To Chuck Norton : Just wanted to say that was a great post you put up on class racer about the Factory Stock DQ at Indy.
Thanks, I think that most of us old-timers can see the handwriting on the wall. The lack of commitment to maintaining the integrity of the eliminator will spell the end of "legal" racing of the kind we supported over a lifetime. It's sad that they will pull the rug out from under some really great people but they can't take away the memories and the personal connections that have been made. What did you think of my boy, Paul Wong? I've been working with him over the last twenty years. Even though he's still a youngster, he understands the way the game is played. Rock on!!! c
Between Paul Wong and Bob Shaw they sure know how to find the obscure combos in the class guide and make them fly. I bet that 1.98 under sure rocked the boat ! NHRA needs to look at ALL the late model FI cars also. Bobby Brannon had over 3 MPH on my old friend Mike Keener in the A/S class final and between Mike and Paul Mecure they have been around a long time. Take care !
Stock is out of control at this point and I would not be surprised to see them killing off the old cars just as they did in 71.
See, I thought it was pretty mild when I wrote it but placing it in the context of the 2018 U.S. Nationals and the glaring example of what happens in the absence of thorough tech inspection, it picked up steam along the way. Because of the presence of professional tech inspectors such as Terry Bell and the Kentuckian on this thread, I would like to say, for the record, that I think Dave Ley, the person who reportedly supervised the Indy teardowns this year, is more than merely competent to do that job. The current problems are, in my opinion, not due to problems on the ground in the tech system. We are, however, faced with competing and conflicting viewpoints on tech in our corner of the sport. Good tech is dependent on a cadre of knowledgeable, dedicated people who are encouraged and supported by the organization to do the job that they know how to do. Sadly, everyone has to eat although no one wants to pay these people a decent stipend for the assuming responsibility for the role that they are charged to fulfill. If you were to have attended a national event in years past and watched the normal daily activities of a regular tech man from 7 AM until 6 PM, you would have been astounded by the number and size of the physical, emotional, and psychological hoops that they were expected to jump through in a single day while maintaining a professional demeanor. To do that, basically for "room and board" compensation and the "love of the game," was beyond my comprehension at the time. Neither the challenges nor the attitudes of the clientele have eased over the years and with those strains added to those imposed by the legal department that does not want to spend its days in court defending rules that they don't understand and don't deem necessary, it's no wonder that Stock and Super Stock are teetering on the brink of extinction. Just my opinion. I could be wrong... c
Now that I'm back from a head-to-toe inspection by the dermatologist (clean, for the time being), I'd like to call your attention to an article in the October issue of Hemming's Muscle Machines magazine. This issue (with a picture of a Coletti-built Duster on the cover) highlights a few cars that would be of particular interest to Junior Stock people. Among a range of other interesting features is a spotlight look at a Junior Stock 1957 Ford station wagon that had a distinct impact on the world of Junior Stock racing. In my experience the horsepower factoring system developed and refined by NHRA has always had difficulty in getting supercharged or turbocharged Stockers in the right class. How much damage could a Ford station wagon inflict on anyone or anything, you might ask? The answer to that is in the story but the players include the legendary Stock/Super Stock World Champion, Bobby Warren, driving his nearly unbeatable 350-powered, national event winner K/SA Chevelle, facing an unheraded young Illinois native, Bob Bayles, driving a '57 Ford F-code equipped Ranch Wagon in the second round of class at the U.S. Nationals, naturally a heads-up first-to-the-line duel. Sharp driving played a big part in the outcome but it was a story that I had forgotten until Bayles described it (with pictures) in print. It's worth the cover price of the magazine! c
You nailed it again. As far as total extinction what else would NHRA do for a "filler" for the pros and how could they find more crazy people to spend $380 entry for just the car and driver plus the extra for pit crew (wives), golf carts, insurance, etc. ? The costs of a competitive S/S small block is around $35,000 today and a good stocker big block is upwards of $35,000 to $40,00 with all that is allowed these days. Yeah its "INDY" the Nationals but there has to be a limit to the greed someplace. A majority of the stock and S/S racers are getting up there in age. What happens when most are gone from this planet ? I'm 72 now and would not spend days in the hot sun from 7 AM until past midnight to tech in cars and perform tear downs ever again ! It was not bad when I was in my early 30's, to around the early 60's. Oh well......life goes on. Thanks for the kind words Mr. Norton.
I wished someone would invent a time machine so we could all go back to around the 1960's to watch and or race our Jr. Stockers !
The Sportsmen racers NHRA has right now are their cash cow.I don't think they would be dumb enough to kill off any Eliminator ,including Competion Eliminator that only has a dozen or so cars competing at Divisional races.All the income from memberships,chassis certifications etc. for Sportsmen racers,including bracket racing pay a lot of NHRA 's bills.
I hope your right Lyn. I stopped class racing in 2003. I understand some are paying as much for a set of heads that I had in my last motor. HaHa Now back to the old days. I got this picture from tommyd, here on the HAMB, who I believe got it from Marlon Snyder. Kyle Marshall Vs. Tom Longnecker at Indy. Have to think this might be a class run off. Looks like more fans in the stands than what I saw on live coverage last weekend.
This comment was interesting, The Sportsmen racers NHRA has right now are their cash cow.I don't think they would be dumb enough to kill off any Eliminator ,including Competion Eliminator that only has a dozen or so cars competing at Divisional races.All the income from memberships,chassis certifications etc. for Sportsmen racers,including bracket racing pay a lot of NHRA 's bills. Just remember the N.H.R.A. killed off Modified Production and Junior Stock which were two of the most popular classes they ever had so anything do would not surprise me. Why would you ever kill off two classes that really put on a show on every run. For me things were never the same with the N.H.R.A. after they made that stupid move and I believe there are many racers who were not happy with the N.H.R.A. Jimbo
Talked to Marlin at Indy last week.He says someone in Ca.is restoring his 56 Chevy Jr Stocker.We are going to meet up next month to share some old photos.
I believe this is it. Glad to see more interest in restoring these cars. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1956-chevrolet-1965-nhra-national-champ.847260/
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