5/7/04

LOOKS THE SAME

Couldn't agree more with your article. There is not a car out there that looks like what it claims to be; especially the Funny Cars. It's gotten pretty bad when the racers can't even choose what tires or fuel to use. The growth in drag racing was/is needed but a lot has been lost in the appeal.

Thanks for taking the issue to a public forum.

John Coleman

UNRECOGNIZABLE

Just read your article "In my day, sonny, a Ford looked like a Ford." And want to say "Right on." In my teens and early 20's we did most of the work ourselves made modifications built our own "speed parts" raced heads up Mono Mono then drove the car home.

I took a four-plus year hiatus from all racing. My family is raised I am retired and have some free time. I still like racing, but what the hell happened to drag races and the cars that are driven to the track and back home again. I am tired of watching an unidentifiable make of "car" with an engine that costs three times the price of my house do its thing for five seconds.

Let's push for those "stock" classes. Maybe run all the same size Fords against each other, same with Mopar and GMC products Then have a run off of the top two or three for overall "stock" top dog.

Ed Hyncik
Lead Hill, AR

LOOKIN FOR BRAND APPEAL

"In my day, sonny, a Ford looked like a Ford. ." Enjoyed your article and feel much the same as you do. Have followed drag racing since the 60's and it's just not as fun nowdays or as interesting as it used to be. Would also like to see Ford and Dodge teams in the mix

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for more "brand competition".

I don't mind "Top Fuel" dragsters, but the "Funny Cars" just aren't cars anymore. Better to promote "Pro Mod" as the ultra fast class for cars. I would not miss funny cars at all as long as a class was there for fast recognizable cars of more brands that appeared more like the street brands.

Hope that somebody can realize that and make some changes.

Gary Rider
Michigan

REAL STREET CARS

You are right on. Make the funny cars look exactly like the car in the showroom. AND take away the computers. NASCAR is a joke now. The cars they run can't even be bought with a V-8 engine. I live about 10 miles from the Irwindale [California] and it is more fun to watch the street cars run.

Thank you.

Bill Sterling

A QUICK JUMP BACK TO THE TV COVERAGE

Like many before me, I too agree there is something important missing from the ESPN2 coverage.

First, I think it's too "dumbed down" for hard core fans to find interesting. If this is being done to inform new and potentially future fans--fine. But there's got to be a balance that can keep the diehard fans interested too.

Also, I think the ESPN coverage is trying to turn drag racing into NASCAR by bringing the drivers to the fore at the expense of the racing. The cutesy segments and fake build up of all these interpersonal duels just gives me yet another excuse to exercise my fast forward button. What really gets me is this stuff takes up time they could otherwise be spending

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covering more Pro Stock (my personal favorite).

Finally, the sportsman coverage is just pathetic. I realize everyone's got their favorite classes to watch, but a whole "Sportsman" show that only displays the alcohol classes is really an insult!

I agree the Diamond P days were better, but where is anyone going to go to replace Steve Evans? And while Dave McClelland is still around, he couldn't do it by himself.

Personally, I wonder if we don't remember the past with a bit of wishful thinking. Remember all those stupid skits they used to have Bob Frey do on the old NHRA Today? It's a shame, too, as Bob Frey is one of the few with the background and credibility to warrant being on the ESPN team. Nothing against Parker Johnstone, but Indy car experience has nothing to do with drag racing.

I could go on all night, but everyone else has already said everything else I can think of. I just hope something gets done to fix this. I don't know what the ratings are, but we can't afford to lose these shows.

Thanks for listening,

Bruce Berntsen

PRO MOD = CORVETTE?

I like your solution about supercharged vs nitrous. Now if you can address the 'Vette class I'll be happy! When Pro Mod began they ran all kinds of DIFFERENT bodies. Now most of the cars run various year 'Vette bodies or similar, Viper etc. Bring in a GROSS weight allowance for running non-sports car bodies. More pre '40s car or "box cars". Even '69 Camaros!

Pro street has a better mix of bodies. Thanks.

Lee Sheets

PRO MOD

I think they need to get one set of rules and stick with it. If you are going to make rule it should be before the season starts so everyone can test. I think IHRA should get 2 classes like the NSCA does all supercharged turbo cars in one class all nitrous cars in one class. All the IHRA is doing with all these rule changes is costing racers money and piss them off. I think that by Norwalk the cars will be running the same as they do now.

Eric Street

SLOWLY I TURNED. . .STEP BY STEP. . . .

Enough already, let em race. I'm sick of the NOS guys whining.

Mark Breznay

Niagara Falls, NY

TESTING AND MORE TESTING

Jeff, A very well written article. Having helped two different teams win championships I know what its like to hear the whining. One thing you omitted from your article is in the IHRA the squeaky wheel always gets the grease. If most of the nitrous racers spent as much time on the dyno or at least track testing as they do on the phone to IHRA maybe they would be competitive with the current rules.

Tom Anderson

MEET IN THE FINAL

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I like that idea but IHRA will never go for that. I can hear IHRA now, we don't have the money to pay for two 16-car shows. I like your thought though. Eight cars in each class sounds good and the winner of each should have the big run-off.

We can dream.

Thanks,

Bob Plumer

ON SECOND THOUGHT. . .

At first I didn't like your split idea because it reminded me the early 80's Pro Comp split with the winner of each class meeting in the final. After attending Rockingham, I couldn't agree with you more. Actually there are some series here in the South that run nitrous only and they seem to be success. I think you could bring in the turbos and let them run in the blown class to add some spice.

Bob Fore III

A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

Jeff, a big part of the appeal of Pro Mod has always been the nitrous vs supercharger wars. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I ready articles by you stating that fact back in the early 90's. The disparity between the two combos resulted in a split in the southern outlaw events and the scene quickly went downhill. Car counts are dismal and it just doesn't have the same appeal without both combinations. You say that you don't want to turn Pro Mod into Pro Stock but by following your suggestion, that's essentially what you're asking for. Every blown car will be powered by a big blown hemi.

We've been there before and it ended up with a field of blown funny cars. Let's not go down that path again. Although keeping parity is damn near impossible and requires frequent changes to the rules to counter racer desire and invention, it's still the best solution to keep a multi-power adder class.

Michael Ray

A WIN-WIN SITUATION

I just read your editorial on Pro Mods and I say "RIGHT ON!" You hit the nail on the head. Make it two classes of Pro Mods if need be. . .more cars, more parts sold, etc. -- all pluses for the fans.

Let's see what those blower cars can really do!

Thanks,

Bob Mencel

AN OPEN LETTER TO BOB RUNNE

[Ed. Note: Bob Runne's letter "A Few Changes Over the Years" ran in our previous batch of letters]

Mr Runne,

It gets exhausting trying to explain Super category racing to the ignorant, and someday I will tire of it and give up, but not yet. For you to say it simply shouldn't exist is narrow minded and short sided, to say the least. It is not as simple as setting up a computer and

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letting the car run 9.90 (or 10.90, 8.90, etc.) If it was, it wouldn't be all that competitive, would it?

We have to have reaction times in the hundredths of a second (preferably thousandths), compensate and adjust for wind, track conditions, sunlight, air quality, and our opponent. We then have to decide at the finish line what to do, and execute the plan, with very little room for error, usually the same hundredths or thousandths of a second I was talking about earlier. Yes, it looks a little strange when the cars slow down, and if you don't know what is going on, I understand the confusion. However, you should do a little research, maybe talk to or go to the races with, a Super Gas racer, about how difficult and complicated this form of RACING is before you spout off and insult hundreds of us around the country who work very hard at this exceedingly difficult form of racing.

I'll tell you what, if you are at a race in Division 7, come find me, I would love to show you around, show you some races from the finish line, show you my car, and try again to open that closed mind of yours. Better yet, send me 200k and I will go Comp racing and do away with my delay box and timer.

Tim McCain
Super Gas 7131

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