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8/9/04
Wondering Again
Just Wondering ... the recent
news that my pal Tracy Winters bought Richard Holcomb's
last fuel car started me thinking about the tuner of that
car, my old friend, the late Clayton Harris and wondering
why he isn't in one of the Halls of Fame. Harris often worked
on the smallest of budgets yet he managed to make Richard
Holcomb the third member of the four-second club ahead of
some pretty famous names. He also tuned Paul Romine's front-motored
car to the first ever five-second run for one of those cars.
He was a serious innovator/inventor and a hitter Top Fuel
driver/tuner in his own right winning both an NHRA and IHRA
National Event. He crew chiefed Paul Romine to three IHRA
Top Fuel World Championsips, yet he still isn't in a Hall
of Fame? Is this just another example of politics overshadowing
achievement in the drag racing community?
Just Wondering ... speaking
of Hall-of-Fame drivers and tuners, am I the only one who
thinks that the anointing of Greg Anderson as the king of
Pro Stock is just a little premature? Just in case Greg
and his many fans may have forgotten, let me remind them
of just a few of "Mad Dog" Bob Glidden's accomplishments
during his driving career. In 1987 he went undefeated for
the season. He had a string of 23 races in a row qualifying
No. 1, he won 50 straight rounds in NHRA competition and
that hideous Fairmont he drove never lost a single race,
national event or match according to son Bill Glidden. I'm
not saying that Anderson isn't having a fantastic season
and certainly could break all of Bob's records, but let's
remember that he has a way to go just to equal Glidden's
record.
Just Wondering ... if nitro
is (to paraphrase Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson) "the straw
that stirs the drink" in drag racing and it is the main
attraction as many NHRA and IHRA officials believe, why
don't they have more nitro classes instead of fewer? Why
not bring back Top Fuel Bike to the U.S. Nationals? Allow
Pro Mods to burn 40% in the tank? Why not injected nitro
coupes for IHRA competition? If the fans want nitro - -
and I'm one who believes they do -- why not give it to them?
Just Wondering ... if they can figure out how to burn nitro in Jr.
dragster Briggs and Stratton engines, shouldn't the Pro Stock Bike folks
be able to too? I'd be a lot more interested in PSB if they burned nitro
in those units.
Just Wondering ... How much does winning the U.S. Nationals really mean
as an accomplishment if the only perk NHRA has to offer the past winners
is a discount ticket? C'mon guys, couldn't you give the winners a least
one or two general admission tickets as a gesture of admiration and
respect?
Just Wondering ... Couldn't the announcers for the NHRA television
program be a little more excited and act like a fan when something
exceptional occurs at a race they're covering? I dunno, maybe it is the
suits they make them wear, maybe they think they're on Sixty Minutes or
Meet the Press? I don't know about anyone else but a little "old school"
announcing schtick wouldn't bother me.
Just Wondering ... Wouldn't it be cool if NHRA brought in Ron Leek or
Bret Kepner just to announce the SS/AA shootout at this year's U.S.
Nationals?
Just Wondering ... Can I get any bets if I place the over/under for
total professional supercharged nitro entries at Indy at 53?
Just Wondering ... Isn't it incredible that NHRA is telling people that
their polls indicate that most fans don't care at all about Pro
Modified? Wonder who is taking those polls, PRO?
Just Wondering ... Why do promoters of races like the $50,000 to win
"Big Dog" street legal race at Piedmont Dragway and the $1,000,000 to
win bracket race at George Howard's track spend little or no money on
national advertising and then wonder why they don't get national
recognition or bigger crowds? Our reader survey indicated that many
spectators will travel 500 miles or more to see a race if they know
about it.
Just Wondering ... Who is going to stop the Kalitta Top Fuel juggernaut?
With three cars, three talented drivers, and Connie and advisors tuning,
I wouldn't be surprised if a Kallita car won all of the rest of the
races this season.
Just Wondering ... Will Prudhomme, Schumacher, and Bernstein be forced
to field a second car next season to be competitive?
Just Wondering ... Should I just go to Indy and find a restaurant/bar
with a jumbo-tron and cold beer that promises to broadcast all 12 hours
of the event or go to the track in that wonderful late August Indiana
heat and humidity? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Just Wondering ... What will the 100th U.S. Nationals be like?
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