Jeff: You are right on about the safety issues. NHRA continually hides its head in the sand. Compton and Light are - in my opinion - incompetent. So much of this is common sense. Lower the overdrive on the blowers, make the funny cars look more like real cars from the street (!), go back to one fuel pump, treat the tracks less, etc. There are so many ways to slow down these cars. It's time for the NHRA, IHRA, owners, crew chiefs and drivers to get together and do a cleansing for the good of the sport. They need to think of 1, safety, 2, affordability (to get more teams involved on a regular basis) and 3, consistency (in performance and repeatability) instead of speed and spectacle. NASCAR slowed their cars down and it didn't hurt them. People want to see side-by-side racing, not blowing up, not single lane tracks, not short fields.
Lee Hunsaker
Dover, New Hampshire
1000 ft. nitro racing... It's the very last straw for this lifetime fan! All racing is dangerous and drivers get hurt or killed at times. Maybe the NHRA should build tall ramps on the drag strips and conduct soapbox derby racing! No, the first time there was an accident the ramps would be lowered and shortened! Wally is spinning in his grave right now!
Mike Bowers
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
With NHRA going to 1000' for the fuel cars I think it will hurt the sport if they don't go back when they change their safety regulations.
I suggest they just take the blowers off. It will take about half the HP away, 50 mph, but also about half the expense.
The current A/F record is 5.10 @ 284 using a slipper clutch and around 450ci motor. With 500ci and a timed clutch, it should take long to get back into the high 4’s. A big benefit is I have yet to see a big engine explosion with an injected car, which was what started the Kalitta accident.
While cutting the expense in half it would bring in some new blood to the fuel classes. Teams might actually be able to pay their expenses by their winnings.
Bart Pangilinan
Gainesville, Florida
NHRA 1000' racing for TF/FC is welcome. I would love to see them increase the nitro levels to get back to the ground pounding, grandstand shaking launches that were more prevalent before they lowered the nitro percentage levels. I only hope they don't shorten the 1320' for us slower 6-second Top Sportsman racers.
Terry Spargo
Delta, British Columbia, Canada
Jeff: This is not a note regarding your latest column. It is a comment regarding NHRA's decision to have the Fuel Cars run a 1000 ft. track at Denver.
Hip, Hip, Hurrah to NHRA.
I can not fault you on this one. First to the starting block, and first to finish.
Good gosh! Is this a new trend? If so, keep it up. You (NHRA) should sleep very well this evening
Terry McHardy
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Just wondering why you are STILL a piece of alcohol-laden puffed-up blowfish sh*t? I’d like to strap your FAT *SS to the front of a 491.33 fps dragster and drive you into a camera boom! Oh, but wait, you’d flatten the tires before even staging. Why don’t YOU shut your yap, Mr. Pontificator, You have no more interest in promoting the betterment of drag racing any more than Tom Compton does. You don’t like the state of 1/4 MILE Fuel racing? Then DON`T WATCH OR COMMENT ON IT!
R.J. Flitsch
Waukesha, Wisconsin
When will we see "Agent 1000"?
Paul Grant
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Just read your latest "Just Wondering" column and am wondering about IHRA and the track at Leicester, New York. My understanding was that they lost their "Nationals" because they wouldn't or couldn't do certain track improvements. Will the new owners comply?
I now understand that the ACDelco Nationals at Toronto Motorsports Park (Cayuga) have been cancelled for the same reason. My choices of National events within reasonable driving distance are being cut back severely.
Just wondering.
Ian (Bear) Rutherford
Paris, Ontario, Canada