DRAGSTER VS FUNNY CAR?

Me thinks that if the top fuel cars were a little heavier and the top fuel funny cars were a bit lighter (perhaps the same weight), and they ran them together in a 32-car qualified field we might have an interesting eliminator that everyone could understand and enjoy. Might be the wave of the future, and I would surely pay to see it.

I know that NHRA couldn't possibly see the logic in this, but whenever have they listened to anything but the sound of their own voices.

Maybe if Bruton takes over this may change, if not there is always IHRA.

Gene Wagner
Boca Raton, FL

FREE ADVICE

Re: Salaries.
Well, considering that they do not do a good job - I think they are over paid - sometimes it does not appear that they ever watch the show at the track or on the TV. For a long time I was frustrated by the way the race program was run every year, at the Winternationals they would run the 2nd pro sessions to late in the afternoon and no one could get down the track - I kept writing them and asking if they ever watched the show because I was pissed paying $50 to watch it and then after I was e-mailing and writing then they changed the program and they should have thanked me, but they did not. Just like the TV program, they should show tape of the Friday night qualifying and then highlights of what happened on Saturday - because the Friday night show's are the most visual and would get fans excited and would bring out new fans if they saw these fire burning monsters on TV - instead they would rather show Saturday session with cars running on a hot track and smoking the tires - people see them not make full runs and it's not going to help bring in new sponsors or fans.

I should be in charge and they could pay me a lot less!

Bruce Conradson

OUR INTEREST IS FLAGGING

I almost fired off a letter when Agent 1320 spouted off about the Confederate flag issue. But when the letter writer said anyone who didn't believe like he did had a mental problem that was just too much.

Guys, we had a war in-between the states. People died in that war. If the descendants of these folks are proud that their forefathers died for what they believed in then that is heritage, not hate. Do you think the English people are any less proud of the thousands of English soldiers who died in the revolutionary war than the Americans are? How about the Mexicans from the Mexican-American war are either?

Heritage is the status acquired by a person through birth; a birthright. These people are Southerners. That is their birthright. They lost the war. They can live with it. They are over it. Other than a few white extremists and some blacks with a chip on their shoulder no one gives a second thought to the link in-between slavery and the war in-between the states except in school. (And I am sure that is on the way out!) I would bet money that 90% of the kids who graduate from school now don't even know where that flag came from. Heck, most can't even count change back to you, how would they have picked that up?

The Confederate flag will always mean to me that Southerners are ready to fight, be it at a drag race or to keep a flag on top of a state capital building. I would say if folks that think like keep getting their way, the gun from the division four logo is on the way out next time!

Steve Prado

CONSPIRACIES ABOUND

Just read your article on conspiracies. How about TWA flight 800 that's supposed to have a wire going through the main fuel tank short out and blow up the plane? They have the plane all back together in a hangar and guess what -- they never recovered the cockpit. The recorders say the plane was still climbing for 12 seconds with no cockpit. People saw streaks going up to the plane. So why was which they admit there was a missile Navy cruiser in the area that night but then it left. So the next time you see pictures of the plane in the hangar pieced together the center of the plane is there but no cockpit. Oh, by the way, it's funny the agent Calstrom up and quits.

I could tell you the real story but then I would have to kill you. Minds think alot.

Fred Frey