I guess Mr Severson and I will have to agree to disagree on the negetive impact liberals have on racetracks here in california.

To the original topic I understand what you mean about missing the wild and wooly days of drag racing. Gear bangin, sky high wheelie series are still out there but dont get as much press but are still around for those who seek them out. The 10.5 outlaw classes are a prime example. To the comment about super classes being boring I couldnt agree more. Just go to a divisional race and watch car after car try to run the same number then the next class does the same thing only a second slower. Now dont get me wrong, if thats your gig then more power to ya but its not fun to watch. As far as the modern drag cars i love to watch the landlocked missles do their thing and along with nostalgia races to go to I thing drag racing has never been better! As the bug-o-rama guy pointed out there is also niche racing for them and import/tuner stuff so everyone is covered. That doesnt mean someone has to like it all but there is something for everyone.

To the circle track stuff being ruined, I say not. Its actually CHEAPER in many short track series to compete than it was twenty years ago. Back at 99 speedway in the day a baldwin chassis would set you back around fifteen to twenty grand and a fisher racing small block chevy would be over twenty grand. Some could build their own stuff but most had to buy what they could afford and this was their performance limiting factor. Now a days its easier than ever to buy chassis kits and used cars and with spec/sealed motors its cheaper to be competitive. Example, I know of a few speedway engineering type kit cars with sealed small blocks and narrower tires than turn considerably faster lap times than cars of twice the price ran back in the day. All this on a narrower tire. Note these sealed small blocks put out 400hp and sell complete for five grand and usually get freshened ONCE a season maybe twice. How is that bad. Short track cars handle so much better because more people understand how to make then work and chassis design has come a long ways since back in the day.

Another thing thats undeniable, its CHEAPER to build reliable horsepower today than its ever been.

Sure times change, sure I miss the old days but I think todays racing scene is alive and well in general.
Mike