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9/26/04
 YESTERDAY'S
CARS AT TODAY'S PRICES?
Jeff Utterback's column asked why the decline
in car counts in the nostalgia Top Fuel ranks.
I think that one answer could be that it's
just costing too much to run a modern day "nostalgia" Top
Fueler. These cars are really just 3/4 scale
Top Fuel cars, with the engine in the front
instead of the rear. They can run 5.71 at 259
on 12" tires, and I'd think that if you
could run one of these cars with decent tires
and a wing, they could get down to the 5.40's
(or quicker) at over 270, even with the 6:71
blower. There is nothing "nostalgic" about
these cars, except that they resemble the front
motor cars of the 1960's and early '70's. The
chassis in these cars works just like a back
motor car; they even have set back blowers.
There is also not too much sponsorship around
for these cars, which I think is keeping the
car count down.
I think these cars are great to watch, but
you're not gonna see a lot of 'em just because
of the cost. I also think that nostalgia Funny
Cars are headed in the same direction. Right
now, F/C is just getting started as a class,
so there are a lot of cars, and not all of
them can run a number. The teams are out there
to have fun. That's not gonna last, as this
class will follow AA/FD and you'll end up with
a handful of 5.90 cars that will dominate.
The rest will drop out or maybe switch to alky
just so they can run and have fun. I think
that's what is doing in AA/FD right now.
Maybe the two fuel classes need to be limited
so car counts can go up. The 12" tire
rule didn't become the great equalizer as was
thought. Maybe 75% nitro for both classes or
?? Anyhoo, I'd like to see the racers
or the sanctioning bodies come up with some
ideas so that the classes thrive.
Cliff Morgan
Phoenix, AZ
TRACK MEMORIES
Chris, What a great piece you wrote (Martin's
Time Machine) about U.S. 30 Dragstrip in Merrilville,
Indiana.
I attended many a race there from the mid
1960's all the way through the 1980's before
the track was closed down. You are right about
all of the drivers who would make at least
one appearance there during the summer months.
But my most favorite memory of U.S. 30 was
the Wednesday night Coca-Cola Calvacade of
Stars funny car match racing series. For two
bucks you could watch some kick-ass funny car
racing which would run well past midnight at
times. The competition was so fierce that some
of the funny car drivers would run a grudge
race after the official end of the match race
to settle up on some old scores. I am sure
the money was passing hands after the racing
was over.
You are right about the happy clocks at U.S.
30. They always billed themselves as the fastest
track in the Midwest. I heard those stories
about speed fixing way back then. However,
the track had a long shut down area so the
drivers could let all hang out. So some of
those E.T.'s and speeds could have been legit.
Another thing I remember about U.S. 30 Dragstrip
was the seedy element of people that would
attend the races. You would have biker
gangs, street gangs from Gary In, guys in limo's
threating drivers like you described, an occasional
shooting here and there. I had my car busted
into three times relieving me of my then state
of the art stereo equipment. Attending the
races there was like going to the horse track. The
fine folks from Gary, Indiana would always
gather on the south side of the track by the
timing tower and bet on every race whether
it was top fuel or you pure Ford versus Chevy
street car race. These guys would have
wads of cash stuck between each fingers on
both hands. I had more fun watching those folks
exchange money and bust each others' balls
than watching some of the races!
The track has been abandoned for about 20
years now. The actual strip itself is still
there. However it is over grown with weeds
and the land has been for sale ever since. There
has been the occasional push to re-open the
track, but has meet with resistance from the
local folks.
Chris, I wish you could have experienced the
fun at U.S. 30 Dragstrip. Those were the good
old days of drag racing. I am afraid those
days are gone forever.
Keep up the good work. You are a pretty good
journalist who could write just about anything.
Bruce Lewis
St John, IN
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