 Will Hanna has two racing websites, InsideTopAlcohol.com and InsideCompRacing.com. He drives TAFC 425. |
o little is mentioned about IHRA Alcohol Funny Car these days, I’ll bet many of you didn’t realize that the class may be gone next year. In today’s ‘what have you done for me lately’ world, welcome Nitro Funny Car; thanks, but no thanks, Alcohol Funny Car.
Make no mistake about it, IHRA has made it clear to the IHRA AFC guys and gals: no sponsor, no class. Word on the street has the price tag around $300,000. Ethanol seems to be the front runner mentioned in circles to pick up the tab, and if they do, Ethanol will be the official fuel of the class. The sad thing here is it appears IHRA is not searching for the class sponsor, that’s left to the racers. If that isn’t the writing on the wall, I don’t know what is.
It looks like the IHRA AFC gang is in the same boat as the NHRA Pro Mods. Pay for your own show or you can’t race with us.
So what contributed to AFC’s fall from grace from upper management? Ever since Aaron Polburn took over and put Skooter Peaco as his right hand man, the attitude towards AFC has been different. One of the first moves was cutting the field back to an eight-car show. The major reason cited was oil downs along with low car counts at some events.
That was a major bump in the road to the class. Then enter the Nitro FC’s last season. Let’s make no mistake about it. Nitro Floppers have fan appeal. They also have bigger name drivers.
Now the line is that track owners don’t want to pay the Alcohol Funny Car purse when they can bring in Nitro Funny Cars. So, if the class wants to continue to exist, it must be self-funded.
Just a quick note for those of you who may not follow the alcohol classes regularly, IHRA Alcohol Funny Cars are limited to roots-style superchargers, where the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Cars are allowed to run a screw blower. The top running NHRA cars run in the 5.50’s (one car has run .40’s) while the top IHRA cars run in the 5.70’s (a few have run in the .60’s).
One reason I think the class is on life support is the rules are so different. With different rules and still predominantly East Coast locations, it limits a racer’s options, making the NHRA a much more viable venue. When you make the commitment to run IHRA, you get 12 races a year.
Remember back a few years ago when IHRA had their own Top Fuel rules -- 25% over and a few other rules. They even put up some big money for the Championship. They had very few, if any NHRA teams cross over that year. Getting NHRA names to IHRA races is a good thing for IHRA. It’s not so much they’re an “NHRA” racer; it’s more that they are an established, nationally recognized name that is competing at an IHRA event, which gives their events more value. After one year, IHRA dumped their own rules and aligned their rules with NHRA. Car counts immediately went back up.
The same could be said for IHRA Alcohol Funny Car. It’s not that they need “NHRA” racers, but if the rules were more accommodating for some of the bigger name NHRA TAFC racers, it would help the class. At the end of the year, decision makers like seeing numbers like increased participation. As a paying fan in the seat, you’ll enjoy the increased competition.
Since the IHRA has developed their own competitors utilizing the roots combination, it’s not quite as easy as just making the rules the same. It’s not that far of a stretch, in my opinion.
My solution? Allow NHRA legal screw blower cars at a minimum weight of 2375 lbs (+100 lbs) and a 3” wicker bill mandatory.
I believe the combination of weight and wicker bill would put the two combinations close. I think you could adjust those factors fairly easily to slow or speed up the screw cars. I think weight and a wicker bill are easy enough “bolt on’s” that would not deter an NHRA racer from going to an IHRA race.
I really believe such a move would be the shot in the arm the IHRA AFC class needs. You’ll see more quality cars running at that venue, the racing would be closer and performances would improve. We’re not just talking about screw cars setting new elapsed times, but the bar would be raised. With more top-flight cars breathing down the current front runners’ necks, I really believe you would see more performance increases.
I think there are a number of factors that have contributed, but the bottom line is performances have been flat for over 10 years. Granted 10 years ago, IHRA didn’t have the caliber surfaces the NHRA guys were racing on, but when guys like Bob Newberry and Randy Anderson run 5.60’s over 10 years ago in roots trim with the technology of the day, it’s a hard fact to get over when looking at the current IHRA cars just now starting to get back into the 5.60’s.
I’d love to see pure roots-only racing persist in IHRA. That’s been the basis of their class for a number of years, but I’m just trying to be a realist. I think the racers and the TAFC class as a whole wins in the long term with such a move.
If IHRA is your game you are probably looking at the fact of buying the latest supercharger. Whether it’s the new PSI or a K-11 modified, or whatever the newest trick is, you’re going to spend roughly as much if not more than you would to bite the bullet and buy a screw blower. If you have the option to buy a screw, all of a sudden you have a lot more options. Not only can you run IHRA, but you can run NHRA. Make no mistake about it, if the IHRA AFC class dries up, you just sunk $10k in a blower that you may or may not be able to re-sell.
I think the move is a necessary step in keeping the class around long term. I think hanging on to the way things are is a good way to have future conversations “back when IHRA ran Alcohol Funny Cars.” I think one of my favorite quotes applies here, “Change isn’t mandatory, but neither is survival.”
I’m open minded. If someone has a better answer, let’s hear it. You’re always welcome to post your comments on my website at www.InsideTopAlcohol.com. You can drop us a line here at response@dragracingonline.com. Be sure to check out my newest venture, www.InsideFastBrackets.com covering Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Top Comp and Quick 8’s.
Now that you’re up on the tire, go forth and spread the good word! If you’re a fan of IHRA AFC, be sure to let the powers that be at IHRA hear about it! APolburn@ihra.com, SPeako@ihra.com 
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