memphis was closing came about 2 weeks after we got back home.
Danny Durham

[rick lester]

yes...40, but act 20.

but i will add...car crazy guys and girls are still there, just not in class racing. i enjoy a challenge, but it is so easy to add nitros or a tubo to a crate motor and go fast without the hard work that goes into class racing.

[mannymen]

I just think Wade Mahaffey put the writing on the wall for Stock and Super Stock racing. The 35 and under crowd is definitely not interested in a Camaro that goes 9's when they can build a street car that runs 8's or faster for half the cost

"WHEN YOU STOP TRYING.....YOU START DYING !"

[Mike Bassin]

Yes..63
The car culture is alive and well, just not like it was in the '60s. Not a lot of new blood in Stock / Super Stock, mostly young drivers that have been around these cars all of their lives. The heads up racing is growing, it draws the crowds. What really amazes me is the Pinks All-Out thing. I announced this event at Maple Grove in 2007, enormous crowd even on the unofficial test and tune day, people were in the seats the whole day to see 350 cars make two time runs. Rewind 47 years ago to 1963 and you wouldn't believe the crowds that showed up to see Ronnie Sox, Dave Strickler, Bud Faubel, Malcom Durham and others at 75-80 Dragway to see these racers run high elevens. Our hobby is still strong, just different.

Mike Bassin

[W J]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Scott

WJ
I ran at Orange a few times early sixties. Injected buick in 50 ford owned by Ronnie Lepalm. also ran my roadster there in early eighties if my memory serves me right. Someone put togeter a sunday race trying to promote a new track for the northeast. I beilive Wally Roberts, Mike Fitts and Barry Rebero were also there. No traction compound just a great time and many memories.

Any one remember Charleston and the seagulls?

Yes Ronnie, Charlestown, Rhode Island....and Sanford, Maine as well. Gus Zuidema and Harr Ford Cobra, Pete Murphy and his '55 Chev Wapid Wabbit Gasser, Gene O'Neill and his '65 Hemi Coronet, then the Hemi Dart....I ran a '64 Malibu SS Chevelle stocker back then....Warren Lederer. WJ

[Steves68Nova]

Yes 56

[Bob Don]

Yes 55

[69Cobra]

Yes 33

I wish I could have lived back in the 50's and 60's. To be a part of that era would have been awesome to me. Today if you are not building a 8 second ride you don't have anything impressive. Here in Cincinnati there are more than a couple 8 second street cars that have been sold in the 20k dollar range. I will spend more than that to build a competitive stocker motor to run high 10's and at that not be street able.

To be honest. This topic has been that little voice in my head for the past 4-5 years. At 33 I grew up with my Dad and his friends racing in div 3 in the s/ss ranks and it’s in my blood. I've been racing my Dad's old stocker since the early 90's and really want to pull the trigger on a stocker motor to put the car back where it belongs. I want my own U.S. Nationals Wally and that is what drives me. But when all I read on here is people bitching about this and that and how entry fees keep going up and purses and contingencies keep falling it really makes me wonder if I have a brain in my head to be considering jumping in this arena. I respect what you guys do with what you have to do it with and that’s why I want to see if I can be competitive against todays stockers. I just haven’t justified the money side of it yet.

Sorry Ed I know all you wanted was a simple Yes or No.

Cheers!!!

[Dan Schlieker]

Yes 57