Part of what hurt drag racing

[kellintrans]

As someone who is getting back into drag racing after being out of it for more then a decade, I have seen a lot of changes in just that period of time. It is more expensive, but so is everything else. But, from what I have noticed, the type of people who are interested in participating in this sport is dwindling.

I am 43 years old, and was still in diapers during the "Golden Era". However, I remember watching Garlits, Prudhome, Muldowney, Jenkins, etc.. on TV ( ABC Wide World of Sports, no cable then) with my father when I was a kid in the '70's. I knew then, I wanted to build/ drag race a car someday, and in the 80's and '90's, I did. Nothing serious, but I did it.

My point is, the type of people who built and drag raced in the early days where, for the most part, blue collar guys. They built and raced there own cars. They were not adverse to getting their hands dirty. They worked all day at a regular job, and then worked on the car at night. They did not have a lot of money, but made up for it with ingenuity. They did it because they loved it. The average fan could also identify with the cars they were racing.

The people who are participating in grassroots drag racing today are pretty much the same way, but there are just a lot less of us. People, today, are more lazy, and have no ambition. The average kid can turn on the video game, and drive what ever car suits them, and when they crash it, just hit the reset button. The average man, today, has no idea what is under the hood of the Honda minivan, and does not really care. He scoffs at people who rather work on there own cars, then play fantasy football. He would rather watch his reality TV show or stick and ball sports from his recliner. He is not the least bit interested in putting in the extra time and work to do anything else, much less work on a car.

Drag racing can be expensive, period. It always has been. If you are willing to go the extra mile, work hard, and think out of the box it still can be done affordably. There are just fewer of us willing to make that commitment, and we are getting older with each passing year.

The times have changed, and not always for the better.