Drag Pak/Cobra Jet FX classes

[Jeff Lee]

I had a long talk with the NHRA S/SS Committee Chairman the other day.
I did not ask what NHRA was going to do about this issue, nor did I receive any "inside" tip. I can tell you the mood is not good at Glendora about this issue. We had much discussion on heads-up in eliminations and I was assured deleting this was not an option as far as NHRA was concerned and he agreed with me that tossing out heads-up runs would negate the purpose of the class. He understands this is a performance based class and it is necessary we retain this. I made my opinion known that there were many "wanna bees" and some in S/SS who would like to see heads-up runs eliminated. Furthermore, I let him know some, primarily bracket racers in my opinion, have pushed this agenda for years as they wish to have the national event lime light (and rewards) yet lack the resources, talent or desire to build a competitive car which will pass tech. The same people who want to eliminate heads-up runs with a '68 Camaro vs. a 2008 CJ likely would like to see no heads-up runs between two '68 Camaros.
A big elephant in the room is the AHFS. NHRA can not arbitrarily change the rules mid-game. If NHRA did, and assigned 50 HP to the CJ/DP racers tomorrow, law suits would follow. I might suppose Ford & Chrysler may not like being placed in their own class, but then again, maybe not. The Hemi shootout has not had a negative impact on MOPAR Performance or Chrysler vehicle sales. It could be a great marketing tool.
I also brought up TPS settings I have heard of with these cars with some running only 55% to 75% according to some sources. I called that what it was, throttle stop racing which further demonstrates we might not be seeing the true performance of these cars right now (and based on the ET / MPH relationship we know they have a lot in their pocket).
As I stated before, some may think I'm a fool but I believe NHRA will straighten this mess out. Again, I reiterate, I see no logical reason for NHRA to want to drop the class or cause the class to shrink by alienating a significant market to them.