Are COPO's, CJ's and Drag Packs good for our sport?

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by NewHemi

Not good for the sport, unless they are all equal.

Supercharged vs Naturally aspirated?????

When did that become equal?

It only became legal when Ford became a sponsor and started sucking on the NHRA's tailpipe. And it is no coincidence that Ford was the only one with a supercharger running in Stock and later in Super Stock.

They got the "Make Your Own Air" edge.

And then Chevy was next. A supercharged Copo. And suddenly the Fords had a little real competition. But they had already owned the playground, and ruled the roost for quite a while, so who could now object to a bow tie winning a few races. It only seemed fair. And another supercharged car competed with naturally aspirated cars.

Chrysler was NOT allowed to put a supercharger on the Drag Paks. Why? Because if they had, both Ford and Chevy would have had to compete with innovation, rather than just turn the screw for more horsepower.

But Chrysler will have to continue trying to do with cubic inches and the last great push rod engines, with what Ford and Chevy do with hair dryers.

But the question was not, are supercharged cars in Stock, and Super Stock fair.

So here is my answer:

Generally, the new technology cars are good for the sport because the crowds (the twelve to eighteen people, who show up for stock, and super stock) enjoy them.

David
The New Hemi Guy

do you honestly believe anything you just typed? Last great pushrod engines? yea, look at a 427 coop. I don't see people putting new hemi's in everything with wheels and some things without.......that would be the Lsx platform.

[Mickey Whaley]

Its all as **&*$ up as a soup sandwich!

[ALMACK]

Who would have ever believed we would see $ 100,000 Stockers in the "entry level" class racer ranks ? Wow.

With that said, I think it has opened more eyes from people who never knew what NHRA Stock was about.

I hear several people at work talk about the COPO Camaros and they had no clue what Stock Eliminator was all about. (until now)

I say yes to the thread title, as long as they are factored correctly.

[Ed Wright]

If they had legit hp ratings they would be great. Rate them right and nobody would have a problem with them. Who cares what they cost?

[David Barton]

I think it's great for the sport and my future. A few years back I was really wondering where this whole drag racing thing was taking me. Now that we have some new cars and combinations to race with it seems to have put some spirit back into the sport. I have to say it was very refreshing to see all the new cars at Indy battling it out and everyone so happy to be there doing it.

My next goal is to get more involved with the other brands, hint, hint.

[david ring]

It's the interest of the factories plus the potential for new fans that makes these cars good for the sport. Plus I think interest in the new muscle cars will only revive interest in the old muscle cars.

[4284spd]

I think its a good thing! I just wish the big 3 would do more for the older cars that made them what they are!

[Tim Kish]

With about 20 "new" cars in Super Stock and almost 50 in Stock - not factoring anything other than the initial investment in the cars themselves - that's over $7 million in new race cars in the classes we love (Cars like the Driller are way over $100k to build so this number is low). Now I know I for one can't afford one but many others can and we should be happy to have people that committed to these classes. Now when you pull out the ones that ran in the FS classes, the ones running their real classes were spread throughout the field with several DNQ's, not gross domination as many of these combos have been taken several HP hits the last couple seasons. There are enough of these cars now, enough money spent and enough ego's, without a security blanket like the FS class, these combos will continue to get HP. I do disagree the FS class should be run without HP penalty and allow to bump others out of a field like Indy as that situation will not correct itself via AHFS.

[Dan Fahey]

Now NHRA has to classify all the other American cars they left out over the years..

ie..Cadillac SCLS3, All GM, Food, Chrysler V6 entries

[Charley Downing]

We had $100,000 stockers long before 2008.