Folks Of Interest Prudhomme selling out?

Very good points. I;ve been to the Autolite Nationals several times at Sears Point and always have a great time, but by the end of the day, (about 5:00) I'm ready to go. But When I went to Pinks All Out last year, I didn't leave the track until 11:00 and was happy to still be there. Why is that? I love nitro cars, but there wasn't one anywhere in sight at Pinks yet I was still thrilled. I remember talking with the guy next to me about it and we agreed that this was the best racing because there's no firggin' handicapped starts and no delay boxes, just plain old heads up racing. We watched 400 cars run down the strip twice before the racing actually began! It was a party atmosphere, good people, good cars, good racing. When I go to the NHRA races, I love it was well, but it's just not the same, you know? It's all business, drivers reading their sponsor list during interviews, and I just don't like having that shit shoved down my throat all day. Fuck the sponsors, make racing cheaper, get rid of the hospitality areas and lets bring the car guys back to racing.

 

In order for corporations to sponsor teams, they must make a profit on the goods and services they sell. With this current "spread the wealth" mentality inwhich corporations are considered evil for making a profit, and with ever increasing corporate taxes, corporations will be forced to sponsoring less and less in all sporting events. This trickles down to small businesses as well. As small businesses get hit harder and harder, they too will be forced stop sponsoring little league teams, fireworks displays, and other local community events.

 

Y'know, I say this in all honesty and sincerity...and my background includes alot of time messing with Big Show cars.
All will be right in the sport of Drag Racing when Top Fuel cars begin showing up on open trailers again.

 

I've just got one, (maybe two) things to say, I haven't missed Indy for a while, I usually go Friday or Saturday, this year work precluded that, was going to go today....Sunday admission, reserved seats...$61.00 per..$6.00 beer, Screw the NHRA, they are in another world, I hope nobody shows up, just my 3 cents worth, Dave

 

Maybe I've posted this point before but...ever notice during an nhra (lack of caps intentional) telecast, not one word about how drag racing is the only motorsport where you can race your grandmothers minivan on the ACTUAL race track as the 'big shots'? They don't promote their own sport to the people who ACTUALLY keep it alive! $$$$$$ to the top, screw the worker bees. Sounds familiar, huh?
Every small time event I've been to this year has had a great turn-out, and yet 'the big go' is down...hmm.
Snake should get out and start showing up at small events with his old open hauler, a nostalgia funny,sell swag and enjoy his fame.
Ckeck out the ADRL, hell, they GIVE the tickets away and put on a great show. You should see how many kids are there, they're prolonging the love and addiction!

 

1,000' "drag races".
Hospitality areas roped off to keep the public at bay
Toyotas in the "Daytona 500"

what more do you need to be disillusioned?

The California Hot Rod Reunion is coming up in a few weeks.
I don't know how the NHRA can ruin it, but I'm sure there's a committee at this very moment to do just that.

 

You know when you read the posts on Drag Racing it always turns into a bitch session.
Why is that
OK heres my 2 cents and all apologies to the Don Prudhomme start
Wait a minute
You know what just screw it I cant type that fast and who cares what I think anyway... Obviously NHRA does not.
You get old , things change and you die.

On a side note here is my favorite pic of the Snake

 

just a sign of the times fellas.

NHRA is just like any other racing, almost done for. If you can't run without gaining sponsorship from somewhere, then you know it's too coorporate, I don't care what you drive on Saturday night.

But the thing is every sport is getting to be too coorporate. I have have friends who are competitive bass fishers who can't get any farther than the semi-pro/amateur ranks because they can't find sponsorship even though they are some of the best around.

If you have to set your hobby up as a seperate entity so you can handle the taxes from winnings, travel expenses, sponsorship money (if you ever can find some), etc, is it really a sport or just a side businees you do on weekends? The best question we can ask ourselves would be if we could race without actually winning anything but bragging rights would we still do it? And if so, why?

My own father chased that dream for nearly fifteen years in sportsman/late model stocks and is still paying the debt back to this day.

I believe the greater point to all of the problems with coorporatism vs sport is that no one ever seems to have the money on their own to make the show in this day and age. So when times get tough for the ones that do, there has to be something to give way.

Think about it. In ten people you know, how many have everything they own bought and paid for. How many people do you know really sweated it out during $4+ gasoline? How many people do you know have bought groceries with a credit card? How many people do you know have a running debt with a medical facility?

Its a sign of the times, and the times say that nearly everyone is a lot more broke than they say or act like they are.

 

HERE! HERE! Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

Personally, i can't see Prudhomme quiting after 47 years. If this was his 50th year i wouldn't be suprised. Losing Dixon doesn't help in finding that all important sopnsor but the 'SNAKE' brand name should see this veteran around for a few more years.

Now, what's with the NHRA bashing? When all major motorsports around the world can finish a race within a four hour window, i think NHRA has every right to overhaul the orginisation. Unfortunately most fans are stuck in a time warp and can't/won't get with the times.

 

Three words, Jalopy Showdown Drags.

 

not to start a flame war on here, the BIG drag racing has all become sanitized and exactly alike, but there are lots of young people at drag strips all across the country, it may be street cars or imports,but these cars are built by the kids driving them, and by their friends just like the old days, the cars may be different,but the kids at the strips want to win just like in drag racings glory days, The NHRA may vanish, but I believe these young people at the grassroots level will keep the sport of drag racing alive. This is why Pinks is so popular, it's guys who built their own cars and figured out how to make them fast. forget the NHRA and their clone cars, take off the glass and you couldn't tell them apart. blink and the race is over. I would much rather watch the young person who made his own car actually out there driving it, so it's slower, at least you can tell who won and it wasn't by .000000003 of a second,

 

actually, bud dropping bernstein has been known about since around the 1st of the season...

anybody realise that the pros do not pay an entry fee...?

i can't hardy stand to watch AND pro racing anymore, too much hype, not enough substance.

 

If you dig old school drag racing check out the ANRA. They race at Bakersfield lots of cool old school cars.

http://anra.com/

 

I had more damn fun at the Ardmore Hot Rod Reunion this past Saturday, watching the cars go down the 1/8-mile track, than I've had attending any NHRA or NA$CAR event I've been to over the past fifteen or so years!

Grassroots racing is where it's at! The sanctioning bodies are in it fior the $$$ and high-$$$ sponsorships...sure as hell NOT for the fans, cars, or drivers, that's for damn sure!

 

These kind of cars actually make me ill. Look at this piece of shit!
The guy who built that wouldn't know cool if it hit him in the head...

 

Cool doesn't win races, quick does. If you really want 60's looking cars, you're gonna have to put it in the rulebook.
And I'll agree to the arguement that the "Big Show" isn't the only show in town. Lots of stuff on a local and regional level that's just as much fun.
When did drag racing get to be something you go watch instead of something you go do?
Larry T

 

chitbox dodge

Good post,And you are correct,

My two cents .........

I have alot to say on this subject HOWEVER this is not the place..

LETS just say , I love drag racing ,soooooooooooooo

No big show for me ,I'll just go to the small shows and have a blast.....

 

ADRL.........Damn thats what I was tryin to think of in my early post,I would love to see this grow and Snake has the smarts to run that and do it with class.........bad part it Direct tv will not show their races any more because they have a contract on Versus cable channel and comcast owns it........to bad its the best racing on tv lately..........

 

Ya lost the IRL too. The ADRL is ok just can't stand the broadcasters.

 

For the on topic portion:
Can't blame The Snake for getting out.
He's nearly 70 and still alive to tell the stories.

off topic:
I grew up in the pinnacle of drag racing during the mid 60's / 70's in Central and SoCal and attended races at Lions, Pomona, Fontana and Famoso. Sold my drag car in the mid 70's and turned to 4WD's, Baja's and sand buggies, didn't attend anymore drags until the late 80's when my boys were old enough to appreciate them.

At that race I thought "WTF happened, it's no longer about a guy, the car he built and getting to the finish line first, it's now about the almighty dollar". Since then, I've only gone to the races a few times and that was to help crew a friend's car.

NHRA needs to take a look at what makes PINKS so popular. For $20 I went to a PINKS event last July and it had the 'spirit' of old school drags. Round after round I was on my feet rooting for a 19 year old kid with a low dollar S-10 pickup that him and his dad had built.

The "Big Show" is pricing themselves out of reach to the average fan. Without fans, drag racing is dead.

Return the races to the little guys. NO delay boxes, transbrakes, nitrous, throttle stops, traction aids and the list goes on. While were at it, get rid of automatic transmissions altogether. A 'real driver' is more fun to watch.

 

That's for all the kids he got hooked on Smokeless Tobacco.

 

Then bring back rocket cars!

 

Six-time NHRA champion and Hall of Famer Kenny Bernstein has named Copart, Inc., an online remarketing company that sells more than 1 million cars per year, as the primary sponsor of his legendary Top Fuel team beginning in 2010.

Kenny Bernstein signs the contract on ESPN2 to field a dragster sponsored by Copart in 2010.than 1 million cars per year, as the primary sponsor of his legendary Top Fuel team beginning in 2010.

Copart sells vehicles using an online auction format at www.copart.com , making it easy for people to search for an bid on vehicles from the comfort of their home or office.

Bernstein’s dragster will continue to be driven by his son Brandon and will feature a new blue paint scheme that mirrors Coparts colors.

The Copart sponsorship starts a new chapter for Bernstein, who ends a 30 year relationship with Budweiser at the conclusion of 2009.

 

The Mongoo$e said it best ," It's a money game"! It was true in 1976 and it's true in 2009. When it gets right down to it it's all about money. The days of 3 guys building a fuel car and running it on the weekends out of the back yard are long gonig. Even "nostalgia" fuel racing is all ugly cars. Some of the funny cars are cool but then you got guys with money building highend cars with 1979 Mustang bodies. Have you seen the fuel pits at Bakersfield? Looks almost like a NHRA pro event with the big rigs and trailers.

Fuel Altereds Forever!!!!!!!11

 

I think the fact that Prudhomme left Indy and headed back to Cal. and in the interview with Spencer stated the thing he misses is sitting behind a fuel engine between the slicks, says a lot. after 50 years I think he is just tired of the whole thing, it just isn't fun anymore.
I would love to see him, Ivo, Garlits, the Greek, Mongoose, Shirley, and who ever else is left do some kind of a "legends" tour, I would pay just to listen to the stories, or watch them do some side by side racing in some kind of "IROC" drag car.
I remember talking with him when I raced at Indy in '69, hard to believe that was 40 years ago. geeze he's old.

 

Don't want to go to the big shows?
There are plenty of the small ones going on, get out there and support them.
I just returned from the HAMB drags two weeks ago, 100 times better than NHRA or any big time meet. Regular people who built their cars to run down the track, some of them drove their cars 1000's of miles and raced them down the track.
Billetproof has started having nostalgia drag races.
These are the people we need to support to keep the grass roots type racing alive and well.
Robert

 

Didn't realize Bernstein had picked up sponsorship. Good. Saves Brandon from having to get a real job.

 

When going fast became too expensive for 97.5% of all people to afford.

I love all out racing (in all its forms) as much as anyone, but without rules in place to limit the technology, things inevitably slide off the high end of the dollar scale.

Look at F1. To run a single car for a single season, Ferrari spends ~$300,000,000. That does not include R&D, the factories and people to build the cars, or the cost of replacing cars damaged in wrecks.

It was estimated that Ferrari spent nearly three quarters of a billion dollars ($750,000,000) to win Schumacher's last championship.

That's a shitload of money, by anyone's standards, which is why you see fewer and fewer F1 teams as time goes on.

Top Fuel Dragster and Top Fuel Funny Car are exactly the same thing, albeit at a lower overall dollar figure (mostly because the technology allowed is not entirely unlimited).

Everyone hates rules. Rules are a drag. BUT, without some kind of limits on technology, the cars become so expensive as to severely limit participation.

The trick is to implement the right rules.

Instead of making a bunch of specific engine or transmission rules, do something simple like spec a really hard/narrow tire, and manually shifted transmissions with actual clutches.

Once you've found the formula that makes for a good race, stand your ground.

IMCA had a pretty good formula for dirt modified racing until folks decided that instead of not spending money on motors that could be bought for $500, they'd just spend the $6,000 per motor and sell them whenever they had to. Johnny the Jet was a hell of an ambassador for our slice of oval racing, but he was also the anti-Christ, because he was the first to realize that if he could find a big sponsor, it didn't matter how many $6,000 motors he had to sell in a season, he could do it and whoop the field every night. That's how he won so many national championships. Now, don't get me wrong, he's one hell of a shoe, but the money he was spending on motors meant that anyone else running for the national championship had to do the same.

IMCA saw what was going on, and didn't do anything, or rather, they did the wrong things, instead of addressing the motor issue (how they would have done that, I confess, I do not know). A fairly high minimum weight would have helped lessen the advantage that big bucks had, but instead, they went limp and totally the other way. Opened up the shock and spring rules, allowing first coil over eliminators, and then coil overs themselves (still with the big springs), and now fabricated lower control arms, and aftermarket steering boxes, as well as the remaining lack of a minimum weight. Looking at the present vector, fabricated stubs and the loss of the claim rule are just around the corner.

You can either go all out, with no limits on technology, and spend as much as it takes, or you can set some limits on the technology and at least attempt to keep the costs in check. The first has a very fast, but a very small field, while the latter will have a somewhat slower pace, and a MUCH larger field.