Deconstructing Stock

[D.Johns]

Here's an under handed idea! Tell the younger people it's entry level and uses all stock parts! They can take any car and run the numbers! Then once they get involved by the time they realize that there is nothing stock about a "stock" car it will be too late Muahahaha.

Even the factory "super cars" can't run the numbers that are required to be a front runner low qualifier without major capital invested on top of buying the car.

Some people make it look easy and simple. Lol Not a Chance!

It really takes people to get other people involved in the sport. The governing body can help but ultimately the most influential person is the guy you shave with in the mirror in the morning. Take your kids, take your kids friends, take you friends kids, take your co-workers. Out of one become many and it's the law of exponential growth.

[Michael Beard]

When I was a kid, I heard that there were no kids getting into the sport. I guess we're not "kids" enough anymore, but just at Atlanta there was me, Craig Marshall, Emily Volkman, Drew Allen, Jake Sealey, Brandyn Phillips, Kaitlyn Atkinson, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr, and probably others I missed... Candies? Some young guns in the Index classes too.

Just because every high school or college kid isn't running S/SS classes right this second doesn't mean that there isn't new blood coming into the sport. Look around you. Would we like to see even more? Certainly, and we should work to help newbies along, but there's not as much of a drought as we tend to think, either.

[Jeff Lee]

OK...I'm totally shooting' from the hip here and haven't put more than 5 seconds into this thought.

What if Stock (not Super Stock) no longer had a minimum index? Maybe on the slower half of the field, maybe the entire field. Still a dial-in format and still a heads-up format where applicable. Still the NHRA blueprint application. Still the same rules. That way a guy that buys a 1987 Camaro or Mustang could actually race it with minimal cash outlay. He can go rounds and be happy. He will no doubt loose on a heads-up run. But at least he can play the game a little and hopefully is encouraged to spend some money to make the car competitive.

Personally, I had always dreamed of having a Stocker and the dream was always dead once I realized how much it took to make a car run under the index, even a marginal amount. But then I bought a daily driver '87 Shelby Daytona Z that was .400 under with spinning street tires. Sure it was a soft index but it was the car that got me in the game. I then set a record and was hooked. I built an engine and set another record along with many #1 qualifier's. I never would have got serious about this had I not had a door that was easy to walk into.

The only problem I see is AHFS. I think that can be resolved with assigning an ET that trips the trigger instead of tripping the trigger off of a baseline index. Let's say today we have a index of 12.50 and the AHFS trigger is 1.00 under. Just make the AHFS trigger an ET or 11.50.

[KEN BUGAJ]

You want more people in stock ?
Crate motor Cars !
$12,000.00 to $15,000.00 stocker motors keep alot of people out !
Crate motors run $2800.00 to around $ 7,000.00.....
Points races should be a one or two day event,,
Record runs on Friday if you want to try to set a record, race on Saturday, keep it short and sweet..
That way a guy could leave Friday after work and head back home on Sunday...

Originally Posted by KEN BUGAJ

You want more people in stock ?
Crate motor Cars !
$12,000.00 to $15,000.00 stocker motors keep alot of people out !
Points races should be a one or two day event,,

Most Guys who are building crate motor cars, are doing it for ease of aquiring parts and to save money. And that is a good concept. Do you think that if Crate cars make it into NHRA, guys won't put money into them and make them real fast? Then the cheap bracket bomber that guys intend those cars to be will change quickly into uncompetive cars, or heads up fodder for the fast up to date cars that would breed quickly. Especially in places like the Northeast, or division 7 where the income of the racer is higher than the guys racing in the southeast .

I like the idea of 1 to 2 day points races. 2 races in a weekend as well

[ram air WS6]

Hi guys. I am 16 years old and stock eliminator is my favorite racing. My dad didn't get me into stock i just really started to like it since the first time I went to the US nationals in 2007. ever since i have been hooked to stock. I am trying to build a 1999 trans am to run stock eliminator. To make my money for my project I buy wrecked cars and fix them and sell them. I hope to be racing in 2 years or so

[KRatcliff]

Originally Posted by ram air WS6

Hi guys. I am 16 years old and stock eliminator is my favorite racing. My dad didn't get me into stock i just really started to like it since the first time I went to the US nationals in 2007. ever since i have been hooked to stock. I am trying to build a 1999 trans am to run stock eliminator. To make my money for my project I buy wrecked cars and fix them and sell them. I hope to be racing in 2 years or so

Welcome! Be aware that this is a disease that you will never be able to cure. The gratification you get from improvements on your car's performance, personal driving performance, and round wins are only eclipsed by the friends you will make.

[KEN BUGAJ]

Originally Posted by Todd Hoven

Most Guys who are building crate motor cars, are doing it for ease of aquiring parts and to save money. And that is a good concept. Do you think that if Crate cars make it into NHRA, guys won't put money into them and make them real fast? Then the cheap bracket bomber that guys intend those cars to be will change quickly into uncompetive cars, or heads up fodder for the fast up to date cars that would breed quickly. Especially in places like the Northeast, or division 7 where the income of the racer is higher than the guys racing in the southeast .

Hi Todd,
You can stop all that with one new rule, No heads up runs other than in class run off's !
I know alot of guy's don't want to hear that, but new people don't want to spend 50 or 60 K
on a car to race,

[MikeFicacci]

Divison 1 is doing just fine in the "entry level" department. Last two races had 102 and 96 Stockers. Can't speak for the rest of the country but the last thing we need up here is pure stock and/or crate motors.

P.S. If heads-up runs become no more then you'll never see me at another race. Then again, at 27 I guess I'm no longer considered a young guy.