Just Wondering … Is Comp Eliminator in trouble? In the five NHRA national events contested so far this season there has been an average of fewer than 30 entries per event. It wasn't so long ago that Comp was the fastest growing sportsman class.

Just Wondering … Why wouldn't the NHRA start at least thinking about Nostalgia AA/FC as new "sportsman" class? It probably costs about the same to build and race a 5.80/250-mph AA/FC or a 5.50/260-mph T/AFC.

Just Wondering … When is Lee Beard going to get some public credit for the outstanding performance of not only the Army Top Fuel dragster but the general dominating performances by all the Don Schumacher fuel cars? He may not be tuning individual cars but his presence seems to have made a difference in that camp.

Just Wondering … What happened to the JFR chassis safety program? I haven't heard anything about that program in a long time. Are current NHRA Funny Cars and fuelers all equipped with the Ford "Blue Boxes"?

Just Wondering … If sponsoring an NHRA, IHRA, or ADRL drag racing team is such a bargain, why are quality professional drivers and team owners such as Doug Herbert, Dave Connolly, Whit Bazemore, Angelle Sampey, Tommy Johnson Jr. and J.R. Todd unable to secure sponsorships? Why do the sponsors they lose often end up on second-string teams in NASCAR? I'd like some answers. 

Just Wondering … Remember when professional race teams were the beneficiaries of competition between the beer companies, oil companies, beverage companies, and tool companies? Have the monopolies granted to certain companies and sponsors by the NHRA such as those awarded to the Army, Anheuser-Busch, Goodyear and Coca-Cola really benefitted the racers and the sport? Oh, I forgot, Tom Compton's team is more worried about the NHRA making a profit than the racers getting sponsors. It's a sad but true fact of life.

Just Wondering … If the sponsorship by the Coca-Cola Company is such a sweet deal for them, why would they leave or give up their title rights to the NHRA just because some other beverage maker gets involved as long as they get all the premium exposure? Same logic applies regarding the Army exclusive. The armed services are all about competition, why drive away the Air Force, Navy and National Guard as potential NHRA sponsors? Just asking, guys.

Just Wondering … Did you know that the ADRL gets more professional teams at its events than any other racing organization in the world? There were almost 150 pro teams at Valdosta. What do the ADRL and its racers have to do to get the attention of the mainstream media like Hot Rod Magazine, AutoWeek and Dave Despain?

Just Wondering … Am I the only one who got a little nervous when I heard on the ESPN broadcast from Las Vegas that in order to meet the network broadcast requirements the NHRA was making the fuel teams turn the cars around in just 65 minutes!? I suggest that isn't enough time to safely and correctly service a three-second, 300-mph racecar. I think the NHRA caught a break at that event when they didn't have more engine explosions.

Just Wondering … If the NHRA has a few more less-than-outstanding races (and by outstanding I mean races with big numbers of ticket-buying fans), will the NHRA be in the kind of financial straits it was in when Wally Parks and Dallas Gardner hired Tom Compton to turn it around and make it profitable?

Just Wondering … If a drag race is advertised to have a 16-car qualified, professional field and fewer than 16 cars show up for an event shouldn’t the ticket holders be able to get at least a partial refund of the published ticket price? Isn’t the onus on the promoter to deliver what they advertise? Reminds me of an ad currently running on TV where the guy orders a hot dog and doesn’t get a bun. The guy running the dog stand says, “I sold you a hot dog; buns aren’t included.”