Why I watch NHRA

Another good quote from this past weekend at the Vegas Strip race by Tony Schumacher, who was knocked out of the first round, "Well we did our best today, but still came up short. Not happy to be here (with the announcers in the booth), but I do like talking to you guys. For all you kids out there watching, your teachers maybe aren't telling you the whole truth. Not everyone gets a participation trophy. Each run someone gets the win light and someone doesn't. At the end of the day, someone gets the win light and the trophy and 15 guys get nothing."

 

Still one of the best forms of racing. Everyone can play and your budget is what you can afford. Good stuff in my opinion.

 

+ 1

Feeling the ground shake underneath you, especially while standing on aluminum flooring, is something that television just can't convey. It's far more intense than a space shuttle launch. Ear-protection is mandatory!

The risk of red-lighting can catch some of the big names early in eliminations, opening the way for an underdog story to develop. Sure would like to see Ron Capps win a funny-car championship this year or while he still has a contract. He's been like the Mark Martin of drag racing.

 

I wish they would put the tracks back to 1320 ft. I think the new tracks lose some of the allure.

 

Yup, I think they've destroyed tradition by decreasing the length.

Better answer would have been to drop the nitro mix. These cars are running close to 100% nitro - far too much power. However, how many times are they dropping a cylinder, smoking the tires, or blowing up? Nearly every run!

Dial it back to 80% nitro, the cars will still run low-to-mid 4's with low 300 mph speeds. The problem has been that the increasing speeds are overpowering tracks that were built in the 60's and 70's. You can ask those tracks to expand, but that's asking a lot.

I'm just as happy seeing side-by-side 5 second runs...the speed / ET isn't really as relevant as the nitro cars assault the senses so much that it's an experience.

 

+1 They lost something by not going the full quarter mile.

 

force and Schumacher rule

 

They should. They spend the most money.

 

I agree 100%. They are making some really big mistakes that will have long term negative ramifications, and Pro Stock is a great example. No less an authority than the great Warren Johnson weighed in on this very topic:

I know a lot of the motorsports struggle with this - aero and technology dictating function over form, but some have managed it better (WEC, and more recently F1 - going back to slicks really improved the look of the cars IMHO).

The Funny Cars look stupid. The Pro Stockers look like a blob with wheels - horrendous.

I remember the Bernstein Buick Reatta that started this - just a horrible looking thing, but effective. Yet, the Candies / Hughes Thunderbird driven by Mark Oswald was a thing of beauty, and was equally competitive.

Tradition means something - they are struggling to find their place, they would do well to scale back on the aero rules and maybe even drop speeds for the fuelers (see my previous post on dropping the nitro mix - how many side-by-side runs do you see anymore???).

 

I have never been to a NHRA event (and living less than 1hr from Baytown is sad, I know) and the shows may last only 3-4 seconds but the driver/pit access is worth the cost and drive imho. I could spend the entire day in the pits watching the teams breakdown and rebuild engines.

 

a big wheelstanding +1

pro stock = funny cars with doors

 

If only there was more variety in body style...though I think the yellow wand black Lambos are the same car.
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Baytown was yesterday; you have one year to get ready to go. Don't miss it.

 

And the new season begins.

- Pro Stock, FC, and Top Fuel finals all in the single digit thousandths of a second win margins.
- Pro Stock new EFI with no hood scoops.
- Top Fuel is experiencing the change in tire height during acceleration (as the low PSI tires "stand up") as the equivalent to a gear change.

 

Wow I'm out of touch. Its not 1320 anymore??? what is it?

 

"On July 2, 2008, following the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, the NHRA announced that race distances for Top Fuel and Funny Car classes would temporarily be reduced to 1,000 ft from the traditional 1/4 mile (1320 ft). The measure was intended to be temporary while safety solutions were explored; however, the races have remained at 1000 feet since Kalitta's death. The distance remains at 1,000 feet today at the request of the teams as a cost-saving measure, with no indication by NHRA officials of any intent of returning to the full quarter-mile format any time soon. By late 2012, 1,000 foot racing became globally recognised as the 2012 FIA European title in Top Fuel became 1,000-foot championships, as Santa Pod and Hockenheim (the last two quarter-mile nitro strips) made the switch, and Australian nitro racing switched to the 1,000-foot distance only for selected tracks."

 

Supposed to slow the cars down and give them ample slow down area.

 

A friend and I would go in the 60s and early 70s to National speedway on Long Island. Our dads would take us and garlits(our favorite), tommy ivo, and prudome were the big boys back then. Even then when the cars passed by, you could feel it right in your chest and they were really loud. We had a blast and would also go to the figure 8 races and 1/4 mile ovals. For some reason, they never took us to Bridge Hampton to see the can am races. There was tons of racing back then in NY, even a GP.

 

All it has accomplished is provide more run off. It's a dumb, short sighted view that has angered traditional NHRA fans. The right answer was to force a reduction in power. For example, the nitro mix - cars are still running 90% nitro / alcohol. In the old days, it was closer to 50%.

I cut my teeth at Englishtown, first attending races in 1970 (I have film of it - amazing stuff). The quest for speed has yielded a fascinating sight, but unidentifiable jellybean cars that elicit zero interest other than the driver. Why do you think nostalgic drag racing is now of high interest?

Stop the madness - drag racing is 1/4 mile. I couldn't care less if a car goes 330mph or 250mph, it's more than speed that matters.

 

I went to bridge hampton a bunch before they closed. It was nice having something that close by even though it was a piece of crap

 

I think its better in drag racing, to regulate track distance, than trying to enforce limits on cars. It still lets teams innovate without penalty.

 

I've been to F1 and IHRA TF Drag Racing at Hockenheim.

I'll take The Drags ..... ANY DAY.