DragRacingOnline.com - Drag Racing from a different perspective!

3/08/04

What's on your mind? Add your opinion to the mix. Send your email for publication to response@dragracingonline.com. Unsigned letters will not be published.

INTERNET BASHING

Jok, I read your article on Dead On and that is (as you can tell from the long letter) one of the things that frustrates me about the Internet. This kind of stuff goes on just about every car related (and I am sure anything related) message forum on the Internet. I frequent quite a few message boards and have seen that it is so common for a person (or persons) to make a claim or fire up an argument based on half truth, misinformation or happen-stance. I have had plenty-a-comical night at work reading posts where a misinformed or just plain ignorant person makes some kind of statement that, because this guy (or gal) is a "post whore" or has a cool avatar their comments are taken as gospel. If you get a chance there is a great article from the editor in the new Hot Rod (I think, haven't read it in a week or so) that talks about how the Internet is in a way "dumbing down" the grass roots and classic hot-rodder. It seems like everybody is a pro on the Internet and a true enthusiast or first timer that has a valid question either gets flamed because "THAT QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED A MILLION TIMES!" or you get ten different answers from people that don't have a frikin' clue what they are talking about! (or are posting an answer just to post).

It is kind of frustrating because the place where people go today (the Internet) to find help information and direction is the very place where the bench racer of days past is now the cyber bench racer.

I think it is a disservice to the guy that is a recreational Internet user that is new to a forum can be put down by persons that have little or no clue what they are talking about (people can be pretty mouthy when they are hiding behind their screen name!).

Unfortunately I have no control over what is said or done on the Internet. I tend to stay quiet and post only when I can really help the person posting (which is the way it should be).

One thing that I did read on a forum that I will never forget is this: REMEMBER! Arguing on the Internet is like being in the Special Olympics. EVEN IF YOU WIN YOU ARE STILL RETARDED!

Brian Kluck

DRO regrets the politically incorrect usage of "retarded" in Brian's letter, but the line was just too funny not to let stand. Besides, we hired Chris Martin didn't we?

RIM SHOT

"Just Wondering ... Why would NHRA make Pro Stockers that run 6.70's at 205 run 16-inch wide tires and bead-lock wheels, and allow alky funny cars that run 5.50's at 260 mph run 15-inch wide tires and non bead-lock wheels? Does that decision actually make sense to anyone except Ray Alley and Warren Johnson?"

'Cause we have to run a 45 psi inner-liner safety tire on a non-beadlock alcohol car which sandwiches the tire bead between the inner-liner and the rim as opposed to a Pro Stock car which only ran a bracket style rim where the tire is merely held on with sheet metal screws. I haven't heard of an alcohol car using anything but a 16x16 rim for a long time.

J.R. Chaput

[INSERT REPLY FROM JEFF]

WORRIED

I agree with a lot of your points. I was "concerned" when the Goodyear deal went down, but it fell on deaf ears. We were paying $435 for a set of tires-now we are paying $1100 per set. This nitro deal is not healthy to the sport. Homeland security is bull. We will be paying $2000 a drum in the future with out a doubt. I really worry about this sports future. There is no "5 year plan" that EVERY company that is in operation today MUST have. Am I the only one who worries?

Don Skuza

.90 WHAT? I run in Div.1 and race a few events a year but mostly Bracket Race. In S/G it's hard to make a spectator understand the 9.90 deal, they cannot get the T-Stop thing understood, they think the drivers foot slips off or the got a big scare when the car leaves. I think if the NHRA can let S/S run on a dial-in, why not the Super cars. On top of that, make it dial-in and Dragsters/Open body only in S/C and Doorcars in S/G, then that would do away with Super Street.

This would make everyone happy including the spectators, not to mention the drivers that won't have to worry how much the temp. or alt. dropped since the last round or while hes in the staging lanes with the car setup for conditions from 30 minutes ago before he got strapped in. I dont know what everyone would think of this but the guys with a lot of money in a motor that can run 7's and has to run 9.90 in front of the largest crowds he's ever raced in front of, sure would like to run flat-out with the wheels up, not falling over the 60-ft. mark and hitting second.

Thanks,

Vaughn Carey

MONTE CAMARO?

I just saw a picture of Ron Capps new Monte Carlo body. Yep, it looks to me that a tremendous amount of work went into the new body design. I would have to say, the hardest part of the job belonged to the guy that had to scrape the "CAMARO" decal off the front of last year's body, and apply the "MONTE CARLO" decal.

A reader wrote in recently complaining about Chris Martin's political interjections in his writing. I don't know where this guy is from, but if drag racing doesn't have politics surrounding it, then Chris Martin is a God-fearing, Bible thumping, conservative Bush supporter!

Just as it before, the road to the future has been set.

Don Richerson
Somerset, Kentucky

WEATHER QUALIFICATIONS

Dear DRO,

As I sit here on the first Saturday afternoon of the 2004 NHRA season it is apparent that us drag racing fans will once again have to deal with the disappointment of a rain postponement, a feeling we grew way too accustomed to dealing with during the 2003 season. However, I would like to propose a hypothetical situation that might have had an adverse affect on the results of the entire season even though we have

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yet to complete the first event of the season. Assuming they were able to fit a second professional session on Saturday and assuming the weather would have been good enough to race on Sunday, both which weren't the case this weekend, according to the current system the fields would have been locked in place for eliminations.

I agree with the current system that involves setting the entire field based on points in the extreme situation that no qualifying runs can be completed (Dallas 2000) and when only one qualifying session is completed when they allow any member of the Top 10 into the show. However, I disagree in setting the entire field after only two sessions based strictly on the qualifying runs. I am ok with this method when three full sessions are completed, but not just two. There are too many variables in this sport that can lead to a mishap on a qualifying run. As a result I propose that any member in the Top 5 in points that are not currently qualified after two sessions be automatically inserted into the field of 16.

For those of you who think I've just got sour grapes after the Whit Bazemore Disappointment at Reading last year, let me remind you that Mr. Force sits #17 after one session in Pomona. If he were to break his throttle cable on his next attempt then it's see you later to Force and he'd be trying to play catch up for the rest of the season. (I am a big Whit fan and his chances for the title were effectively ruined by some of the worst weather in the history of a single drag race). I would propose using owner points from the previous season for the first 3-4 races of the next season in this situation.

I do not agree with provisionals like those used in NASCAR and I do not agree with Mr. Burk's recommendation from a few months ago recommending the altering of the qualifying ladder. However, I do think this would be good way to ensure that weather on a particular race weekend during the season would not adversely affect a season long championship race.

Now, if only the NHRA could figure out another method of dealing with the rain then maybe we would not have to worry so much about this...

Kevin Valik
Hoboken, NJ

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