I do totally
agree with your analogy to NASA about crying
wolf over the tire issue. Putting "butts in
the seats" became the focus of all the sanctioning
body people. I personally have noticed that
tech (NHRA and IHRA) has not been as tough
as it used to be for a couple of years and
it has concerned me, wondering who was cutting
corners and would wind up in my lane with
me at 180 mph.
I do not feel sympathy for Mr. Russell; he
died doing something he genuinely loved to
do. My sympathy is for the "family"; not just
kin and racing, but all those non-racing friends
he had away from the track and who just knew
him as Darrell Russell, not a race car driver.
Mutual friends that knew us both and knew
we both drag raced were always asking me questions
because they were amazed to know he raced
at the level he did as he did not wear it
on his sleeve. He and I were not acquaintances;
we talked a couple of times that I remember
as fellow competitors many years ago in the
Super Comp staging lanes.
Unfortunately, our sport has lost another
piece of its future. Right up there with Darrell
Gwynn and Blaine Johnson. We will get another
rule change written in blood.
William D. (Dee) Kruse
Dear Jeff:
My hat is off to you sir, you are TRULY a
spokesman for us ALL.
NHRA stated that ONLY 2 drivers have been
killed (in NHRA NATIONAL EVENT) competition,
but failed to state that there are quite a
few that are killed in this sport at the various
local NHRA tracks on almost a weekly basis.
Orlando Speedway comes to my mind as I have
been there racing on a few occasions. The
antiquated guard railing that they have there
is REAL SCARY, and I for one wouldn't want
to venture into it with a Dragster (or with
anything else for that matter). Update guard
railing or impact resistant materials (like
NASCAR uses), might be of some benefit.
NHRA needs to address these problems, and
bring in the necessary talent to rectify these
safety issues. NHRA needs to spend less time
counting the gate receipts and NEEDS to remember
WHY this sanctioned sport was started in the
beginning.
Eugene Wagner
Jeff, you're
right on the mark with your editorial on forgetting
safety. Our ability to make power and apply
it is way ahead of the tire technology. Granted,
Goodyear has and is doing it's best to design
and build a product to support the speeds
and loading, but there are limits. Frankly,
I can't think of a real or perceived need
to compete at over 300mph. Maybe it's flawed
logic, but wouldn't it be nice to see once
again what we had some years back when common
people could and would build top fuelers for
a Saturday night deal at Lions? 60-70 cars
going for 32 spots at a weekly race?! Hell...we
had a nice show at Motion Raceway (IL) every
Saturday night with an eight-car qualified
field and paid $150 per winning round! Was
it that long ago when we competed for the
love of it? Granted, corporate $$$$ has elevated
our sport to the level we find it now, but
the question still is, are we better off now
when we struggle to fill a 16-car field?
Personally I'm not so sure. I'd much rather
see the pits full of fuelers attempting to
be part of the show than what we have today.
Call that antiquated if you must, but the
days at Drag City in Springfield where Stan
Lomilino sold nitro out of the trunk of his
47 Ford tow car for $2 a gallon and Jim Paoli
still showed up for a weekly race wasn't all
bad.
Thanks for being the voice of all of us that
love this sport....more than the need for
350mph fuel cars.
Ron Evans
Jeff, thank
you for not mincing words. As you have alluded,
the nature of the commercial safety net of
the sport has been discouraging resolution
of the tire problem in fuel classes for years.
I just read an old Pete Millar cartoon on
the topic from, I believe, 1997. It gave me
chills....
The likelihood that the paradigm will shift
with or without cooperation of all parties
is standing in front of us. Insurance of CLU
special risks can only create so much underwriting
lattitude. It's time for the sport of speed
to reach down into its bottomless (pit?) solutions...and
be brave enough to change. My personal opinion
that multi-mag and pump motors are akin to
multi-engine dragsters would gain only scoff
from the under 40 set. I don't have the magic
answer. I DO know that an untapped market
to view 350 mph speeds in a safer, evolved,
engineered and (gasp) hot rod oriented environment
that can only be created by dire and immediate
need is out there. We love speed. We've known
--and have felt pressure not to discuss the
obvious -- that the quarter-mile format is
not the long range home for progressive twilight
zone times.
I'm all for spending as much as folks like
to go as fast as humanity is capable of tolerating...but
not at National Trail....not on "rubber".
We need minds willing to create an all new
playing field for limitless runs. I want to
see a new push for some sort of LSR-oriented
venues. The time of standing start restrictionless
activity may need to cease until the 'Goodyear'
problem is dealt with. Meanwhile, hot rodding
and its 21st century spawn will need a set
and setting to evolve..and it will evolve
whether or not we do it on a traditional drag
strip.
Philip Bradford
1020 ft.
It would not cost a dime and could be done
tomorrow...save motors and lives....and I
think everybody would be happy...how simple
is that.....plus all the race tracks in the
USA would love it. Who else do we need to
talk to?
Dan Horan
