Big Wow, news from Ford??

[jmcarter]

Peter is talking about British Columbia, I figured they could just cross the border to WA now and be legal...

[Rich Biebel]

Drag racing is in trouble and if you don't see it your blind....


We don't need more $100,000 Stockers...

Pro fields are so thin they barely fill a 16 car field

Some of the cars racing the Fuel classes are so poor they barely make it down the track...or are just there because they need cars to fill the field...

Pro Stock has under 16 cars for many events...

Sportsman car counts are half of what they used to be or way lower...

Local tracks are struggling to survive...


Except for a few areas overall things are not too good....IMHO.....

I don't have the answers to what might help or make things better but NHRA sure does not seem to be doing a good job of keeping the sport healthy.

Corporate America is not very interested in NHRA Drag Racing.....and has not been for years.....

[D.Johns]

"Who moved my cheese?" Ladies and gentlemen the cheese has been moved again. One just has to find another new avenue. Just a heads up when you find it it will be sweet for a while and then will move again. It's an ever changing landscape out there. You either have to search out new paths to reach your cheese or die from starvation.

On a bright note Ford/Ford Racing is investing more into the Cobra Jet program. What is that saying?

[Dan Bernay]

Watching the NHRA qualifying show, looks like Ford made it offical.

[600ci]

Originally Posted by C and W Racing

No, that wouldn't. If you think that played into a decision like that your smoking some good stuff. Lol
Chuck

i thought that was a 1 race deal, with your tax money.you still have to pay to
race double dip

[JHeath]

an interesting part of the Ford statement..."production -based racing"

[D.Johns]

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-...a-rough-tumble

John Force

"It's all part of life," Force said, of his relationship with Ford, which is scheduled to end after 18 seasons at the end of 2014. "It's the bumps in the road; you just take them one day at a time. Ford has been nothing but good to us. They are doing what they feel is right for their business. I still have a year-and-a-half left. That's a lot longer than back in the day when I originally signed deals with Wendy's and Jolly Rancher for a year at a time. What we have left is a lifetime when compared to those days.

"When you look at life and this world, sometimes it can be a big roller coaster. I'm not trying to become a philosopher, I just try to wake up every morning and thank the God Lord above that I am alive and healthy and my family is too."

Force wants his fans, and the drag racing community, to understand the manufacturer has been good to not only his team but the overall safety of Funny Car racing.

"When Eric Medlen had his accident and passed, my career was over," Force confided. "The Ford engineers came in and people always want to help when you have catastrophic accidents. Ford was there and kept me in business. They made it where it wasn't a dream to build a safer Funny Car chassis through their engineers. When you have that, it allows you mentally to be able to move forward and race. I had the fear that others didn't have.

"I can't complain. I don't know their business and what they do because they are all smarter than me. I'm just a drag racer. I thank them for those years. I know it's going to be hard and I will have to reevaluate my whole program."

Force is weighing his options for the future.

"I'll probably have to go into business selling parts, something I didn't have to do in the past because of the Ford program. Or, I am going to have to find a new manufacturer. That's exciting and sometimes change is good. But, it ain't like I lost my wife. That would be a real problem. When those wives go, they take all of the money not just some of it.

"But, this deal has a year and a half left, and that's a lifetime when you are my age."

[CycloneFE]

Ford needs to go back to their roots.....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-IPz_TWEgk"]Ford's Drag Team 69 Mustangs 428SCJ & 427SOHC - YouTube[/ame]

[cicero819]

I have never been a Big John Force follower mostly due to NHRA using him as their poster child but I have to give him his due, he's a great promoter and race driver. I have a small story to tell, I was sitting on the return road at the 1987 Grand National in Sanair and I was checking John Force new Cabover Peterbuilt when all of a sudden this guy behind me says " nice isn't it, do you want to check the inside" this was John Force the Trucker not the racer, he took my brother and myself on a tour of the truck and trailer explaining everything that was custom built for him by PB, this guy was so proud of his truck but he knew that he had better start winning or it was all going to go bye bye for him and he would be back pulling his junk(his on words) behind a pick up truck. I'm not surprise that he lasted 18yrs. So don't feel bad for him, he never thought it would last this long. Now, NHRA is run by imbecile going downhill with a runaway train with no brakes and no ideas on how to stop the derailment of our sport because not one single idiot has ever race for fun or a for a living. Nascar great Bill France once said" only count on your paying fans at the track to guarantee your survival, everything else is just cream on the cake" in other words don't count on tv to save your arse, it's the seat in the stands that count. Claude Ruel

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by Rich Biebel

Drag racing is in trouble and if you don't see it your blind....


We don't need more $100,000 Stockers...

Pro fields are so thin they barely fill a 16 car field

Some of the cars racing the Fuel classes are so poor they barely make it down the track...or are just there because they need cars to fill the field...

Pro Stock has under 16 cars for many events...

Sportsman car counts are half of what they used to be or way lower...

Local tracks are struggling to survive...


Except for a few areas overall things are not too good....IMHO.....

I don't have the answers to what might help or make things better but NHRA sure does not seem to be doing a good job of keeping the sport healthy.

Corporate America is not very interested in NHRA Drag Racing.....and has not been for years.....

Nascar has those "Start and Park" cars to fill the field. Maybe NHRA might have to resort to that to get 16 cars ?

Interesting setup Nascar has .
During qualifying, a driver runs as fast as he can for 2 laps to qualify for the race.
Sunday race starts, and after the first green flag lap, Mr. Start-n-Park goes to the pits, loads up and goes home.
1 engine will last all season because they only run hard for 2 laps.
He collects his appearance money from Nascar just for qualifying and completing the first lap.

Some of the SNP drivers make over $ 100K a year doing nothing but start-n-park.