The Time Has Come for Sport
Compact Racing
7/9/04
  f
today's sport compact drivers, only a few seem
to be interested in drag racing or performance
hop-ups as the '50s hot rodders did. Sure there
are prohibitive smog regulations, potential
new car warranty slams and increased insurance
payments, but the majorities just want their
rides to look and sound cool. Today's sport
compact rodder doesn't seem to be buying all-out
performance adders like cranks, rods, pistons
and cylinder heads as many aftermarket manufacturers
had hoped for. Yes there are some performance
buyers, but many manufacturers are reassessing
the drag racing component of the sport compact
industry. From what I have seen, the idea that
today's sport compact buyers are just the next
'50s hot rodder is not panning out.
Most car manufacturers will void new car warranties
if major modifications are made; so many sport
compact street drivers are interested in "bling-bling",
a bottle of nitrous or a computer performance
program. Tires and wheels, chrome valve covers,
plug wires, halogen headlights, street glow,
vinyl graphics and dress-up kits are the most
popular and a ton of it is sold.
According to a recent Autoweek article, Mitsubishi
is reportedly scanning weekly Sports Car Club
of America Autocross results in an effort to
red-flag potential warranty claims for their
performance vehicles. They hope this will prevent
their local service departments from becoming
crew chiefs for weekend warriors while the car
is still under warranty. The cost to sport compact
hot rodders is stout with replacement of turbos
running in the thousands of dollars. It's not
inconceivable that some manufacturers might
start sending a representative to local drag
strips for weekend test-n-tunes and scout for
newly purchased Dodge SRT-4s and Subaru WRXs.
How this translates into drag racing is clear;
the NHRA Sport Compact Series may soon be getting
that reality check as happened with Pro Stock
Trucks. I recently heard from a very reliable
source that there would be a summit meeting
of major sport compact sponsors and suppliers
later this year. New car manufacturers and aftermarket
suppliers needed to discuss whether to continue
with massive budgets to field professional sport
compact drag racing teams in its own series.
It's strictly financial, as most manufacturers
still believe in the "Win on Sunday-Sell
on Monday" theory, however if so few spectators
are watching, who's buying on Monday?
This season there are still under 50 racecars
showing up for most NHRA Sport Compact races
for the five-eliminator categories, the average
for the 2003 season was 44 cars, showing not
much growth at all. The amount of local bracket
cars at each venue is usually very good, but
the so-called pros are very limited. Except
for Englishtown, Atlanta and Moroso the NHRA
Sport Compact spectator attendance still sucks
when compared to the NHRA Big Show.
As many have noted it's time for reality to
set in. The sport compact craze is real, but
different. It is a distant cousin of the '50s
hot rodding craze and better suited for venues
with a car show, bracket racing, a hip hop concert,
bikini contest and a DB audio contest with exhibition
runs from super-fast sport compact racers. A
sport compact experience.
When floppers emerged as a fan favorite in
the late '60s, did NHRA set-up their own Funny
Car series away from the Big Show? NO! Inclusiveness
has always been part of drag racing. So why
now when a new way of getting the power to the
quarter mile comes along does it warrant a traveling
professional show of its own? The isolated Sport
Compact Series isn't worth the time, money and
effort so many are expending.
Remember when the EMPI VW "Inch Pincher"
would run against radical injected roadsters,
coupes and dragsters of the day and the great
reaction of the crowds in the grandstands? Now
is the time to update the strident rulebook
for Comp Eliminator to allow for multi-valve
heads, EFI and turbos, in short: Bring on the
next generation of drag racing.
Take off the gloves and let's see the real
racing innovation of sport compact technology
with Marty Ladwig, Stephan Papadakis, Nelson
Hoyos and Ara Arslanian against the big boys
of Comp like David Rampy, Wayne Ramay, Dean
Carter and Vinnie Deceglie. Now that would be
a race. 
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