A developed economy is an industrialized economy.

Emerging economy countries don't have drag racing.

AKA banana republic third world countries.

Common sense shyt.

If it weren't for the expanded easy credit, drag racing would have already died overnight.

The United States has been de-industrialized.

Here's my take on this, FWIW.

I agree that there is less participation in our sport than in the past and the car culture is not what it once was.

As far as more racecars for sale, pretty sure the economy has something to do with it, but also all the tracks that have closed recently also has had a big effect on local racers that no longer have a place to race nearby. Here are the tracks that come to mind, the PBIR closing left a lot of racers without a nearby racetrack. The closing of Memphis, Atlanta, Houston, Old Bridge and probably others that I don't know about have all had a negative impact on our sport.

Now Bradenton is being threatened. For racers in Florida this is a BIG issue, ever since Victor Alaverez bought BMP he has invested untold dollars into this track making it better (which was already pretty decent and had a healthy car count and racing schedule) That track is busy 5-6 days a week and has hosted many large events, The World Series of Pro Mod and many others. Not only is BMP itself under the gun, but Cleetus McFarland's Freedom Factory is on the same property as BMP, so it is also being threatened. While this is not a drag strip, it has become a very successful venue for the car culture outside of drag racing itself, which has become very popular, think drifting, head-to-head racing of street cars on the oval track, car shows that kind of stuff that is popular with the younger crowd.

As far as the younger crowd not having as much interest in cars, around here it is still pretty strong, but drag racing is just a smaller part of it with the youth. My daughter who is 21 and her boyfriend (23) are both into it he has a late model AWD Ford Focus that he has built (himself) into a pretty impressive ride, it makes almost 700 HP at the wheels, he has yet to run it down the dragstrip, but after riding in it I was pretty impressed. My daughter has been restoring a 1994 Miata for the last year or two, so the interest in cars is still out there with today's youth, it's just not exclusively drag racing. The three of us recently went to a local (in Tampa) car gathering and from what I saw the drag/street racing/muscle car contingent was about 50% of the cars there. After talking to some of them, what they want is to be able to go to the strip and race heads-up for fun, bracket racing has no appeal to them. I fully understand this from their point of view, it is somewhat confusing and if they were to compete, they don't stand a chance against the bracket racers. What fun is that?

So, I will have to agree that bracket racing has become less and less popular over the years, with the possible exception of the big money events. Will it ever go away, maybe. But I think the test and tune, run for fun events will continue to be popular as time goes on, as long as there is a place to race. The recent rise in popularity/interest of the drag and drive events is from my point of view going to continue to be very popular and probably grow with more, but smaller localized events around the country.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Rietow:
A developed economy is an industrialized economy.

Emerging economy countries don't have drag racing.

AKA banana republic third world countries.

Common sense shyt.

If it weren't for the expanded easy credit, drag racing would have already died overnight.

The United States has been de-industrialized.

If you fail to comprehend what a developed economy is, any explanation for grass roots drag racing extinction will do.

It may even seem to be a natural evolution or random event.

The best promotion and ambassadors of drag racing today is the Pilgrim Media Group with their multiple drag racing shows from street outlaws to Fastest in America to No Prep Kings and the racers who are now tv stars that compete in these events.

quote:

Originally posted by 1320racer:
The best promotion and ambassadors of drag racing today is the Discovery Channel/Pilgram with their multiple drag racing shows from street outlaws to No Prep Kings

I'll have to agree with this, but don't forget the "influencers" such as Alex Taylor and the like.

Connect the dots.

Developed economies are industrialized economies.

Emerging economies are non industrialized economies.

Emerging economies aka banana republic third world economies don't have drag racing.

The United States has been De-Industrialized.

And people wonder what happened to local bracket racing.

Really?

I do not think Junior Dragsters was a failure. There has been many good racers come up through the Junior ranks many which if it was not for the Juniors would probably not gotten into it. Some of the kids took it serious and really honed their skills. We have Band, football, baseball, shop classes, and all kinds of other things for the children and THEY decide what they like best. We expose them to those things and let them determine what they want to do or are good at.

I do think that the Juniors did not "Save" NHRA and grow it like they hoped it would.

In other words I think if it was not for the Junior program Drag Racing would be in worse shape than it is now. So for that it was not a failure and I do not blame Juniors on the situation we are in now.

Again, the Junior dragster program is a total failure for what it was envisioned to do by it’s inventor Vinny Napp. That said, the JDRL is a great program for kids and their parents.

quote:

Originally posted by 1320racer:
Again, the Junior dragster program is a total failure for what it was envisioned to do by it’s inventor Vinny Napp. That said, the JDRL is a great program for kids and their parents.

Yes and yes

If drag racing dies overnight like ya'll are predicting, it'll be because the easy credit dies overnight.

The dollar role as the world reserve currency, because that's what makes for the easy credit.

It is the easy credit that has sustained drag racing since the de-industrialization of the United States.

It won't be the natural evolution, or random event those who de-industrialized the United States, would prefer you to believe.

Blame the same Trump is currently rightly blaming for everything that has gone wrong for the United States, over the last 40 years.

The Globalist establishment.

Does anyone listen to what this guys says? He's been telling everyone how all this works for 7 plus years.

This is BEFORE his first election

https://www.paulcraigroberts.o...pe9DPfQ1iIO-bbRgZbe0

Ronald Reagan's Treasury Secretary^^^^ The awful Truth

Trump Is America’s Last Hope
April 10, 2023 | Categories: Articles & Columns | Tags: | Print This Article Print This Article
Trump Is America’s Last Hope

Paul Craig Roberts

It is no longer possible for any American, no matter how stupid and delusional, to believe that he lives in a free country where truth is respected and justice is served. It is today impossible to believe in any American institution, public or private.

The inanity of life in America is headlined by Donald Trump’s indictment and arraignment by a corrupt Democrat New York gang of criminals on fake charges devoid of any legitimacy and for which the former President of the United States, a person tens of millions of Americans believe still is President, faces 136 years in prison.

The gang of Democrat criminals in New York have destroyed all unity, have denigrated the United States and lowered it to the status of a banana republic where law is nothing but a political weapon, and has shown total disrespect for the working men and women of our country who regard Donald Trump as their last hope against a criminal rapacious elite that oppresses them and destroys their liberty.

The Republican Establishment and their presidential candidates are destroying the Republican Party by deserting the voters with the line that Trump is too controversial and it is time to move on. The party will move on to oblivion.

1950's was post WW2....
America was far different than today
Our society was FAR different and the car culture got going
Life in general....work, home life, religion
Call it progress.....we changed
Who the F would want to do the jobs our parents might have done.....far dirtier a lot of times, far more dangerous....exposed to toxic this and that....

Future generations had it easier and easier......they are not interested in messing with cars like my generation was....

Every gas station was guys like me fixing cars and more often than not had a drag race car parked somewhere in the station.
Today those same gas stations, if they still exist, are gas only and the gas pumpers barely speak English.....they ride bicycles !

The Jr. Dragster thing is exactly like Ed said.....It did not spawn a next wave of drag racers other than people like ED who is/was a racer and supports his son...
Just about every Jr. Dragster team I always see at the races I ran were existing racers kids !
Once they age out of Jr.'s they are done unless their parents are active racers or pay for their big car program and it's totally understandable due to the economics....

America is not going back to what it once was......and there is no way we can live in the world today and not be effected by the global economy

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SCDIV1,

It's impossible to not be effected by the global economy? What?

I don't think you comprehend The United States has been De-Industrialized, taking away its developed economy status.

A developed economy is an industrialized economy.

Let me guess, you didn't hear it on the TV so it's gotta be a conspiracy theory, right?

No, words have meanings. Like developed economy is an industrialized economy.

Definition - Developed Economy - Industrialized economy.

quote:

Originally posted by SCDIV1:
1950's was post WW2....
America was far different than today
Our society was FAR different and the car culture got going
Life in general....work, home life, religion
Call it progress.....we changed
Who the F would want to do the jobs our parents might have done.....far dirtier a lot of times, far more dangerous....exposed to toxic this and that....

Future generations had it easier and easier......they are not interested in messing with cars like my generation was....

Every gas station was guys like me fixing cars and more often than not had a drag race car parked somewhere in the station.
Today those same gas stations, if they still exist, are gas only and the gas pumpers barely speak English.....they ride bicycles !

The Jr. Dragster thing is exactly like Ed said.....It did not spawn a next wave of drag racers other than people like ED who is/was a racer and supports his son...
Just about every Jr. Dragster team I always see at the races I ran were existing racers kids !
Once they age out of Jr.'s they are done unless their parents are active racers or pay for their big car program and it's totally understandable due to the economics....

America is not going back to what it once was......and there is no way we can live in the world today and not be effected by the global economy

Paul Craig Roberts - Ronald Reagan's Treasury Secretary

It is no longer possible for any American, no matter how stupid and delusional, to believe that he lives in a free country where truth is respected and justice is served. It is today impossible to believe in any American institution, public or private.

The Awful Truth.

I don't know what some of this is all based on. The cars I've seen advertised are for crazy prices and they are selling. Tracks have had great attendance, wasn't there 0ver 600 entries in Vegas for the Fling? The Gators were packed. There has never been more local tracks doing major improvements. If you do the FB thing and are friends with any tracks they have been doing a lot of improvements this past winter.

Yes they are doing great, Joanne at Motor Mania posted that they had 42 cars and 5 footbrakers at Darlington a couple weeks ago--weather was iffy but not bad enough to have that poor of a turnout. All double entered would only make 94 total entries. They finished 2 races. A few weeks before also with iffy weather Galot had a horrible turnout. In both case they did the best they could to get the races done. I heard Rockingham had a huge turnout for their free race under new ownership so that was a good sign also. I'll go as soon as I get this mess back together.

The classic and collector cars are still high in demand. Barret Jackson just brought in crazy money for some cars.

Eman, if you listened to this bunch, you would have sold your racing operation years ago. Bracket racing has been dying since .com experts decided it would. About the only truth here is that land values will force dragstrips to close. It remains to be seen if new ones will be built ****her from population centers to replace the ones that close.