In keeping with the spirit of the season the old Burkster has come up with his own list of things that he would like the Jolly Old Elf with the Top Fuel reindeer-powered sleigh to deliver to drag racing for Christmas.

• More executives in drag racing that are more interested in the well-being of the fans, the competitors and the sport itself than themselves and the bottom line on their profit and loss sheets.
  
  
• More racers in drag racing that will put the sport of drag racing ahead of their own personal agenda and class.
  
  
• Fewer whiners and more doers (or more Dewar's, if I can't get that.)
  
  
• A ticket pricing program at national events similar to what other sports do: Set aside a small percentage of unreserved seating for the low budget, entry-level fans on Friday and Saturday at all events.
  
  
• Fuel Funny Cars at IHRA national events.
  
  
• Sixteen-car Pro Mod fields at NHRA national events.
  
  
• A couple of NHRA national events for Sportsman racers only!
  
  
• A program where NHRA would run the SS/AA shootout at Indy on a day when the stands are full and make a bigger deal out of it. These are the real Pro Stock cars of drag racing and are seriously entertaining. 8.60-second, 150-mph, wheelstanding, 3,000-lb door cars going heads up is way cool!
  
  
• That NHRA and IHRA would develop a Pro Stock class using Detroit's current production cars and engines, turbocharging and EFI. In a word, give the fans and consumers a real Pro Stock class instead of cars with 500-800 inch carbureted motors that no young man or woman can relate to much less buy.
  
  
• National event wins for Chris "The Golden Greek" Karamesines and Don "Big Daddy" Garlits so that they could finally retire once and for all.
  
  
• That the guys suing NHRA over the Pro Stock Truck fiasco would see that the class is never coming back, their law suit is harming drag racing and many of their fellow drag racers, and they should just move on.
  
  
• That the powers at IHRA finally come to realize that the racers that compete in their Pro class truly are their partners and treat them as such, instead of treating them as just another person they can sell tickets to.
  
  
• A Pro Stock world championship for Pro Stock racers Larry Morgan or Allen Johnson. OK, OK, I know there are a lot of other racers who deserve a championship but these two guys are personal friends of mine, it's my Christmas list, and I can ask for anything I want.
  
  
• Rules that do away with electronic crossover and delay boxes in Super Gas and Super Comp and put the driver back in the equation. Winners ought not to be determined, more often than not, by reaction time and sixty-foot times.
  
  
• The return of Fuel Altereds as an NHRA or IHRA Pro class.
  
  
• That NHRA and IHRA would bury the hatchet (not in each other) and work together to really bring drag racing to the next level for fans and sponsors.
  
  
• Peace, please sweet Jesus, peace!

OK, Santa, that's the Burkster's wish list. I think I've been a pretty good boy this year. You can ask almost anybody except Tom Compton, Bill Bader, the Pro Stock Truck guys, the Nitrous Oxide racers, and a few other industry types. Oh yeah, and don't believe those stories that Dave Densmore, Dave Wallace, Ron Lewis, Ian Tocher, Jeff Leonard, Darr Hawthorne, Rick Shute, Don Gillispie or Chris Martin. . .especially Chris Martin. . .tell you. I swear it wasn't me. I wasn't even there! I know a lot of the things I asked for you probably can't deliver, so if you can only get me one present I asked for make it the last one! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

photo by Randy Fish

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