Just like the rules, event purses have been seriously diluted (hey, don't get me started on this - in the mid-Seventies you could build a killer race operation for less than $10,000, and have the potential to win it all back in one event - try that today). Yet another piece of the puzzle is the grief associated with finding good cores. Sure some combinations are well served by way of readily available, superseded parts, but what if you're trying to find a set of untouched, virgin 461 castings?

So what's the answer? I have some thoughts on the subject. And keep in mind they certainly aren't the only solutions either. To me, at least, Super Stock absolutely must be revamped into a far simpler and far easier to police format. There have to be far fewer classes, and they have to be easier for the spectator and yes, the senior sanctioning body "suits" to understand (hey - I have a thought: Call them Super Stock A, B, C and so on). My contemplation is to select a group of readily available engine parts and that's it. Call it a "crate motor" if you like, but you and I both know a racer will start with bare bones

ADVERTISEMENT

components and build from there. For the folks who lean toward AMC's, Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles, where over-the-counter components are tough to find, how about picking one basic head combination from the aftermarket for each brand and making it the basis for a quasi "crate" motor? End of story. If you damage a head, you can find a new casting.

Meanwhile, the NHRA Tech Department could take these heads, pour molds of everything (including combustion chambers) and fabricate a series of easy-to-use templates for critical parts. For what it's worth, at least there would be a basis from which to compare components. And how many of these templates would you need? Not many, particularly if you limited the playing field to, say, a small block and a big block for GM, Ford and Mopar combinations, along with a single combination for Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles. Sure, horsepower factors will take some time to work out, but gee, not all of today's factors are, uh, accurate.

To do this, it's pretty clear that many combinations are going to be hurt (truthfully, made obsolete). Most certainly, many cool combinations will be lost in the process, but at what cost are racers currently burning up those precious rare metal bits? I think a set of rules should be established for two, three, or more years down the road. Then, through attrition, much of the stuff that exists today will be used up and gone.

Is this the only answer? Absolutely not. But I'm presenting it here for you to think about. Super Stock is broken. It needs to be fixed. And if something isn't done soon, there won't be an eliminator left to fix.

Catch ya' later. . .