With any human endeavor that involves speed accidents and unfortunately deaths are inevitable, Running the pro fuels classes at 1/8 mile would, IMHO opinion, be no different than NASCAR restrictor plate races.
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With any human endeavor that involves speed accidents and unfortunately deaths are inevitable, Running the pro fuels classes at 1/8 mile would, IMHO opinion, be no different than NASCAR restrictor plate races.
Im agree with HRP, are you really gonna notice any difference? And from my spectator experience, most in the stands will never see a change. Yeah you still have the diehards, but at least halve these days do not know what the tree is, much less how many feet they run.
The decision was unanimous by PRO that includes the Drivers who are the ones putting their lives on the line. That is good enough for me.
I don't have a problem with that, I just don't think it will solve the problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by pro70z28
I'm for anything that improves driver safety, I'm sure this is an interim measure.... Granted, their are incidents before the 1000' foot line but most of the big ones are on the big end.... Nothing will solve all the safety issues, but this will certainly be a temporary solution for some of them....
Drag racing is about who gets to the other end first... I seriously doubt taking 320' off the end of the run is going to lessen and of the intensity of being first.... The only thing more mile an hour does is occasionaly set a record....big deal... You can run 340 mph, but if you ain't the one to the other end first, you lose.... If the drivers consider it a necessary safety precaution that should say everything that needs to be said...they're the one's doing it and the majority of them have years of experience doing it and now far more about resolving safety issues then any of us spectators ever will.... 100 yds shorter is nothing if it means preventing just one more incident like happened at E-town....
Shorter track distances?? I really hate to piss off the track owners and the NHRA, but they need longer, newer tracks. Use the old ones for races with less powerful cars or amateur racing. If they want the people and the network coverage, and all of the money that follows, they need newer, longer and safer tracks.
You got to know your limitations. You don't try to land the space shuttle on a runway designed for DC3's and pipers.:eek: You want the big stuff, you gotta have the resources.:D
I concur, Bob... e-town shutdown is too short and too flat. Here at Bandimere we have a very generous shutdown with a pretty steep uphill grade... at 113mph I could make the turn for the return road without even hitting the brakes... granted 300+mph is another ballgame.
Only fatality I know about at Bandimere in 50 years was an exhibition rocket car that launched itself into the mountain :eek: I believe that turned out to be chute failure amongst other problems...
I guess my point is similar to Bob's in that if you want the big boys to play with you, you need to have adequate facilities.
I'm deeply saddened by the loss of Scott Kalitta and I do not believe in needlessly endangering anyone beyond the inherent dangers associated with pro racing. I guess I have my own selfish interests at heart in my disappointment with the 1000' ruling.
I'm sure NHRA will go back to 1320' after adding some additional safety measures like stricter catch net requirements or innovations as mentioned above using tailhooks or something along those lines but in the meantime the ET records won't mean a thing being apples and oranges.
-Chris
i belive it is a good idea until they can figure out what to do with these older tracks if this would of happened at gainesville scott would still be here. it is inteded to be an temporary measure to keep the drivers safe if they want to cut it to a 1000' it should be their choice they are the ones driving. it is just like the nitro cut people complained about that but they still ran the same times. so quit yer griping wait a while and all will be back to normal AFTER more vigorous drive safety measures have been inacted and reviewed. i think for a temporary solution it will be ok. they are still going to be hitting the 300mph speeds. and quite frankly when 40% of the crowd is so drunk all they care about is loud noises and screaming and spilling beer on you i hope it does drive those kind out of the stands!!!!
My point exactly. I don't give a rat's a** how big you are or how long you've been with the sport or anything else, it's the spectators who pay the bills and without them you go home, period. Every national event I've been to the stands for the most part clear out after Top Fuel and Funny Car and definitely after Pro Stock. Most fans could care less about bracket racing even though it is the backbone of the sport. That is reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by mopar34
which is a shame. because theres more of us then them :D
Guess I don't see where the big disappointment would be.... Are the fans there to see who can get the biggest mph, or see who gets to the line first.... If anything, the competition will be even tougher--less room to be slow on the lights and pull it out on the big end... One hiccup out to the 660 and you're already out of room to make it up....
The times I've run the 1/8 mile I found one thing to be blindingly evident, you have absolutely no room for mistakes...
Like I said, the best combination with the best light is still going to be the winner....
Another thing the shorter course will bring is few grenaded engines and blowers, and maybe even save the teams a few bucks....
But the big thing is, if the driver's consider it a requirement for an interim safety measure, then I'm all for it....
BTW, not a lot of brackets at a National Event, just the Super Classes with their breakouts of 7.90, 8.90, 9.90 and 10.90. Those who leave when the "slow cars" are probably doing it simply because they don't understand just how ultra-competitive it is.... For example in Super Gas, if your "package" is more then about .03 out, you're going to be on the trailer...... Think it's easy to launch round after round with a 00 light and be less then 1/100 away from 9.90???? Go try it, then tell me how easy it is... If the "slow cars" bore you, maybe you just don't have a thorough understanding of what all is going on....
The top end mph just doesn't matter----winning the round is what counts, everything else is just another loser....
Spectators are of course important, but not as important as the driver's safety.... There used to be a sport where only the interest of the spectators was considered...the participants were gladiators.....
I just don't understand how seeing a car do 330 is more important then driver safety, and I doubt the spectators who are real NHRA fans will feel the same.... 270 is still very, very fast...Doubt many will be able to recognize the difference till the numbers come up on the screen.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Severson
330 impresses me, but not as much as 4.42 does.
Getting their first impresses me... Don't care if it's a stoplight grand prix or a 500 mile race....
I've been racing too long I guess... If a spectator tells me I need to take unnecessary risks cuz he bought a ticket.....I'd laugh in his face.... I've got a heck of a lot more invested in my car and the shop, tools, and equipment to make it competitive then he does in the price of his ticket and the beer in his cooler....... I've also raced at too many tracks where there are few, if any, spectators... The purse comes from what people pay to get in the pits......and we race anyway..... If there wasn't a track I'd race on the highway.... I'm a racer, ain't in it for the money, just for the racin'. I'll spend all day chatting with the real fans....but the others, heck, I wish they'd stay home....don't need their stinkin' money that bad.....
Why does the distance matter???? A race is a race!!!! If the pro drivers feel safer and less chance of injury or death, then that's the way to go.....
Dave, for the most part I don't disagree with you, I just don't want to see the NHRA put a band-aid on a serious problem. I am very curious as to what Big Daddy's take is on the situation.
It's just temporary, I'm sure.... I'd love to see all the tracks be widened and the shutdown area lengthened to meet a standard established by the driver's and NHRA safety folks.... It may happen someday, but it's a long and costly ordeal.... Just the planning and land acquistion can take years.... In the interim, a 1000' drag race, though not the ideal answer for all, is a workable comprimise.....
Only time will tell. Denver is the first race the 1000' is going to be used and I'm going to be very interested in the out come.
on any given weekend there may be 20-30 spectators??? at our track. 85-90% of the people walking around are drivers. thats where the purses come from out here the bracket guys usually pay for the money guys purses we only have 3 money classes and brackets 1-7. ive raced on days where theres 150 cars and maybe 50 people their to watch. i respect the fans some of them are nice people some are rude n crude but thats just people. i get along great with fans when they are there! which here unless its a big event is a rarity. there loss.i wish more fans would get into lower classes of drag racing. its just as exciting to see guys win by .0001 at 130 mph as it is at 330.
From the bleachers I want to see speed and low ET's. I'm sorry if you take that as I want to see carnage. But fast speeds and quick times are what I pay for. I CAN tell the difference between 270 and 338, I have been watching this sport for more than 20 years. And I don't really care who wins. I root for many different drivers.
Also, I don't care what it costs a racer to race. Parts cost what parts cost. The markert determines the price. Not the fans. The team owners will spend whatever they need to win. And if they need to spend 3 million a year to run a 4.42 at 338 mph to beat the other guy and get the win light, then they will do it to get the money from the sponsors which in turn get their money from the fans. Business 101.
Now, many of you on here will get pissy saying I don't care about drivers safety. WRONG. As a fan, I am NOT the one to decide what is safe for a driver or not. The driver decides that. He/she needs to make the choice that it is dangerous to go 1320' or 338mph. I totally disagree with the knee jerk reaction AFTER Scott's death. So it wasn't dangerous the race before he got killed???
Also, as one other poster said on here, many have been hurt or killed well before the 1000' mark, so that tells me right there that it won't solve anything by going to 1000'. What will solve something is not putting walls at the end of tracks. Or regulating the length of the shutdown area even if it means changing venues.
From the bleachers, bracket racing is boring. I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings. I never said it wasn't boring from the drivers point of view. I'm sure you have a sport that you find very boring as well. It's just an opinion. I probably would love to drive a bracket car (I can't afford it!) But as a fan, I want to see the big numbers and speeds side by side. Not tree wars to see who can cut the best light. I want to see raw power and the challenge of harnessing it into low ET's and fast speeds.
Flame away as I'm sure many will brand me as some sort of psycho because I like to see these cars go that fast.:cool:
Not really, been doing it for close to 50 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by 737Pilot
So then what would your answer be???? Keep racing the 1320 and eventually the tracks will be safe enough to handle it???
The driver's did make the decision on what they feel is safe....They voted for a 1000' ft race for top fuel......unanimously....until something is done to remedy the short shut down situation at many of the tracks...
BTW, every drag race is a tree war... even the pros can run a quicker et then the other car and get beat cuz the winning car treed them. You can have the better ET and still lose the round.....
If all that interests you is the speed, try Bonneville....
Dave....my opinions seems to strike a nerve with you. I don't know why. I do like bonniville....Also was watching Discovery channel about speed and a military testing ground has the speed record of the planet at over 6500 mph on a rail (no humans in it)...pretty spectacular if you ask me....especially when they showed it. I like speed...forgive me for that.
I don't want to see anyone hurt and if they choose to go to 1000' temporarily, then that's good, but long term I believe it's bad.
I just believe there are OTHER solutions to this issue. It is a business afterall and I believe that they will lose business with this decision. Personally I don't want to see it changed to 1000'.
Yes every race is a tree war, but I don't want to see these cars limited to, say, just 250 mph tops and every race has to be won on a good light. I like that these cars have to back pedal a lot, or can start pulling really hard on the top end, or whatever to win the race. I don't want to see the same run every time and it has to be the tree that decides the results.
well nascar did it with the car of tomorrow made the cars a little heavier and slowed them down a bit and they still have a gazillion fans worldwide!
It's 1,000 ft. The drivers voted. Like it or don't like it.......it's 1,000 ft. No amount of typing will change it.
I don't disagree. They have a ton of fans. They also threw a lot of money at the marketing in that sport to help it out. They get prime time coverage...NHRA racing gets later run times to accomidate BMX bike racing or skateboarding.Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
As you probably could guess, I'd like to see the restrictor plates removed from the cars over there!!:D What can I say, I like speed.
i like speed to, but the kind of racing i like i am willing to give up 140 mph and watch the old goodguys top fuelers run 5.60's-6.00's at 220-250 those are a riot! and their nostalgia funny cars are a good show to. we had about 9 of them run here much more laid back and just a hoot to watch they get quite squirley but at 230-250 theres alot more time to react then at 320-330.
Yeh and try tried to blame Bill Simpson for Dale Earnhardt's death, brilliant PR move. Their safety record is nothing to write home about.Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
i think its time we close this thread before heads start rolling from all sides
Have you ever participated, though???? Why is it the racer owes you anything???? Cuz you bought a $100.00 ticket???? They don't owe you a thing.
The only nerve you struck with me is that you seem to think a racer owes you something, and unless they can go 300+ they don't deserver your time!!!! That, sir, is pure BS!!!! Drag racing originated to get a bunch of hot rod kids off the street and onto a track for SAFETY REASONS, and that's still one of the reasons it exists today. Spectators and making money was never in Mr. Parks' original reasons to start the NHRA. Now, people like you, show up at a couple races a year and sit back and say "here I am, impress me". Well, IMO if you haven't been down the track (or around the track) at least a hundred times you are there only to SPECTATE, not DICTATE. Drag racing is still a sport for racers.... You want to watch a bunch of spoiled little prima donna's show off for you, try the stick and ball games.
Who in the heck do you think you are to sit there and say what racers should do to make you happy???? Drag racing is first and foremost for the racers. If people like you fail to show up cuz we don't impress you we don't care cuz we're going to race anyway!!!
Step up to the ropes sometime and tell John Force, Cruz Pedregon, Tony Schumacher or any of the others what you think they should be doing...or go tell Jim Head to his face that if he's scared he should quit!!!!!!
Man, if you ain't been there, you don't kinow. Drag racing is for racers, I for one am tired of drivers having to pander to the sponsors everytime the camera is on them... Yeah, sponsors pay the bills but it's a business deal and they get more then their money's worth.
Granted I'm no pro but I have made some rounds in some very fast cars, only in the high 5's so I'm sure you were at the concession stand when we ran. You have no idea the amount of time, money, and dedication it takes to be a racer week after week, year after year yet you have the audacity to say I should spend more so you are impressed??? How dare you!!!!!! Go win a few races, then talk to me about what drag racing is like cuz you just flat don't have a clue..
Ok, that's my rant, I'm out of this thread too.....
Well, guess I wil just have to wait unitl late night to catch the next NHRA Drag race to see how exciting the 1000' racing will be. I haven't been real impressed with the NASCAR COT's even though they are pretty spiffy and do go real quick.
I guess if the shorter drags don't give me my high, I will just have to go back to watching the air races and the unlimited hydroplanes. Ho hum de dum de dum.:rolleyes: :LOL:
I believe you are right Scooter, I love a good healthy discussion, but this one's getting out of hand. Good night Mrs. Kalabash wherever you are. :3dSMILE:Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
mrs. kalabash? thats a new one on me :LOL:
You must be too young to remember Jimmy Durante.....
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/les/Kalabash.html
:D :D :D
Yep.....NASCAR has effectively taken the race out of racing at most tracks, follow the leader boredom. The only races I'll watch anymore are the short tracks (Bristol & Martinsville) and the road courses.Quote:
Originally Posted by mopar34
Feel better now? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Severson
As pro70z28 pointed out that came from Jimmy Durante even though I spelled it wrong. My way of saying I'm done on this thread, let's let the dust settle and see what happens. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
Isn't that the line he used to close all his shows?????Quote:
Originally Posted by NTFDAY
Yup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Severson
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yp7r0j4XrO8&feature=related
Any new updates???
Just got back from qualifying runs today at Mile High's... Had a great time... Of course it was weird with the times coming up before the cars get to the scoreboards...
Dragsters were running 3.99 at ~305mph and funny cars were running in the 4.20's at 295+...
This was my first up close and personal experience with the top fuelers and it was quite an experience with those cars shaking the eyeballs out of your head as they go by. Also was hanging at Melanie Troxel's trailer (former local gal) to experience the lung searing eye burning fun of warm up after the rebuild. Nitro is awesome!
As I said before I'm a bit disappointed with the whole 1000' foot thing since the times and speed don't really mean anything in a 1/4mile frame of reference but I had a great time nonetheless...
Will be at the eliminations tomorrow...
-Chris
Nitro is not awesome , its just BAD!!!:D Nitro should stay running 1320, thats NITRO....