Attendance being down is probably due to the economy being in the toilet since 2008. Went to New England dragway in Epping N.H. this past weekend. Good crowds great action, but I still like the 1/4 mile for the rails and funny cars. Quick passes even at 1000 ft , 325 mph and 3.77 sec for elapsed times. At a 1/4 mile, speeds could reach 350 mph plus and those things would be very hard tp handle and mishaps are bound to happen!!!!
Mike Jameson - 10 years ago
I really don't care what NHRA does. I am not going to go to an NHRA meet to a John Force car run a John Force car in the last three rounds.
mike long - 10 years ago
Keep the 1/4 mile. Just slow the cars down by a single fuel pump or a single mag or something. Also get the funny cars to look like the real thing. For gods sake who drives a wedge with a bubble on top. And the same goes for Pro stock. NHRA remember how things were when the stands were packed? Get your head out of your greedy asses and bring back the sport that it was!! Drag racing is not NASFART.
Louis Mefferd - 10 years ago
!/4 mile racing and force the T/F and Funny Cars to slow down by making them only be allowed to use ONE motor with NO piston changes or blower changes. Change the game so the teams can survive to the point that they may even be able to make some money at racing. Open the doors for a smaller team to be able to compete. Producing the same old show, trying to stay alive is not good for a future Drag Racing. Dont be afraid of some failure while changing for the FUTURE.
Read more: http://blogs.hotrod.com/tell-us-should-the-nhra-go-back-to-quarter-mile-track-lengths-86871.html#ixzz2j44Uk5Xq
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David H Davis - 10 years ago
I was involved in Drag Racing when it first started. To me, 1000 ft. is just not really drag racing. Keep the 1320 ft and make it safer, with more shutdown, maybe even engine size limit, fuel, whatever. Drag racing started at 1320 ft and I think it should stay that long.
Even though I didn't agree with a lot of what NHRA was doing I still went to the races and watched on TV. After Scott K. died and the 1000 foot rule was put in place I haven't been to a big show or even watched it on TV. I watch what they are doing to the Alcohol classes also. Turn out the lights the party is over. I don't know if NHRA can repair the damage they have caused to the sport. Drag racing is a spectator sport, as TV just can't do it justice. The big money is in TV but you need to get the people to the track to get hooked first. With the cost of a ticket now days its not a family outing unless you have a real small family. I loved the look on people face the first time they seen a pair of fuel cars launch. Priceless. Improve the safety at the end of the track. Drop the pump sizes and send the a full 1320 feet.
Austin - 11 years ago
i think they should go back to full quarter pedalfests arent as cool anymore and the race seems too short just make parachutes a little bit bigger or something i just want full quarter back
Greg - 11 years ago
The horse is loose, the goose is dead, the dog has run.
Damage is done. I simply couldn't care less about NHRA anymore. They now ruin everything they touch. Nostalgia is sinking faster than a rock since they 'took over', big show is a joke. Sponsors are racing away from the sport faster than a AA/FD.
Outlaw racing and small organizations are coming on strong. The winds of change are among us, and Glendora is to blame.
I had another horrid experience this weekend with an NHRA employee, just another nail in the coffin. So sad really. I hope Wally Parks isn't paying attention to what Compton and gang is ruining.
A race is a race, regardless of length. Many tracks are not safe with the speeds the racers can now attain. I'd rather see fastest cars at less lengths, than to artificially slow (NASCAR - plate restrictor) down the cars. You need more rivalries and try to lower the cost of racing. John Force loses two sponsors in one gulp? How can Castrol and Ford walk away from drag racing???
J graves - 11 years ago
I used to love the NHRA.....but it seems to me they are going down the same path as NASCAR ( big Yawn).
The entertainment value is weak at best. Multicar teams run the thing.
Joel - 11 years ago
This isnt really drag racing. The funny cars are just stupid looking, the engines in funny cars have gotten out of hand, and seriously...who races 1000ft?? I'm guilty of lining up on the open road (when I was young and dumb) and if we were being serious about whos car was faster it was always the 1/4 mile mark......ive never heard of 1000ft before nhra switched to it. drop the displacement size to 6.0L, less boost, single magneto, and add a real clutch.....that would make funny cars fun to watch again.
JR - 11 years ago
Overhaul the nitro classes. Smaller pumps...less blower drive...hell, one mag even. Funny car bodies looking more like the production car. Going to 1000' shows that fans don't give 2 shits what the time and speeds are. KISS, keep it simple stupid.
Alan Trimble - 11 years ago
For the love of all that is holy, go back to real 1/4 mile drag racing!
The NHRA has been on a downhill slide ever since Winston pulled their sponsorship of the series.
The races are way too expensive for a family. I used to take my young sons to E-town & Maple Grove in the late '90s-early 2000s, but the ticket prices kept going up to the point that it's no longer affordable. We still love the drags, but we haven't been to a national event since '02 or '03.
william chavis - 11 years ago
Hey Drag Racing Is head down Nascars path. My home track Rockingha ,we had the longest shutdown in NHRA. But Nascar and the NHRA forgot who made them. The ticket prices need to drop or stop selling a bag of M&Ms at $3.00 and you can guest what hamburg and a beer is. The track onweners and the NHRA should work together. Also NHRA should stop picking the out come of races.Harely wins all season in 2012. Then they have to change there engines. But every body except ford wins in pro stock for years. Hell Bob's been gone a long time .Who can blame ford for pulling out of NHRA.
Cyclone03 - 11 years ago
1/4 mile for the tracks that can handle it. As much as I like Pamona I would say it should stay 1000',Bandamir,Dallas,Houston,Indy 1/4 mile.
As for slowing the cars,seems a single fuel pump and smaller fuel line might create a self regulating salution.
joe moroney - 11 years ago
i don't see why it needs to be 1320 i think 1000 is fine especially if it would save a life... don't slow the cars down re-stricter plates have killed the best tracks in NA$CAR as soon as you start to mess with that stuff it convolutes the whole thing i say freeze the rules just as they are and go on down the road... sorry they can't keep breaking records forever with out some safety consequences...besides these top fuel cars are an anomaly as they are for Pete's sake they shake the ground and make your eyes dance in your head as it sits what we really need is more competitors and less of these super teams that have messed up the competition these guys have been playing with the system for years why does any team need more than 2 cars it's BS you can't tell me John Force racing or Don Schumacher racing have not sand bagged a time or 2 to get all their teammates to a higher points standing just like the guys in NA$CAR did a couple of weeks ago and i'm sure Michael Waltrip is not the only one doing it he just got caught their multi-car teams have been stinking up that show for a while as well...by the way how come the NHRA has suck a puny points fund maybe if they could open up their wallet more teams would jump in and give it a go and spice things up????
Mike N - 11 years ago
Yes, back to the 1/4, but fix the tracks that do not have sufficient shutdown area! They can either comply or NHRA doesn't have a national event there.
Drew - 11 years ago
1/4 mile was the standard. I ended my 19 year NHRA membership after this happened due to my lack of interest. Furthermore, Funny Cars ceased looking anything like their street counterparts almost 30 years ago, and Pro Stock seems to be heading down the same path. I'm all for innovation and speed, but these classes have lost their "soul". I'll rejoin and go back to the races if the NHRA can fix what they have broken.
Robert Roland - 11 years ago
Yes back to 1/4 mile length, but as NASCAR did with restrictor plates on the large tracks, Fuel cars should either have the cu.in. decreased, Nitro % decreased, Blower overdrive reduced, anything that will reduce the top speed. This should be incorporated into the Alcohol/injected Nitro class as well.
Tom Doucette - 11 years ago
Drag racing has always been about racing the quater mile.
Tom D.
ED BASS - 11 years ago
before the 1,000 ft....I talked to my good friend @ work if he thought the "350 mph" mark would be reached in TF. he said "it looks like it. they're coming up with all kinds of 'tricks' to "make speed". they're using computers to track performance & they're using them to "improve performance".
it was after the w/e when SCHUMACHER set the 333+ mph record. I told TOM "watch. next year they'll probably break 350!!"
I really understand the reasons for 1,000'-safety. what I don't understand...is...how can you be any safer in 1,000' compared to 320' farther? 320' @ 300'+ mph is about 1 sec. this doesn't compute.
NHRA & drag racing was built on "1/4 mile" racing. LET'S NOT FIX ITL...IF IT'S NOT BROKEN !!!!!!!!1
G DePietro - 11 years ago
I'd rather see a close race than record setting speeds. This can be done safely just as NASCAR has slowed down the cars on 'superspeedways'.
Attendance being down is probably due to the economy being in the toilet since 2008. Went to New England dragway in Epping N.H. this past weekend. Good crowds great action, but I still like the 1/4 mile for the rails and funny cars. Quick passes even at 1000 ft , 325 mph and 3.77 sec for elapsed times. At a 1/4 mile, speeds could reach 350 mph plus and those things would be very hard tp handle and mishaps are bound to happen!!!!
I really don't care what NHRA does. I am not going to go to an NHRA meet to a John Force car run a John Force car in the last three rounds.
Keep the 1/4 mile. Just slow the cars down by a single fuel pump or a single mag or something. Also get the funny cars to look like the real thing. For gods sake who drives a wedge with a bubble on top. And the same goes for Pro stock. NHRA remember how things were when the stands were packed? Get your head out of your greedy asses and bring back the sport that it was!! Drag racing is not NASFART.
!/4 mile racing and force the T/F and Funny Cars to slow down by making them only be allowed to use ONE motor with NO piston changes or blower changes. Change the game so the teams can survive to the point that they may even be able to make some money at racing. Open the doors for a smaller team to be able to compete. Producing the same old show, trying to stay alive is not good for a future Drag Racing. Dont be afraid of some failure while changing for the FUTURE.
Read more: http://blogs.hotrod.com/tell-us-should-the-nhra-go-back-to-quarter-mile-track-lengths-86871.html#ixzz2j44Uk5Xq
Follow us: @HotRodMagazine on Twitter | HotRodMag on Facebook
I was involved in Drag Racing when it first started. To me, 1000 ft. is just not really drag racing. Keep the 1320 ft and make it safer, with more shutdown, maybe even engine size limit, fuel, whatever. Drag racing started at 1320 ft and I think it should stay that long.
Even though I didn't agree with a lot of what NHRA was doing I still went to the races and watched on TV. After Scott K. died and the 1000 foot rule was put in place I haven't been to a big show or even watched it on TV. I watch what they are doing to the Alcohol classes also. Turn out the lights the party is over. I don't know if NHRA can repair the damage they have caused to the sport. Drag racing is a spectator sport, as TV just can't do it justice. The big money is in TV but you need to get the people to the track to get hooked first. With the cost of a ticket now days its not a family outing unless you have a real small family. I loved the look on people face the first time they seen a pair of fuel cars launch. Priceless. Improve the safety at the end of the track. Drop the pump sizes and send the a full 1320 feet.
i think they should go back to full quarter pedalfests arent as cool anymore and the race seems too short just make parachutes a little bit bigger or something i just want full quarter back
The horse is loose, the goose is dead, the dog has run.
Damage is done. I simply couldn't care less about NHRA anymore. They now ruin everything they touch. Nostalgia is sinking faster than a rock since they 'took over', big show is a joke. Sponsors are racing away from the sport faster than a AA/FD.
Outlaw racing and small organizations are coming on strong. The winds of change are among us, and Glendora is to blame.
I had another horrid experience this weekend with an NHRA employee, just another nail in the coffin. So sad really. I hope Wally Parks isn't paying attention to what Compton and gang is ruining.
A race is a race, regardless of length. Many tracks are not safe with the speeds the racers can now attain. I'd rather see fastest cars at less lengths, than to artificially slow (NASCAR - plate restrictor) down the cars. You need more rivalries and try to lower the cost of racing. John Force loses two sponsors in one gulp? How can Castrol and Ford walk away from drag racing???
I used to love the NHRA.....but it seems to me they are going down the same path as NASCAR ( big Yawn).
The entertainment value is weak at best. Multicar teams run the thing.
This isnt really drag racing. The funny cars are just stupid looking, the engines in funny cars have gotten out of hand, and seriously...who races 1000ft?? I'm guilty of lining up on the open road (when I was young and dumb) and if we were being serious about whos car was faster it was always the 1/4 mile mark......ive never heard of 1000ft before nhra switched to it. drop the displacement size to 6.0L, less boost, single magneto, and add a real clutch.....that would make funny cars fun to watch again.
Overhaul the nitro classes. Smaller pumps...less blower drive...hell, one mag even. Funny car bodies looking more like the production car. Going to 1000' shows that fans don't give 2 shits what the time and speeds are. KISS, keep it simple stupid.
For the love of all that is holy, go back to real 1/4 mile drag racing!
The NHRA has been on a downhill slide ever since Winston pulled their sponsorship of the series.
The races are way too expensive for a family. I used to take my young sons to E-town & Maple Grove in the late '90s-early 2000s, but the ticket prices kept going up to the point that it's no longer affordable. We still love the drags, but we haven't been to a national event since '02 or '03.
Hey Drag Racing Is head down Nascars path. My home track Rockingha ,we had the longest shutdown in NHRA. But Nascar and the NHRA forgot who made them. The ticket prices need to drop or stop selling a bag of M&Ms at $3.00 and you can guest what hamburg and a beer is. The track onweners and the NHRA should work together. Also NHRA should stop picking the out come of races.Harely wins all season in 2012. Then they have to change there engines. But every body except ford wins in pro stock for years. Hell Bob's been gone a long time .Who can blame ford for pulling out of NHRA.
1/4 mile for the tracks that can handle it. As much as I like Pamona I would say it should stay 1000',Bandamir,Dallas,Houston,Indy 1/4 mile.
As for slowing the cars,seems a single fuel pump and smaller fuel line might create a self regulating salution.
i don't see why it needs to be 1320 i think 1000 is fine especially if it would save a life... don't slow the cars down re-stricter plates have killed the best tracks in NA$CAR as soon as you start to mess with that stuff it convolutes the whole thing i say freeze the rules just as they are and go on down the road... sorry they can't keep breaking records forever with out some safety consequences...besides these top fuel cars are an anomaly as they are for Pete's sake they shake the ground and make your eyes dance in your head as it sits what we really need is more competitors and less of these super teams that have messed up the competition these guys have been playing with the system for years why does any team need more than 2 cars it's BS you can't tell me John Force racing or Don Schumacher racing have not sand bagged a time or 2 to get all their teammates to a higher points standing just like the guys in NA$CAR did a couple of weeks ago and i'm sure Michael Waltrip is not the only one doing it he just got caught their multi-car teams have been stinking up that show for a while as well...by the way how come the NHRA has suck a puny points fund maybe if they could open up their wallet more teams would jump in and give it a go and spice things up????
Yes, back to the 1/4, but fix the tracks that do not have sufficient shutdown area! They can either comply or NHRA doesn't have a national event there.
1/4 mile was the standard. I ended my 19 year NHRA membership after this happened due to my lack of interest. Furthermore, Funny Cars ceased looking anything like their street counterparts almost 30 years ago, and Pro Stock seems to be heading down the same path. I'm all for innovation and speed, but these classes have lost their "soul". I'll rejoin and go back to the races if the NHRA can fix what they have broken.
Yes back to 1/4 mile length, but as NASCAR did with restrictor plates on the large tracks, Fuel cars should either have the cu.in. decreased, Nitro % decreased, Blower overdrive reduced, anything that will reduce the top speed. This should be incorporated into the Alcohol/injected Nitro class as well.
Drag racing has always been about racing the quater mile.
Tom D.
before the 1,000 ft....I talked to my good friend @ work if he thought the "350 mph" mark would be reached in TF. he said "it looks like it. they're coming up with all kinds of 'tricks' to "make speed". they're using computers to track performance & they're using them to "improve performance".
it was after the w/e when SCHUMACHER set the 333+ mph record. I told TOM "watch. next year they'll probably break 350!!"
I really understand the reasons for 1,000'-safety. what I don't understand...is...how can you be any safer in 1,000' compared to 320' farther? 320' @ 300'+ mph is about 1 sec. this doesn't compute.
NHRA & drag racing was built on "1/4 mile" racing. LET'S NOT FIX ITL...IF IT'S NOT BROKEN !!!!!!!!1
I'd rather see a close race than record setting speeds. This can be done safely just as NASCAR has slowed down the cars on 'superspeedways'.