12/8/2006
LIKES THE IDEA
I 100% agree that adding Nostalgia T/F and F/C classes at the Division events would be the best thing for everyone involved: tracks, racers and fans.
Bob Gibson
Illinois
OPENING THE DOOR FOR NOSTALGIA
Check out the funny car section of the 2007 NHRA Rule Book, TA/FC-Section 9 on page 157: BODY: For cars running at NHRA National Events - body must be 1992 or later model year. On cars not running NHRA National Events the body must be 1972 or later model year.
Maybe that door is opening up just a crack to get the divisionals looking like a show for ticket buying spectators. Hey Glendora, back that down to 1966 bodies and you got a new niro show!!!
Tom Conifer
THIS ‘LION’ ROARS
I just spent the last 3 hours staring at "LIONS - THE GREATEST DRAG STRIP" part one (I watched it twice). It gave chills, deja vu, great memories and the urge to be back-in-theday.FABULOUS video! The narration, interviews and vintage footage were done toperfection.
All the technical information was right-on and my heroes’ names were pronounced correctly. FINE JOB! CONGRATULATIONS to Don Gillespie. How soon before part three, four...?
The only other movie I ever wanted was called something like "CHAVOOM"(?). It was a very slow motion movie showing Top Fuel cars doing burn-outs that was shown at the Car Craft Banquet sometime back when Diamond P was still around. Any ideas where I can a copy?
Thanks,
John Mazzarella
Florida
FUN, BUT NOT SO MUCH PROFIT
I know it's been up for awhile, but I was just getting caught up on my reading and saw (Jok Nicholson’s) "Racing for Fun & Profits" column. You hit the nail on the head all the way around. Thanks for including my name in there too--although I think the company you put me in is way over my head!
You're absolutely right--expenses are huge to hit the road, and they're not getting any cheaper. Winning $100,000 a year sounds great (and obviously, I think it's a huge accomplishment in today’s racing environment), but the bottom line is that you'll spend between $40,000 (in a perfect season) and $75,000 or $80,000 to do it. There are guys here locally (again, good point about being able to race 3-4 days a week nearly year-round) who no one ever hears of that clear just about as much as I do in a good year--by winning just $40,000-50,000, because they can race some of the little tracks around here, never travel more than an hour or two from home, race 3-4 nights a week, and be competitive in a low budget car.
I've tried to make my racing program as lean as possible, with gas prices and the costs of general attrition constantly rising. I sold the motorhome and bought a cheap little living quarters trailer that I pull with a duallie--a whole lot cheaper (payments, insurance, upkeep, etc.), and a whole lot easier to maintain. For a one-man show, the living quarters trailer is about perfect. Plus, I've got the dragster, which as you know can require a lot of maintenance, but I think I've done real well on my choice for a "bracket bomber" with the Vega. I pull the valve covers off once a month, whether it needs it or not--and I made nearly 1,000 runs this year in that car! And, at the little junk tracks it's a better piece than a dragster!
