Has professional drag racing lost it's audience?

I think a new set of rules should be initiated for the true nostalgia cars. If the cars only run 1/8 mile you should be able to run a 3 point cage in a dragster or altered. As long as a car dose not exceed 150 MPH you can loosen up on alot of the safety rules. Ufortunately most dragstrips here on the west coast are under NHRA sanction, so you have to run their rules! It's funny how NHRA ignored nostalgia racing until it became a cash cow. Then all of a sudden they jumped on board full throttle!!!! NHRA needs to adress this because this is the real grass roots of drag racing. And if it goes away so does a big part of their customer base.

 

yes.
big money and electronics have ruined it for me even on a bracket car level
with the event of cross over delay boxes,stutter boxes,shift noids,and other hocus pocus it has become a matter of who has the best electronics.
all you have to do now is matt the pedal, unpress a button,and steer.
how much skill is involved there?
no foot braking,launching,or aticipating the lights involved.
at summit motorsports park they have such high cement barriers all you can see it two roofs going down the track
big fun there.

 

Here's the latest on the resurrected AHRA. Rod Saint from Florida started reorganizing it and has recently brought in the son of Jim Tice who originally founded the AHRA. Along with Jim Tice, Jr is Troy Moe who was also an integral part of the original AHRA.
I've been in touch with Rod Saint for over a year and wish him and the new operation nothing but success. The NHRA could use some serious competition and the little guy/grass roots racer needs another choice. I hope the new AHRA furnishes both.

http://ahradragracing.com/AHRA_HOME.html

BTW, this is a new website and still doesn't have a lot of information posted. The former site (which was disbanded just recently) had information on at least three tracks that have committed to AHRA for 2010. At present there is no official rule book but one of my last communications with Rod Saint indicated it is VERY close to hitting the press.

We operated an AHRA 1/8 mile strip in the late '60s thru mid '70s and had a great association with Jim Tice and the entire organization. When I contacted Rod Saint and told him of our previous association he was excited to hear the stories and even offered his support of the Dragway Reunion we've had for the past few years. He's a genuine person and a true car guy who is also races a big block '70 Cuda.

 

Professional drag racing and bracket racing aren't even close to being the same.

The pros have gotten to big and now that sponsorship money is drying up they're in pretty big trouble. Add to that, spectators don't have as much disposable income and there are even more problems. And the new format sucks. Other than that it's OK. (G)

To get into drag racing as something to do instead of something to watch, bracket racing has gotten way to high tech and boring. That leaves Test & Tune/Run what you brung and the smaller Nostalgia meets. They're pretty much grass roots drag racing and they are about the only drag races that still bring a smile to my face.
Larry T

 

if you think bracket racing is boring ....take your hot rod to the strip and run that thing. you will have a ball........ no matter how slow or fast

as for a good show , take in one of the 8.5 tire shows. pretty good show , a 26x8.5 tire car running 5.40's ( heard they are in the 5.20 range) in the eight.

 

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

If you had a chance to race a dragster or altered as you mentioned, i guarantee you wouldn't build it with a 3 point cage, even if it couldn't exceed 130MPH. What you are saying is you would rather build a showcar instead of a racecar. Why risk injury or loss of life?

Nostalgia racing has never been a cash cow for the NHRA. Don't believe me? Big time corporate sponsors want nothing to do with old cars and 'hotrodders'. I take it you have heard the possible closure or relocation of the museum?

Nostalgia racing is not grassroots dragracing in the eyes of NHRA. Divisional racing is, always has and always will be. When was the last time you went to an NHRA Divisional show? Plenty of old cars there. Stock and S/Stocks too, just like the old days.
Heck, they even have FEDragsters racing in Comp. Elim. ..And they're quite successful too..

 

Bracket Racing isn't so bad and neither is Index racing. Most of the Nostalgia races that I run are run on a index. What I think most people are referring to are "electronic racers". Those are the ones that jump off the line, then shut down and then take back off.

 

see I don't get "Nostalgia racing" casue most of what I see is old bodies stuff with modern technology ..Very rarely do I see OLD cars ,,survivours ,,etc I don't see a modern chassis with all the electric dodads and whooie ,,and a Glass Willys body as a Nostalgia car

More reproduction or recreation

as a TRUE Nostalgia car can't pass inspection

 

Hi Wing. Most of the old chassis are in bad shape metal wise. Tubing on a dragster that's 40 yrs old is usually rusted inside. chrome moly that's .058 isn't safe after 40 yrs. NHRA ain't the only game in town either. We run outlaw stuff and will run any car, anytime, A/fuel, top fuel, pro mod, I don't care. Just show me the money.

 

I don't mind paying $50.00 for a day of drag racing and the freedom to walk around in the pits and talk to crew and drivers
But when you start the 1/8 mile racing , I'm out

 

My summer place is less than 20 miles from Brainerd International Raceway. I was talking to one of my buddies last summer, and we decided it might be fun to go to the drag races (NHRA regional meet), not having been to one for more years than I care to admit. I got on their website, took one look at the prices, and it was game over. Super expensive, and they charge for every extra you can imagine. Premium parking, semi-premium parking, shuttle service, and even a fee if you bring a golf cart (I'm 67 with arthritis and didn't relish the walk from the free parking, well over a mile). I can't even imagine what a weekend would cost for someone with no free lodging. I used to race in the '50's and 60's. It lost it's appeal to me when they got rid of the human flagman and started using the tree. Guess I'll stick to the vintage dirt car, if we can get some races scheduled.

 

Yes that I understand and the safe aspect is paramount,,but even a 'good' old car would not meet cage requirements based on things I've read.

Hell I bet Jungle Jims Vega would pass nowadays,,lol

yes Viva Outlaw Drags

 

Oh ya come to ssfr at bir in aug 2010 must be a member run your wheels off grudge, or just you and the clock racin the way it used to be FUN!!!!!

 

breezy point and your bitchin about money come on nhra the circus, all the rest of it the clowns, and tv...........

 

my buddy races c-gas competetively and runs in the low 9's on a good day. he has nowhere near that amount of money into his motor and tranny. not even half of that quote you threw out there. maybe you should research it a little more.

 

Racing used to captivate the imagination. Now it is too much like Hollywood.

 

I have been a drag racing fan for the past 20 years. So I don't know anything about the good old days, but I don't like the way the NHRA is moving the sport. There are maybe 50 guys that have fuel cars that can run on a big time scale, that's top fuel and funny car. I see the sportsman racer paying the bills and the pro guys get all of the rewards. I can't stand watching super class cars with huge engines that could run in the 7s run 9's with a delay box.

I go to the Winter Nats and Finals every year. The price for one day keeps going up and up and up.

I found nostalgia racing about 10 years and fell in love with it. Most of the names have new equipment but I find it more fun then the Big Show stuff.

I know the days of 3 guys running a fuel dragster with a hemi from the junkyard are long gone. That's why I think it's important to support guys like the ANRA and the new AHRA.

 

If you want your imagination to be captivated go to a national event and wander through the Comp. Eliminator pits. If 4cyl. BB Chevys {1/2 a moutain motor} or 7sec. I6 cylinder altereds take your fancy then i'm sure you would have a new found respect for the 'little guy' racers.

If you want Hollywood, hang around Camp Force and immerse yourself in dribble.

 

I went to "Arm drop Live" this year at Cedar Falls raceway here in Iowa and I have to say it was the most fun i've had at a dragstrip in a long time. It does eventually turn into a money game, but heads up racing off a guys arms is pretty neat. Run what you brung! A friend had a car that was obviously faster than the car he raced, but he missed a gear in final eliminations and he was out. Too bad, but thats how it goes. Lots of fun to watch. Indexing is retarded and so is nascar. But really, how else do you make a sport competitive when now its a big money game. Technology destroyed everything grass roots racing and nascar was all about, so they have to make rules on things or else its even more about how much money you have. But i makes it boring.
Going to nascar, i wish they would have a type of go buy a car off the dealership floor, do whatever you want the the engine as long as internals are the same, cage it, race it. I would watch. That would be real STOCK Car racing again.

 

Not much to do with Pro racing, but this is a comparing apples to oranges. The only C/Gas class I know of is NHRA Heritage Series. You build your car to the rules, and pick you're index and you're there. No weight/cubic inch anywhere in the deal. If you wanna run a 540 cu. in. engine in a 2500 lb. car and tune it for D/Gas (10.60) that's fine.

It's a little bit different in the big show where there is a weight/cu. in. in SS. The last .100 that's the difference in winning and putting it on the trailer might cost $10,000.00 in technology.
Larry T

 

The answer to the original question lies right here. Has NHRA drag racing lost it's allure? Look at Royal Shifter's Drag Cars in Motion thread, almost all nostalgia cars, and what, almost 800 pages with over a million hits? And look at this thread, which is what? six years old and has four pages? There's the answer. NHRA sucks. It sucks so bad, the ashats in charge don't even know how bad they suck.

 

I too prefer 1/4, but 1/8 mile is still better than not having local strips. We have a lot of 1/8 mile tracks on the east coast and we do a lot of racing. Hell, most ADRL events are eighth and their Pro-Mods consistently run high 3's, low 4's.....nothing boring about that.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

ahradragracing.com they are fully insured, and looking for tracks! check it out, lets hope they do some thing good with this sport!

 

They (the NHRA) needs to get those mop-squeezers out of those cars and back into the kitchen where they belong.

"Git yer biscuits in the oven, and yer buns in the bed."----Kinky Friedman

 

They lost me years ago with the advent of the cookie cutter /all the same motors and only covering the top 4 classes at NHRA events on TV.(Boring)
Now I see IHRA Pro Mods,etc. on ESPN and SPEED and I watch them every time they are on.

 

If the NHRA had Funny Cars that looked a lot more like the real thing and Pro Stock cars that people still drive it would make a much better show. Nobody makes a 500 ci carb motors !!! How about Mustang vs Camaro vs Dodge and I would say even the imports. Front wheel drive vs rear wheel drive.

 

I am the crew cheif on a nostalgia funny car (picture below) and we run in the midwest. Most of the events we run with the NPCA (nostalgia pro comp assoc.), a really good bunch of guys that run for the fun of it and must have period correct looking cars. We run a 73 Duster body, 8-71 blower, single mag, 2 speed lenco, and NO computer, yes we still tune the car by reading the plugs, and we can run any % of nitro we desire. We also still run the entire 1/4th mile !! The group of funny cars we run with, some replicas of old cars (Chi Town Hustler, Stardust Cuda) and some just good looking cars with names as they were in the day. Most of us run in the low 6 second range with a few high 5 second runs occasionaly. We have a great time and try to put a good show for the fans, Long burnouts and dry hops, yep you heard me right DRY HOPS. We also don't rope our pit areas closed to the fan, you can accually come up and touch the car and watch between race prep unlike the current day cars. We are running in Bowling Green this weekend as are the NPCA guys, so if you want to take a trip down memory lane come and watch.
I haven't been to a current day NHRA race in years, and quite frankly I don't really miss them.

 

Looks like one hell of a cool toy!

 

I think you need to spend a few hours in a titty bar

 

thanks Older'n dirt & dean3870 for the dirt on the resurrected AHRA.

it looks like a lot of opportunities for heads-up racing in the "traditional" classes and in the national event sportsmen classes and there seems to be some room for open-minded interpretation of those classes as well. i would like to see that rulebook when it is available. hopefully a more basic outline of the rules will also be posted on the website as well.