NO WHINING!

(letter has been edited for length)

Jeff, I always get a kick out of whiners like you that demand things, and then get huffy when their requests have different results than they wanted. Quote: "I just never imagined that their solutions would neuter the nitro classes." And just what did you think was going to happen? That the NHRA was going to wave a magic wand over the track that would prevent death, injury, or even ingrown toenails while the cars continued to careen down the track at 360 mph in 3.90 seconds, their tanks filled with explosive mixtures, while blowing up, blowing over, and running into each other, littering the track and grandstands with molten metal and carbon fiber at ballistic speeds? Hello? As Scotty used to say, "I can't deny the laws of physics, Captain!" And you and I both know that given a couple of years of development and no restrictions (tires, gear, fuel, clutch management, rpm, etc.) Alan Johnson would have a rail under 4 seconds.

Short of driving the cars by remote control and removing all staff and spectators to a site a mile away (the tragic Shelly Howard crash, the Doug Herbert explosion), I don't see how you can demand the cars be capable of doing ANYTHING ("Each experience with a nitro car used to offer the chance of a unique experience, to see a record speed of ET or a fire and explosion resulting in a car that was just a ball of fire hurtling toward the sand trap. Yessss!!!!"), except hurting someone.

Let's face it, Jeff: As much as you and I hate crashes, the fact there is a person in that car who has put him or herself in peril is one of the central elements in the excitement of racing. We abhor death and injury, but the chance, the risk that others are willing to take is a key to whether it's exciting or like watching Ping Pong.

You failed to address the underlying problem facing NHRA drag racing, as concerns performance: Does NHRA cap the performance of the nitro classes so they cannot continue the steady, persistent performance improvements that have been made over the last 25 years? Your concerns about safety, and the problems of insurance, track size, etc. would seem to dictate that it must. So, as the cars become safer and more manageable due to the fact performance gains are quickly undone by rule changes, they become more consistent in performance, and start to look like bracket cars. Limiting track prep will simply make it harder to drive, more likely to lose traction and control, and ultimately slower.

Do you want to sit in the stands 10 or 20 years from now and watch the nitro cars run the exact times and speeds they are now? If you do, then you will see a show that looks more like Pro Stock. Or with lots of tire smoking aborted runs? The stands will be more empty than they are now.

Now it's my turn to fix nitro: 1.) Build a safety capsule that protects the driver from impact at 300 mph and fire for 30 seconds. Have a single su0pplier, make it mandatory, and never mind the performance penalties. 2.) Make all Funny Cars look like actual production cars, any make/model, current model year or 2 years old at most. Even if they all wind up using the same body style, at lease we would know what it is. 3.) The most important rule of all: No Rules!!! Get Goodyear the money it needs to develop a tire that has good traction and is capable of withstanding 400 mph, and stand back.

Let 'er buck!!!

Al Burrows

MERCIFULLY SHORT AND TO THE POINT

I just do not understand why the NHRA puts all the restrictions on racing, especially in the fuel classes. I thought the whole idea behind drag racing is: I found a trick (within the rules) I go faster than my opponent, I win.

Also, the timing cut on the fuel motor, why not just let them race? The NHRA wonders why they are losing fans in the seats, that's why. Fans come to see records set and big number speeds. Might as well go to a NASCAR restrictor plate race.

Tom Gondal
Pottstown, PA

'THIS SPACE FOR LEASE'

Well, they finally did it. Now we have the Auto Club at Pomona, the Safety Safari by AAA and the like. What's next? Will G. Light sell spots on his suit to promote Ralph Lauren or Skull Gear? I always though that NHRA was supposed to be non-profit. Do the "SUITS" need a salary increase? A new suit maybe.

Dale Grogg
Angola, IN

HOW'D YA FIGURE THAT?

Hey Jok, when using basic math skills I come up with 80,000, not 8,000 profit on the proposed race.400,000 winner + 100,000 runner up + 100,000 semis (2x50,000) + 120,000 quarters (4x30,000),128,000 eighths (8x16,0000),192,000 sixteenths (16x12000),160,000 thirty seconds (32x5,000) = 1,200,000. With 128 entries X 10,0000 = 1,280,000 = 80,000 left. Why should any body make 80,0000 for one race when they risk nothing? Thanks for listening.

Dan Phelps