Back from Indy-what's happened to Stock Eliminator??

[Bob]

Originally Posted by chris3racing

I have read all of the replies to this post from the beginning and know that I will be blasted for my opinion and comments but here goes. First my name is Mike and I have been involved in NHRA, AHRA, IHRA racing since 1960. I have built, crewed on and raced a car in almost every older class of drag racing except fuel funny car, which I wish I had done. So I think I have earned the right to express my opinion.

I have been working, looking at the rules and talking with current stock and superstock racers to re-create a 68 camaro for stock or superstock. If I followed the rules for stock and superstock in 1969 for this car I would have about as much chance of being competitive as trying to apply and get a license to drive a top fuel funny car today. The 1968 and 1969 cars in stock and superstock today are nothing like they were in those days. The use of all of the aftermarket heads, camshafts, transmissions is nothing like what you could have run in those days. If I put a cut gear muncie four speed in a car, built today, I would be only for fun. This story has come full circle with all of the yelling and complaining about Chrysler and Ford cars not being right. I remember the Hemi and he Thunderbolt. When I started building my current Duster, use to race only chevy back in the day, I started learning a lot about why you could not out run those cars. The factory, even in those days, had so many people running as "team cars" and research car and if you designed something that worked on your car and you were winning the next race every "team car" had the same thing. The first Ford thunderbolt was built on the third floor of a building in Detroit that only select people had access to. Chrysler and Ford only had one thing on their mind and that was they did not care who won as long as the car in the winners circle was theirs.

There are so many compaints about how "bracket racing" has "Killed" class racing. Class racing today is "bracket racing." A man goes out and runs his car wide open to the quarter mile mark and everyone just goes crazy "The man is just killing the class'. Do you not think that the spectators can hear a man lift off of his car at the 1000 foot mark and go the last 320 feet either standing on the brakes or being on and off of the accelerator. During the running of Stock and Superstock the announcer, for NHRA, on NHRA Autocast made a comment about the cars "racing to the 1,000 foot mark." The end of the race track, according to the rules is still 1,320 feet.

Mr. Herb McCandless was the guest commentator for the"Hemi Shoot Out" and was broad cast on NHRA Autocast. Let me tell you I was working in the shop building a new motor and enjoyed the commentary during that event better than almost anything I saw or heard broad cast during the week-end. Herb you did a super job and sounded like you had a lot of fun. Herb commented that many of the cars received in those days came to them in boxes. Now does anyone on here who knows Herb McCandless really think that he was on the brakes or on and off of the throttle when he ran 9.981 to Arlen Vanke's 9.983 to win the 1970 US Nationals at Indy. "Mr. 4-Speed" did what his sponsors expected him to do and that was to give the spectators a show and win the race. It's too bad that NHRA could not have video the Hemi Shoot-Out and recorded you guys doing the commentary, especially the conversation you guys had after the race, I believe third round, when you were comparing old Pro Stock Cars to modern day Pro Stock cars.

There is nothing in this post to "blast" you about. There are some very basic facts that allot of people are overlooking.
1)Todays NHRA is not yesterdays NHRA-times change.
2)It's all about the money, manufacturers have it and NHRA wants it. And NHRA will do what is asked of them to get it.
3)Why is it that the people who race often, let's say those that are in the top 50 in national points, aren't on here bitching all the time?
4)Why is it that armchair racers and proverbiale posters are the ones doing all the bitching?
5)Class racing for the most part does not exist anymore. With class only contested at certain events and no contingency support, Stock Eliminator is a bracket class.
6)Racing to 1000' to save yourself from a HP hit is simply grandiose behavior. Running it to 1320', taking the HP hit, and returning to the next event and letting hang out again is the mark of true racing and a true racer.