What are the "Hot Topics" for
2006?
2/8/06
or
each one of us there is probably a totally different list of “Hot
Topics.” Since I have the honor to write the column, I guess you’ll
have to see what I think the HOT TOPICS are for 2006. If you think I missed
a few or I am just wrong, let me know, that’s what email is for.
Since I am more interested in bracket racing than the Professional ranks I will try to keep this article focused on bracket racing and/or sportsman racing in general. Some of the things that I see as Hot Topics are good things. Some of the things are in need of change and they seem to be overlooked every year. Of course, that’s just my opinion.
The first thing that is a Hot Topic for me is still the overall “health”
of bracket racing. Is it getting so expensive that fewer and fewer racers
feel they can afford to be competitive? Is it necessary to have $50,000
in a S/Pro car or Super Class car to consistently win? Or is it that the
racers who always win have just decided to use that type of car?
With costs escalating, more and more racers feel they need 900 HP and more to “have an edge” at the stripe; they are convinced they need big HP. Where will it end? At recent races I have attended, I noticed one racer bring three cars to increase his chance of winning the big bucks. Some bracket teams consist of four and five cars. With tow rig and trailer this is probably a $350,000 investment. Is this a healthy situation for the sport? Are “super teams” keeping the car counts down at big buck bracket races? Do they intimidate a racer who has a good car but feels the odds are against him when the “super teams” will buy-back and buy-back and hop from one car into the other to stay alive in a race?
Do you think an event would be more or less successful if it allowed one driver in one car at an event, no buy-backs and better round money? What do you see as the best bracket race out there? Is there one particular event you like and feel more racers should attend to see what they thought?
One Hot Topic is the increasing horsepower and speeds of the local bracket racers. At our small ¼ mile track it is not unusual to see several bracket dragsters running in the mid-seven second zone at over 180 mph on a weekly basis. While it is pretty cool to go that fast, the Hot Topic should be: are $25,000 engines really a necessary part of the future of drag racing?
There is one Hot Topic that I just have to mention because I think it is a testimonial to how interesting and competitive bracket racing is. When Jeg Coughlin decided to retire from Pro Stock and return to bracket racing and sportsman racing in general I thought that was just a GREAT ANNOUNCEMENT for all bracket racers to hear. I hope you agree that Jeggie is one of a kind, and to have him speak so highly of bracket racing is great for the sport of bracket racing. When he compares his Moroso Five-Day title with the Pro Stock Championship that is remarkable to say the least.
Have you heard of the A.B.R.A.? It is a newly formed racing association that is for bracket racers only. Is it a new idea? Is it a good idea? Is it revolutionary? I would say no to all of those questions. Do bracket racers need or want another “Association” to deal with? I am not sure, but time will answer that question.