Index Change Rumor

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by nhramnl

......It's a "money and combination class". If you can afford the cost, you can either spend enough to make a bad combination good, or you can just buy a combination that's crazy soft, and run it, until it gets horsepower factor-neutralized. To prove my point, has anyone seen a situation where a traditionally fast guy got slow, over time? They just keep spending, or (more commonly), changing cars and/or combinations.

Nothing new here. This is how things have been since the very beginning.

Used to be that the sharpest, hardest-working guys were the fast ones, but those days are LONG gone.....

Sorry, but I feel you are wrong on this. Having the resources to run makes life easier, but it still takes a thought and effort to go fast.


I think that a lot of guys perspective is stuck in the past. The cost to run a competitive Class car hasn't changed particularly when compared to income statistics. A new Camaro cost around $3,000.00 in the sixties. They are now $30,000.00 plus. Paying $3,000.00 for a new car and then spending the money to be a "player" back then was big money. Maybe some people have just lost the enthusiasm that is part of youth?

[James Perrone]

Stop crying Wolf. They ain’t lowering the indexes. It makes no sense
The only place to straighten out horsepower is....
INDY.. Put the 120 under hit on the SOFT *** Combos.
It’s the only race that draws the bogus cars .. for some reason you folks don’t see why it’s needed. But you all will complain so and so is too fast. No more Indy charity
Indy is a joke.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by James Perrone

No more Indy charity. Indy is a joke.

Hey Paco,the "bogus" stuff doesn't go to Indy.

[nhramnl]

Originally Posted by GUMP

Nothing new here. This is how things have been since the very beginning.

Sorry, but I feel you are wrong on this. Having the resources to run makes life easier, but it still takes a thought and effort to go fast.


I think that a lot of guys perspective is stuck in the past. The cost to run a competitive Class car hasn't changed particularly when compared to income statistics. A new Camaro cost around $3,000.00 in the sixties. They are now $30,000.00 plus. Paying $3,000.00 for a new car and then spending the money to be a "player" back then was big money. Maybe some people have just lost the enthusiasm that is part of youth?

Really? I've seen an awful lot of rich strokes who know little or nothing about cars, who decide they're tired of golf or tennis, and want to be a super star in drag racing. These guy just keep writing checks until they have the prettiest, fastest car in whatever class they choose. And the hard workers, who are spending money they actually WORKED to earn, standby helplessly, while the lawyer, banker, insurance executive, real estate mogul, corporate executive, trust fund recipient, etc. runs them over. Want an example? SS/AH.

[Bryan Worner]

Originally Posted by Ron Ortiz

So you want to lower the index so cars that are around 2-3 tenths under will have a harder time to qualify. That makes a lot of sense. Why not lower them 5 tenths so you can eliminate more cars. Or how about we lower the field size to 16 or 32. Raise the quota to 8 grade point or more. That should do it.

You people are going to kill sportsman racing with your own egos. But it is a performance based category. Guess I'll have to work harder on my stuff or buy a newer car. Either that or write a letter to Glendora with a special gift enclosed. And if I don't like it I can go bracket racing or get a Ford with a 302.

Racing used to be so much more fun.

Ron Ortiz
U/SA. and just like that sportsman racing disappeared.

Where do they have to qualify??? I'm not seeing many 128 car fields, except at Indy where those cars wouldn't qualify anyway.

Now it would suck come eliminations time when they couldn't run the index!

[Bryan Worner]

Originally Posted by Kingpen

Not saying mine needs hp off,even though it has been beat on for 50 yrs,there are some fast cars with my combo.I can not afford the "good" stuff and still be able to go racing,it's one or the other and I chose to go racing with my money.I just do not understand what will help things by lowering the indexes,the fast guys will still be the fast guys...Victor Penrod

Vic, you're kidding me right? You just won the World Championship in SS and you're saying you can't afford the good stuff?? You're the Champ! Go get some of the good stuff for free!! Oh, wait, nobody gives anything away anymore.

I'm with you on not lowering the indexes though. I really don't see the point in that!

Congrats, by the way!!

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by nhramnl

Really? I've seen an awful lot of rich strokes who know little or nothing about cars, who decide they're tired of golf or tennis, and want to be a super star in drag racing. These guy just keep writing checks until they have the prettiest, fastest car in whatever class they choose. And the hard workers, who are spending money they actually WORKED to earn, standby helplessly, while the lawyer, banker, insurance executive, real estate mogul, corporate executive, trust fund recipient, etc. runs them over. Want an example? SS/AH.

So, you are saying that money in class racing is a new thing?

I also find it interesting that you have the perspective that people with money didn't earn it. I guess nobody ever worked their way up to the top? Nobody ever put racing to the side to build a career? Heaven forbid that somebody like that should spend their hard earned money to have nice stuff. Is it now a sin to pay smart, hard working people to catch up?

[nhramnl]

Originally Posted by GUMP

So, you are saying that money in class racing is a new thing?

I also find it interesting that you have the perspective that people with money didn't earn it. I guess nobody ever worked their way up to the top? Nobody ever put racing to the side to build a career? Heaven forbid that somebody like that should spend their hard earned money to have nice stuff. Is it now a sin to pay smart, hard working people to catch up?

Oh Jesus, here we go...

First, I AM saying that money in class racing is a relatively new thing. I am old enough to remember when class racing did not consist primarily of check-writing. The guys in the staging lanes actually built their cars, they didn't just assemble the stuff they paid others to do. Disagree if you want, but I WAS THERE. They didn't pull their COPO Camaro, transported in a stacker trailer, with a $500,000 motorhome. They towed their home-built car, on an open trailer, with a pickup truck. They weren't there for the fashion show; they were there to put their skill and knowledge up against the skill and knowledge of their competitors. Sure, money was involved, but intelligence, skill and hard work were the real keys to being fast.

I'm talking about a very specific group of "racers", who aren't really racers at all. They're "poseurs", who decide to spend their money (hard-earned, or otherwise) on "something cool", like drag racing. I hate the way people on this site take simple, unambiguous arguments and twist the intent into something they think the author should be ashamed of. How many "put racing to the side to build a career" guys do you REALLY assume there are? And why do you single out the rich guys as having "nice stuff". I've seen hundreds of bucks-down guys with very nice stuff. And finally, did I say that it's a sin to pay smart, hard working people to "catch up"? Not a single one of your chosen words or phrases appear in my post.

Make whatever bull**** you want to out of my post. I don't care. I'll stick to the position that the more you involve money in the sport (whether corporate or personal money), the farther away from its roots drag racing drifts.

[Tom Broome]

Just an observation.....13 pages already.

Does this thread remind others of the Indy Teardown thread?
Let me know how much popcorn to prepare?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by nhramnl

Oh Jesus, here we go...

Make whatever bull**** you want to out of my post. I don't care. I'll stick to the position that the more you involve money in the sport (whether corporate or personal money), the farther away from its roots drag racing drifts.

Stop calling it a "sport"! NHRA Sportsman Drag Racing is in the position that it's in because either the B-O-D, the Sponsors, the Track Owners, the Racers themselves, etc.etc.etc., blame whoever you want, allowed Drag Racing to become an expensive HOBBY! It is no longer a "sport"!