Short fields (2 Viewers)
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Chili
Nitro Member
Yes, Millican is there. So is Terry Totten.
Seems like I read somewhere that they did take payroll cuts about the same time NHRA laid off some of the corporate office staff. Covid19 has taken a sever toll on everything tourism related as most venues are not made for profitable social distancing. (It really should be called "anti-social distancing" as we are treating each other like lepers so we don't catch their Covid19 cooties.)
TopFuel@Lions
Nitro Member
You are wrong Mark, there were 83 Top Fuel cars entered at the 68 P.D.A. race at the county.
TopFuel@Lions
Talladega Announcer
TopFuel@Lions
Talladega Announcer
I say if they can pass the safety tech for their respective NF/C or NT/F class,let them run. Any body,new or old,and any engine placement,front or rear.
Those cars can make some laps and get qualifier money. Let the FED put 36" tires,bigger fuel pump and supercharger (if they so desire),same for the N/FC,if they desire to also.or run as is with their Heritage Legal set up.Not everyone would want to spend large dollars just to compete and fill out a field.The Big Show cars could'nt complain,as they can leave their combinations the same,hell Worsham got beat by a lowly alcohol funny car in the final at the Dallas 64 car Funny car Chaos race last March.NHRA could put more effort into full fields,in all classes,not just the pros.Make some calls,guarantee some monies,right now in the short term it works out in the sanctioning bodies favor,less cars equals lesser payout.
Having these (nostalgia,and booked in alcohol cars) cars out there is better than single qualifying and elimination runs.
Those cars can make some laps and get qualifier money. Let the FED put 36" tires,bigger fuel pump and supercharger (if they so desire),same for the N/FC,if they desire to also.or run as is with their Heritage Legal set up.Not everyone would want to spend large dollars just to compete and fill out a field.The Big Show cars could'nt complain,as they can leave their combinations the same,hell Worsham got beat by a lowly alcohol funny car in the final at the Dallas 64 car Funny car Chaos race last March.NHRA could put more effort into full fields,in all classes,not just the pros.Make some calls,guarantee some monies,right now in the short term it works out in the sanctioning bodies favor,less cars equals lesser payout.
Having these (nostalgia,and booked in alcohol cars) cars out there is better than single qualifying and elimination runs.
The old school AA/FA's are, especially with modern power - but those built on a FC chassis should be safe enough. One (Hartman?) has already (safely) been in the 4s at over 300. They don't have quite the charisma and excitement of, say, the Winged Express but they'd still be a welcome addition in my opinion.
Good grief - THREE alcohol funny cars at this race. 2/3 of the field gets to the final. That's a dying class; we all know why and I hate it. I always enjoy watching them.
And only 7 Pro Mods....
mikebcurve
Nitro Member
I wonder why only 7 pro mods? Is there another race somewhere or am I missing something. I know the rules have run some off but there are still a lot of cars out there. I don’t think they have run this race in previous years.The old school AA/FA's are, especially with modern power - but those built on a FC chassis should be safe enough. One (Hartman?) has already (safely) been in the 4s at over 300. They don't have quite the charisma and excitement of, say, the Winged Express but they'd still be a welcome addition in my opinion.
Good grief - THREE alcohol funny cars at this race. 2/3 of the field gets to the final. That's a dying class; we all know why and I hate it. I always enjoy watching them.
And only 7 Pro Mods....
I was looking back at qualifying list for Norwalk the last 3 contested National events. Number have went down every year.
2018-29
2019-24
2021-17
I love watching the alcohol funny cars in person, especially if I can get close to the starting line.The old school AA/FA's are, especially with modern power - but those built on a FC chassis should be safe enough. One (Hartman?) has already (safely) been in the 4s at over 300. They don't have quite the charisma and excitement of, say, the Winged Express but they'd still be a welcome addition in my opinion.
Good grief - THREE alcohol funny cars at this race. 2/3 of the field gets to the final. That's a dying class; we all know why and I hate it. I always enjoy watching them.
And only 7 Pro Mods....
There’s just something about a 3500+ horsepower engine, leaving the line at full throttle, that is one heck of an adrenaline rush.
FABMAN
Nitro Member
I notice a lot more fans in stands when mountan PS and PRO MOD ran
Chili
Nitro Member
Well the pro charger combination killed the rest of the combinations. Nitrous is non existent outside of Chad Green. Not one turbo car has made a pass at an NHRA National event this year. So the bulk of the field switched to the new pro charger combination. It became the top combo fairly quickly. NHRA started tinkering with the overdrive rules and then the gear ratio of the rear end. So now NHRA has pissed off the pro charger guys as well. The travel and money have played a big part of it. Once you get out of the Midwest and south there aren’t a lot of NHRA legal pro mods. Making them travel to Denver or Brainerd costs more than Charlotte or Norwalk. Pissed off teams and increased costs equals short fields. Of course money is a huge factor as well. From what I understand, the only ones who get money is the finalists. So towing your middle of the pack car for 26 hours from the east coast to Denver nets you nothing in return. Even if they were getting a couple thousand qualifying money more teams would show up. NHRA did what they could to increase car counts by allowing the pro charger combo ultimately killed the participation with it. Plenty of other factors to blame as well. COVID made it harder to get sponsors for 2021 and it also caused travel to be more expensive this year. Some of the Canadian teams have been stuck up north as well. I think NHRA is kind of at a crossroads to save the class. I do think the new to Brainerd rule changes helped bring parity to the class. If they allow the rules to remain the same for the rest of the year more teams will come out to race. It also helps that the long distance races outside of the final in Vegas have been run. To save the class they may need to go to a 1/8th mile class. Outside of NHRA, there is not a single 1/4 race series. Doing so would open it up to other racers that don’t want to run 1/4 mile. They may need to allow the screw blowers as well. Personally I would hate to see it go 1/8 mile but if it was that or nothing, then bring it on.
That's 2 Bada$$ categories. Funny, In Pro Mod, When Stevie Jackson came in, Everyone was..... Stevie Who. I love his smack talking. I wish they would do it in Top fuel and Funny car these days but, They have to be P/C.
Luke Nieuwhof
Nitro Member
Maybe it’s just me, but I find the Procharger combo to be the most boring of the lot in Pro Mod. It’s disappointing its inclusion saw everyone jump ship.
They don’t have the flames, nitrous purges or the hood scoops of the nitrous cars, they don’t have the wild look of a supercharged car, and they don’t have the power curve that makes the turbo cars a little wilder in behavior.
And for me the exhaust note is more oppressive, very high volume without any nuance.
Add in nearly every car being a ‘20 Camaro and Pro Mod has a serious image problem. They used to be the wild ones...
They don’t have the flames, nitrous purges or the hood scoops of the nitrous cars, they don’t have the wild look of a supercharged car, and they don’t have the power curve that makes the turbo cars a little wilder in behavior.
And for me the exhaust note is more oppressive, very high volume without any nuance.
Add in nearly every car being a ‘20 Camaro and Pro Mod has a serious image problem. They used to be the wild ones...
AFTER RULES CHANGES GALORE, PM RACER BOND SECURES BRAINERD TOP SPOT | Competition Plus
Justin Bond needed a positive, and at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., he certainly got one. Bond saved his best for last, running a 5.757 elapsed time to eclipse fellow centrifugal supercharged racer Jose Gonzalez by .001 in the final session of Saturday qualifying. The last few...
5 rules changes in 5 races.....
Thornton and Marshall Take Provisional No. 1 Spots at Mid-West Drag Racing Series Great Bend Nationals | Drag Illustrated | Drag Racing News, Opinion, Interviews, Photos, Videos and More
Under the lights at the historic SRCA Drag Strip, California-based doorslammer standout Ed Thorton put the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Services Pro Mod division on notice with a smooth-as-silk 3.733-second eighth-mile blast at a stunning 214.66 mph to...
dragillustrated.com
This could be a reason for short fields in TA/FC & Pro Mod.
More posts like this and you won't need to worry where MARCUS LEMONIS is. Geez, you call out the guy that is paying the bills and you can't even get his name right?
Might want to start your next post with a thank you to Camping World.
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Chili
Nitro Member
TAFC for sure. I think the pro mods in the Mid West series are not all NHRA legal. I believe most of the blown cars have a screw blower which is not legal in NHRA. Also most of them lack the safety updates required last year by NHRA. I wish all the pro mod series (NHRA, PDRA, MWDRS etc.) all has the same rules and safety requirements. That way we could easily see more local guys show up in NHRA. NHRA is the lone remaining 1/4 mile series and some safety updates they required prior to 2020 costs upwards of $20k to become legal. With no round or qualifying money, it gives the pro mod racers no reason to race in the series.Thornton and Marshall Take Provisional No. 1 Spots at Mid-West Drag Racing Series Great Bend Nationals | Drag Illustrated | Drag Racing News, Opinion, Interviews, Photos, Videos and More
Under the lights at the historic SRCA Drag Strip, California-based doorslammer standout Ed Thorton put the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Services Pro Mod division on notice with a smooth-as-silk 3.733-second eighth-mile blast at a stunning 214.66 mph to...
This could be a reason for short fields in TA/FC & Pro Mod.
Gone Dead Train
Nitro Member
Great Bend... 16 Pro Mods showed up to race. I think Chris is right 90% of the Mid West Pro Mods are
not NHRA legal. Alky Floppers (SAD) only 6 cars showed up for $10,000 to win for a 16 car field.
Bellemeur beat Chris Marshall in the funny car final, great race 3.658 to a 3.659. Only $15.00 to get in
Saturday, the fans in Great Bend did not get the memo about the race. Check out the stands in the
Pro Mod final video. I believe this around 10PM Sat night. All they needed was some Kansas tumble weeds
blowing down the track
not NHRA legal. Alky Floppers (SAD) only 6 cars showed up for $10,000 to win for a 16 car field.
Bellemeur beat Chris Marshall in the funny car final, great race 3.658 to a 3.659. Only $15.00 to get in
Saturday, the fans in Great Bend did not get the memo about the race. Check out the stands in the
Pro Mod final video. I believe this around 10PM Sat night. All they needed was some Kansas tumble weeds
blowing down the track
Jim ... it has been proven over time that big $$ to win races do not draw any better than NHRA sanctioned events. Whether it's Sportsman, Pro Mod, or Alcohol classes ... racers are set in there ways and committed to what they have always done. The concept seems to only work in bracket racing, and it works really well there.
For TAFC, most teams know who all is likely to be there and my understanding is there is very little, or zero, round $$ paid out. So if I am a TAFC team and know my chances are slim against guys like Bellemeur and Marshall, why would I spend my own $$ for food, travel, lodging and running the car to get nothing in return unless a pure lucky chance completely falls in their lap. Risk vs. Reward. It just becomes a poor financial investment, right? I also know many teams aren't interested in racing late into the night and in the past these races have always run late.
As for the lack of fans, I would think it simply comes down to the overall duration and time of the event. Most people (families for sure) are not interested in being at the track all day well into the night even if it was only $15 dollars for the final day. And what's the draw? Big crowds occur when there is some kind of "star" power. Most drag racing fans know a few of the personalities that were involved in this race, but not many.
Just my 2 cents worth and strictly opinion without having been there or talked to anyone directly involved.
