D/Dart in Stock

bill dedman · 08-14-2009, 03:29 PM

A large part of the appeal of Stock Eliminator, and to a lesser degree, Super Stock over the years, has been the seemingly endless variety of competitive cars that have shown up to do battle, often times, successfully, on the quarter mile. There have been cars that you just don't see raced, that have appeared in this, or that Stock class, with amazing performances that defy logic sometimes, but they have been a fact of life in Stock Eliminator for many years.

Jack Mullins' hulking Pontiac wagon; Richard Charbonerau's 427 Fairlane wagon, Bob Shaw's Turbo 4-banger Capri and now, his one-off Cadillac Seville, Gordon Williams' Studebakers, and Ted Harbit's ill-fated Chicken Hawk, featured in this month's HOT ROD magazine, a multi-time class winner at Indy... There have been Corvairs that went like gangbusters, and cars like Cap'n Jack's land barge that continue to make waves and entertain us.... year, after year.

I don't know whether there's anybody left at NHRA with enough "experience" or interest in Stock Eliminator to appreciate this facet of the racing that goes on in Stock and S/S, but, if there is, they should appreciate the value of the variety that has come down the pike on the starting line over the years, and realize that even though '69 Camaros may BE the ultimate Stock Eliminator car for a variety of reasons, nobody wants to sit and watch a race in which every third car IS a '69 Camaro.

In that vein, it would seem to be in NHRA's interest to assist racers who want to run a car that you don't see a lot of, in getting their car homologated; That is something that NHRA can do that costs very little money, and would benefit the "show" down the road, when the newly-homologated cars hit the strip and spectators begin noticing the "new kids on the block."

In reference to the currently-illegal D-Darts in Stock, there aren't that many mid-'60s A Body MoPars running these days. It would be nice to see some more...

I'm sure there are a lot of other combinations that NHRA could legalize, if they WANTED TO, and they should want to.... It would benefit everybody, including them, I think. A 7-pound-per-HP, top Stock class might free up some cars that are now, S/S only... (I don't mean "Top Stock" as in a separate eliminator; I mean the "top" Stock Eliminator class... above the current 7.5-pound AA class.)

Just my 2-cents...

08-14-2009, 03:29 PM	#9
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: D/Dart in Stock A large part of the appeal of Stock Eliminator, and to a lesser degree, Super Stock over the years, has been the seemingly endless variety of competitive cars that have shown up to do battle, often times, successfully, on the quarter mile. There have been cars that you just don't see raced, that have appeared in this, or that Stock class, with amazing performances that defy logic sometimes, but they have been a fact of life in Stock Eliminator for many years. Jack Mullins' hulking Pontiac wagon; Richard Charbonerau's 427 Fairlane wagon, Bob Shaw's Turbo 4-banger Capri and now, his one-off Cadillac Seville, Gordon Williams' Studebakers, and Ted Harbit's ill-fated Chicken Hawk, featured in this month's HOT ROD magazine, a multi-time class winner at Indy... There have been Corvairs that went like gangbusters, and cars like Cap'n Jack's land barge that continue to make waves and entertain us.... year, after year. I don't know whether there's anybody left at NHRA with enough "experience" or interest in Stock Eliminator to appreciate this facet of the racing that goes on in Stock and S/S, but, if there is, they should appreciate the value of the variety that has come down the pike on the starting line over the years, and realize that even though '69 Camaros may BE the ultimate Stock Eliminator car for a variety of reasons, nobody wants to sit and watch a race in which every third car IS a '69 Camaro. In that vein, it would seem to be in NHRA's interest to assist racers who want to run a car that you don't see a lot of, in getting their car homologated; That is something that NHRA can do that costs very little money, and would benefit the "show" down the road, when the newly-homologated cars hit the strip and spectators begin noticing the "new kids on the block." In reference to the currently-illegal D-Darts in Stock, there aren't that many mid-'60s A Body MoPars running these days. It would be nice to see some more... I'm sure there are a lot of other combinations that NHRA could legalize, if they WANTED TO, and they should want to.... It would benefit everybody, including them, I think. A 7-pound-per-HP, top Stock class might free up some cars that are now, S/S only... (I don't mean "Top Stock" as in a separate eliminator; I mean the "top" Stock Eliminator class... above the current 7.5-pound AA class.) Just my 2-cents... __________________ Bill Last edited by bill dedman; 08-14-2009 at 03:35 PM.