3/14/05

IHRA OPPORTUNITY

Burkee, I really get nervous when a hard core conservative and a liberal puke start thinking alike. I agree, what an opportunity. I've talked with IHRA in the past about A/Fuel Funny cars and dragsters and an eliminator for both; I will give them credit, they do see the potential but are scared sh*tless to make a move this earth shattering and against all of the norms of racing.

Think about it, even without sponsors cars could flourish, the ever-loving carrot dangling precariously in front of a semi-intelligent racer! Look out -- in a few years there would be so many of these cars put together by old bastards like myself and of course my brother . . . what a show and reasonable to race. [It would] be like the old days when most of the money was spent on beer. I would not be surprised within a few years there would 30 to 40 cars competing for 16 spots . . . wishfully thinking even a 32-car show with a few sponsors. What a great way to race.

Keep up the great articles . . . maybe in the next few months we can open some eyes with our A/fuel dragster, got some great "old" guys on board, if it works we can run a four at close to 300 . . . if we do, that will really help this cause.

Mike Dakin

AN IDEA FIT FOR A KING

I agree with Burk that it's time for the IHRA to make their move with a new direction for Top Fuel and FC as well. I don't believe that unlimited fuelers is a realistic concept unless corporate America embraces drag racing like it has NASCAR; not holding my breath for that. Since the NHRA has cornered what big sponsorship dollars are available, why not continue the Mountain Motored theme with unlimited alky cars in those two classes? Minimum weights could be somewhere near NHRA's TAD and TAFC classes, with displacement determined by block size rather than a weight to cubic inch formula.

For starters, injected nitro cars run lock-up clutches but are limited to a 426 type block with the smaller bore. Blown alky cars can run the larger blocks with 4.9" bore spacing, with both limited to the same deck height of about 11.75". For only a little more than the combined payout for the present TF and alky FC, there would be two headline classes with all the fun and frivolity (read controversy) of Pro Mod. It would also help that the FC class would be significantly faster than now, as they would likely run 5.2's and TF in the 4.9's. This setup would appeal to those NHRA competitors with very serious money tied up in alky cars and not much to compete for. There are also some very serious competitors in the nostalgia ranks who might take a look at this, as it would be a similar expense to campaigning a nitro FED.

If IHRA were to develop a show like this and take it to the West Coast as well, it could benefit both organizations by creating more public interest. Many of us out here would like an opportunity to see those Mountain Motored Pro Stockers and Pro Mods.

I'm sure once Compton and the others see this brilliant proposal I'll be drafted to my rightful place as "Czar of Drag Racing." In fact, I see the Executive Search Committee coming now with my special blazer, the white one with no sleeves. Gotta go...

Yours Truly in Nitro Fumes,

Dennis Harrold

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

I agree that the IHRA has an opportunity to put NHRA on the trailer. Let's take this one step farther and put Jr Fuel into an outlaw comp eliminator with some fuel altereds even. I remember the MOB running comp at Beeline and almost winning. Who cares if it was on a handicap? There were no empty seats during comp that year! Take an AHRA rule book from the mid '70s and look at the oddball classes and things they had in comp, but you could put nitro in the tank, move up one class and race. There was a blown fuel four banger dragster at Beeline one year, wouldn't fall out of a tree with a push, but what if that was now and it was a Honda Four? Sport compacts have a pretty good following but the only reason they get anybody other than the racers to the track is the bikini contests. They just don't have the show that a nitro car does. Get rid of the turbos and put fuel in the tank and make some noise and fire and you have a show worth seeing.

Anyway, I thought I'd put my thoughts in on the main thing: put more nitro cars (and some of them non-traditional) on the track and you could put more butts in seats and expand the demographics and who knows where the IHRA could go! One more thing, in the handicap eliminators bring back class eliminations to get more heads-up races.

Ken Myers