Want a list of SS or Stk cars sitting.

[Chris1529]

Originally Posted by Todd Leitner

I'm not kidding Chris. So I can head out to the salvage yards (30 to ? miles away), I only have one chance a week to go because I work five days a week. Search for old rusty obsolete parts (428CJ). Then spend $3.50 per gallon on gas to haul the parts to the nearest machine shop (again 30 miles one way), one chance a week to do this depending on if the kids have any activities going on and weather permitting, try to explain to them what I want done and why, wait until they are done rebuilding tractor parts and can get to my stuff. Pay god knows how much money and make multiple trips back and forth until they get it right. Then I can assemble it myself and it won't be very fast and will probably scatter all over the track in a couple passes. Or I can spend a lot of money and take it to a repubital engine builder and pay his machinist to redo everything the way he wants it and wait some more.

Or I can call Jack Roush or Ford Racing and have a complete 351W (hence the stock GT classes), assembled with all new parts, delivered right to my doorstep in a week or so. I can probably get it running in a few days, and it will have more hp, last longer, and be way faster than what I would have built.

Racing isn't cheap, we all know that, but it might not be "as" expensive as fixing the old stuff. And it might let a few more people get out there and go racing.

Todd,
What I am saying is that IHRA basically has this. I just don't believe they have added all the new factory engines yet though. Maybe if enough people ask, they will.
IHRA also has Stock GT which allows you to put an older stocker motor in a newer car. In a nut shell, what you are asking for already exists. That's why I said " are you kidding?"

[Michael Beard]

To add to that: while Crate Motors aren't an $1,800 endeavor, you *can* build a decent car and combination on somewhat of a budget, and have something that you can both Class race and bracket race. There are a number of younger racers that have gotten into Class racing this way. It'd be very simple to add. That being said, NHRA has neither the want nor need to add more cars, particularly when they quota events anyway.

[goinbroke2]

This is just a continuation of the other thread.......


He who has the most money wins heads up...PERIOD! ANY heads up, ANYWHERE, ANY time.....

Dick I respect you for the time and effort and all the accomplishments you've had in dragracing, but your beating a dead horse. There is no such thing as an "entry level" heads up race. The closest thing I see you doing with a spec engine class is making it like the karts where motors are nothing, just stick it in and run it till it blows and pop another one in..but tires and suspension..now THAT is important. Once you take the engine innovation out and everybody does the "I run a 68 jet because bubba does" and "I run 38* timing because that's what everybody else does" then to me you just made a class as exciting as the iroc series was..which was BORING!

First determine why cars are sitting instead of being raced, and address THAT issue. Most I know, people either moved on to something else/died/can't afford it. I don't think there is a treasure trove of cars just sitting because they got too much hp added.

As novadude said, "For me right now there are just things I am enjoying doing more than racing stock. " In other words, instead of bitching about all the "enhancements", he let his feet do the talking. I think there are many more who would park their car because they're so fed up with the crap too, but love racing too much to stop.

If it was a simple case of being factored out, the guys who are sitting could hit a bracket race instead of letting their $$$ investment rust away under a tarp in a barn.

[randy wilson]

I'm going to chime in here for a second. It could be done, probably won't be done, but if restricted properly, it could be reasonably affordable. We might be beating a dead horse, but dang, I don't understand the negativity to such a class. Let's start with the Brodix spec head, tried and true in other racing. Add cast intake only, no external mods, no trick, lite wt. cranks. (Sight plug in pan), no computers, no vac pump, no external oil pumps, no billet internal pumps. lift limited to .700 at the valve, no belt drive, one single disc clutch, no counter wts. no titanium or carbon drive line parts, You could have a $million in the short block if you choose, but everyone's heads flow basically the same. And a short block is only capable of so much performance. Trick rings would not be near as advantageous without the vac pump. Sliders can be manufactured by Jerico, and G-Force to make you tap the clutch to release. Unless someone cheats, where's the big advantage. The head company's have already said they can catch what tech cannot. Now, let the bashing begin. Why are people so against it? It steps on no one's toes.

[Frank Castros]

Dick,
I admire your passion.

[Jim Hawkins]

Randy I like your ideas for a class like this. If there was a format where I could run my car in a heads up deal for what I have spent to return to super stock I would do it. I love class cars but would like to lose the shoepolish and not bend over backwards in high gear looking for the guy in the other lane.
FWIW I took my car from Denver to Ohio a few years back and raced in a nostalgia event a friend set up. We showed up and ran heads up and the cars there were within a couple tenths of each other. I didn't win it but it was a blast. All old modified type stick cars.

[farmco r/sa]

Originally Posted by Jim Hawkins

Randy I like your ideas for a class like this. If there was a format where I could run my car in a heads up deal for what I have spent to return to super stock I would do it. I love class cars but would like to lose the shoepolish and not bend over backwards in high gear looking for the guy in the other lane.
FWIW I took my car from Denver to Ohio a few years back and raced in a nostalgia event a friend set up. We showed up and ran heads up and the cars there were within a couple tenths of each other. I didn't win it but it was a blast. All old modified type stick cars.

good post Jim. hope to see you at last
combo race sat. at beautiful bandimere ....

[randy wilson]

Another very respected racer, Jim Hawkins. A guy who ran the same class as I for years, and knows what I'm trying to relay. A lot of his stuff ended up at Bethany, and I competed against it. Why won't it work? Yes, I know some will try to cheat. I know that. Fine them huge, and kick them out. Under these rules, no one in my opinion will run away with the class. When, in the history of drag racing has all the big three had the basic exact same head? Tell me again why it won't work. It ain't a crate motor, it ain't a claimer motor, it addresses lots of other hidden costs, why won't it work? It does not take out innovation, just changes the direction you go. I think some would hate to see it work. I don't run down other classes. why so many bash an idea is beyond me. It has the local appeal that drag racing needs right now.

[Michael Beard]

I believe people's primary objection is not toward the idea of the class itself, but the idea that it would be included in Super Stock. And once again, if you believe in the idea, just DO it. If you don't, who will? That's why it's a dead horse, because all anyone wants to do is talk about it. You must lead by example.

My partner Anthony Walton and I thought there needed to be some changes in big money bracket racing. We put on our own events, done the way we thought they should be, and have grown them into really great events. We talked about the Class Nationals on here for over a DECADE. No one brought it back, so we did, and it was an awesome event! We're working on 2015 now. If you leave it as just an idea, the best you're ever going to get is "that's nice". You have to actually DO it.

[randy wilson]

I have done it. I own Bethany drag way, and ran spec for 3 years. Before that ran 7 years of stock valve angle ported head classes. Before that ran open heads up head rules at Bethany. When I closed Bethany, went and supported modified no break out racing at Eddyville. But it was wide open, and what started out as 10 cars ended up the last night with two cars, us, and the Buck Bros. Camaro. We were either 1st or second qualified each night and took first or second each night. What I noticed was when they had those races at Eddyville the crowd was larger. The reason I closed Bethany is not because no one came, but owning a track locally, and be competitive in the class, and enforcing rules on people not used to it was a pain in the butt. Plus, it wasn't my living. NHRA would and could eliminate some if not all those problems. This discussion is partly about how to get people interested in watching drag racing again. And if they don't want a new class in SS, fine. But I see nothing on the horizon to bring back spectators.