Mike,
Are you happy now?
See what you started.
I know, you were bored.

Same BS story, new year.

Top Dragster is pretty much on its way to becoming an index class without the use of throttle stops. Soon those who qualify for fields are those who are 6.00 capable. At that point is top Dragster really a performance based class?

This horse has been dead so long that the dried parched bones are now simply a scattered pile of dust....blowing in the cold winter wind.

RIP

It is about 15 years over due. At the current indexes they are Super nothing. 1/2 the field in Stock goes quicker than S/G and S/ST. The very few that can't go quick enough need to step their stuff up. It is 2020 not 1990.
The current index are a total joke. Why would NHRA want to promote classes that are supposed to be fast heads up classes when the cars move 1' then coast down the track for 3 seconds then take off. Throttle stops are not the problem. The indexes are.

quote:

Originally posted by AZ:
Why would NHRA want to promote classes that are supposed to be fast heads up classes when the cars move 1' then coast down the track for 3 seconds then take off. Throttle stops are not the problem. The indexes are.

I got this from Google. NHRA is not promoting them as fast heads up classes.


Once the throttle stop is deactivated, the vehicle accelerates often to a top speed of more than 160-mph. As in Super Comp, the Super Gas class offers some of the most competitive side-by-side racing in all of NHRA with many races decided by just a few thousandths of a second.

quote:

Once the throttle stop is deactivated, the vehicle accelerates often to a top speed of more than 160-mph. As in Super Comp, the Super Gas class offers some of the most competitive side-by-side racing in all of NHRA with many races decided by just a few thousandths of a second.

It is competitive, but only for the guy with his hand on the wheel. People like to watch competitive racing, but no body watches these races except for family members and then only the race their family is involved in.

It is competitive, but only for the guy with his hand on the wheel. People like to watch competitive racing, but no body watches these races except for family members and then only the race their family is involved in.[/QUOTE]

The family and other racers themselves. Only people who care about sportsman racing ARE SPORTSMAN RACERS. Nothing necessarily wrong with that. I'm not sure where the next generation of racers are going to come from. I may be wrong, but I'd assume any .90 racer younger than 40 is the son or daughter of a . 90 racer.

I don't have a dog in this fight,but IF a change in the indexes is made,it will be because of whining racers.

The spectator appeal is not what will decide it.

I have been to MANY National events where the crowd leaves in droves when the first pair of Pro Stockers are fired up.

If they find that boring,why would they like to watch Super Gas and Super Comp cars not using throttle stops?

10-4 fans only watch top fool, and funny car, if that weren't the case why would nhra eliminate all but 8 cars before sunday, or finish us on Monday if rain comes Friday or sat. we are not the show, that's why they limit each class to 60 cars and pit us out of the way.

Fans aren't showing up for sportsman classes and sportsman racers don't show up for fans. We race because we like the competition. We choose whatever sportsman class appeals to us the most and which ever we can afford.

I don't see changing the index of either class will cause anyone to come out and race who isn't currently competing.

Honestly I like seeing the odd Vega or Pinto with a small block going rounds in Super Gas at 137 mph.

quote:

Once the throttle stop is deactivated, the vehicle accelerates often to a top speed of more than 160-mph. As in Super Comp, the Super Gas class offers some of the most competitive side-by-side racing in all of NHRA with many races decided by just a few thousandths of a second.

You know...Maybe they should combine all three classes and call it something like...Super Pro

quote:

Originally posted by Hotrod Corvette:

quote:

Once the throttle stop is deactivated, the vehicle accelerates often to a top speed of more than 160-mph. As in Super Comp, the Super Gas class offers some of the most competitive side-by-side racing in all of NHRA with many races decided by just a few thousandths of a second.

You know...Maybe they should combine all three classes and call it something like...Super Pro

Why? Isn't the diversity of classes one of the things that has been popular with drag racing? Not everyone likes the same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Bucky:

quote:

Originally posted by Hotrod Corvette:

quote:

Once the throttle stop is deactivated, the vehicle accelerates often to a top speed of more than 160-mph. As in Super Comp, the Super Gas class offers some of the most competitive side-by-side racing in all of NHRA with many races decided by just a few thousandths of a second.

You know...Maybe they should combine all three classes and call it something like...Super Pro

Why? Isn't the diversity of classes one of the things that has been popular with drag racing? Not everyone likes the same thing.

Lets be real about this...Isn't every sportsman class at a NHRA national event that uses an index or dial-in essentially bracket racing? Once in a blue moon you have a heads up in stock or super stock...but not a casual fan knows that when it happens.

quote:

Lets be real about this...Isn't every sportsman class at a NHRA national event that uses an index or dial-in essentially bracket racing? Once in a blue moon you have a heads up in stock or super stock...but not a casual fan knows that when it happens.

Absolutely you are right. If it isn't heads up, to me it is bracket racing.
But saying that, why do we need to combine all bracket races? And why do spectators keep coming up? Bracket racing isn't about entertaining spectators. It's about racing.

Spectators and index/bracket racing have nothing to do with each other. Only people who are watching these classes are the racers themselves.

I think the point of this conversation has more to do with whats good for the future of super class racing.

When Super Gas (AKA Pro Gas) became popular back in the mid 1970’s it was because a 9.50/9.75 135mph door car was considered fast so it attracted a lot of competition. It was NHRA that established the Index at 9.90, (why is still a mystery). Today 9.90 hardly qualifies as fast, not when there are a lot of Stockers that can run in the mid to high 8’s. You can buy a 9.90 car from a local New Car Dealership, drive it to the track and run it all day long with the A/C on and the Radio blasting. I get that there are a few folks that would be hard pressed to run in the 8.90 range but 9.50, a 9.50...... really? Overall the greater percentage can easily cover a 9.50 and many the even faster 8.90, we even have bunch that can run in the high 7’s at more than 170. So why lower the Index, perhaps to keep up with the times and perhaps renew a bit if interest. 9.50, or even 8.90, is no big stretch but it is faster and more interesting/fun. Is that not the reason we build faster race cars?

Leave Super Street at 10.90 since NHRA considers it a “Entry level” class, Super Gas is hardly an entry level anything . Walk the lanes and look at the cars, none of them look like a 1970’s “Family” grocery getter.

Every Winter this subject gets bounced around and every year it leads nowhere, but it is interesting and beats the heck out of shoveling snow.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by RPROGAS:


Every Winter this subject gets bounced around and every year it leads nowhere, but it is interesting and beats the heck out of shoveling snow.

Bob

I don't have a dog in this race, (been there, done that), so here is my take on your soliloquy .............you have snow in Lakeside ??

Happy New Year Bob

When I was discharged from the Army and moved to Lakeside back in the late 1960’s I went snow skiing in the mountains behind our house and water skiing in (Mission Bay in San Diego) on the same day.

When I commented about shoveling snow I was really thinking about all the folks who live back in my home town (Reading, Pennsylvania). They can have as many as four months of shoveling snow.

Happy New Year Charlie!

Bob

This subject has been beaten to death. My opinion is let NHRA do what they want. If the racer doesn't like the new format/index's then I/we won't go. There are lots of other venues to race at, ie: Spring Fling's, Local Pro Gas/SST/SC races.....etc.