Winternationals TV coverage is tonight at 7:30 Eastern time on ESPN.....
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Winternationals TV coverage is tonight at 7:30 Eastern time on ESPN.....
Yep--seems like they must be running delayed or under the lights out there--Sun shines right in the eyes past the tree as sun goes down there--hard to see yellow lights
Cool! Thanks for the heads up!
Ah - that means I get to doze in my Lazy Boy with cars roaring instead of with a book or mag in my hands (Daytona 500 in 13 days)
Thanks Dave S
I haven't kept up with events in the past few weeks, so my view here might be dated, but are we still looking at a Top Fuel field with no Bernstein, Dixon or Worsham in a seat? I guess Worsham is crew chiefing, but the other two?
Bernstein has a ride, Dixon doesn't.
Vandergriff is trying to get the funding to put both Dixon and Todd in the seat for a 3 car team.
Too bad there's no ESPN3.com feed this year. :CRY:
Audio cast just isn't the same.
Good racing!!! Force and Neff in Funny Car Finals, should be good!
Really putting down some numbers! and how about Jeggy in a Dodge?????:eek:
Wow, Force wins and gets round win #1100!!! Hard to believe someone winning 1100 rounds in a Funny Car could ever happen!!! Awesome.
Mike Neff"I staged and thought I heard the engine rev up--is that me?" No, it was John leaving----
I live about 10 mi. from Pomona and we have had 2 days of real fast air cold and damp perfect h/p air ....ted
It was fun to see John Force's daughter get her first win! But Robert Hight goes out in first round! OOOPS!
I watched through Round 2 - then the 5 min. commercials and blabber made me shut down the 'tube
There was NO spectator crowd. It looked like the stands were barely half full. Looks like the economy has "happened".
Air must have been just right, all the Top Fuel cars put down some good times!!! Anyone else here them say that the last time Force won the Winternationals he went on to win the Funny Car Championship???
I forget who's doing the tuneup on Spencer Massey's car, but he was definitely putting down the times in Top Fuel. Might be an interesting season, lots of cars turning times like bracket racers, consistent as all get out!!!!
cookie cutter cars? Toyota stamped all over? same winners 80%? economy for sure!! still watch tho!!Quote:
Originally Posted by IC2
When I was racin we went to the junk yard to get an engine--
Now the big teams make there own---
Oh, Big teams don't mean 4 or 5 guys on the crew, but 5-8 cars and 100s of employees
I here ya!! These guys are smart but you guys kicked ass with what you had to work with!!Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
Jerry and the others from that era worked with their brains and hands, todays racers work the PR game to get sponsor dollars and try to out spend the other racers. JMO
Mike
Yes!! brains and hands x 2!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike52
Did anyone see that capsule that Shumacker wants to run??
Its no wonder that nostalgic racing has all the fans in the stands (New term FITS)
I thought the coverage sucked, not one single race had a good shot of the run, after several reruns with artistic angles--ugh---
Long commercial breaks--I toggled back and forth between race and Grammys, some weather channel at local on the 8s, going to hook up second box so I can do a pic in a pic?
Probably makes Garlits chuckle..................what goes around comes around. And before Garlits there was the Glass Slipper, probably others that CRS can't recover (besides Jocko's car that was anothr kettle of fish).Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
If this comes thru dark enough
We had some promised sponsership to build it---Goodyear, Revell, Etc---Body would of been built by Nye Fraqnk And Quin Epperly(built land speed record car in Museum of Science and Industry) I put the q-baush on the project as it would of certainly put a hurt on racing at that time---I didn't think we could work on it fast enough for between rounds-- and the cost of building/running a dragsters would be outta sight for the competitors---
I like it! Ol' Nye got around. He helped Breedlove quite a bit if I recall, and of course the Peters and Frank rail, many more I'm sure.
Like the streamliner Ormsby ran in the 80's if memory serves me right
I am about to say something I never thought I would say! After being an avid fan for 50 years.... I am getting bored.
Several things feed into this.
1- The dream of 2-3 guys combining their talents, to challenge for the championship are gone. Teams like Stone-Woods & Cook... and others... made that dream a reality for me in the beginning. Today that is gone.
2- The loss of brand identity, as a reason to cheer your favorites, has vanished. In the early years, funnys and Pro Stocks, ran the factory engine design. Funny cars and Pro Stocks actually began life as Detroit sheet metal!
3- The cars, parts, basic design and assemblies evolved constantly, as innovation was king, and technology was nowhere near it's peak.
4- Interviews talked about the people angle, instead of sounding like the five minutes of commercials between actual commercials.
5- So many teams have come to dominate... and the cars are getting more generic... so the only thing that keeps me interested now is rooting for the underdogs (only to see them shut out more and more)... and the differences in personalities... but since most have dominated so long, I am tired of hearing their same stories over and over.
Yesterday's coverage had the new-season changes... which was interesting... and some unusual exciting moments, during early eliminations. However, when I found out who was going to all of the pro finals, it reminded me of so many other finals, that I thought of it as a rerun of many events I've seen before. Once you cheer for those dominant guys enough times, you don't even care which one wins any more. ...at least I don't.
Today's speeds are exciting, but if things don't get shaken up before long, NHRA will lose a life-long fan. I almost don't even want to watch any more. I hope things change. {:-(
I agree with you 100%!! I to root for the underdogs!!Quote:
Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT
Looks like maybe the date didn't come out very plain---1971, and yes I think Ornsby was somewhere 80s+ (83-84?)
I spent about as much time watching the Grammys as the race and I'll be 71 next month!!!!!(I'm kinda tired of all the political coverage too), myth busters doesn't excite me with their stupity, The Alaska Gold miners shows stupid antics actually brought the dept of mine safty down on them, only so many times you can watch a helicopter hover over an icy fishing boat, don't like all the tattoos on the basketball players
Guess I'll watch NASCAR and see how Danica does--at least its mostly USA
I don't want to bum you guys out. I just think it has lost a lot of the things I loved. I didn't even mention that it looked like a bunch of show cars in the '60s... instead of a bunch of billboards.
I'm with HOTRODPAINT I've been out of drag racing for a lot of years (working, family, working) I still build cars with fast engines and drive them till I get tired of them then sell to build another. I don't feel racing today is anywhere as exciting as it once was. The big names with big money realy should be on a Demo type circuit and take a step back to when it was fun to race, I have pulled down an engine at the track( in the parking lot under a street light) to find out why it wouldn' t perform the way it was. then if time allowed run it again...It is fun and exciting to see the times that are being run but most guys know going in they don't stand a chance. Jerry I was wondering do you remember Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick??
Well gee, you guys sure don't have much to look forward to in the world of drag racing, do you???? Technology has changed everything, why would drag racing be exempt???
Personally, I think I'll keep looking forward to the 2012 season in NHRA and not looking back to how things used to be----mainly because it's the past!!! I was there, it was fun, it was cheaper--so were houses, new cars, and the price of gasoline.....
There is still a place for guys to run as pure sportsman, ya, I know bracket racing sucks!!! Well, I tell ya what I sure as heck couldn't afford to run heads up anymore, could you?? Most tracks also run a 'grudge night' or 'test and tune' days, around here that's when we do our heads up racing, sometimes there's even a wager or two... With inflation figured in, I doubt it's really anymore expensive to campaign a bracket car today then it was in the 60's....
I dunno, I still appreciate the art of going fast and the technology it takes to do it!! I certainly don't have the money to run a Pro car, but that's no reason for me to hate the people that do!!! It's just NOT EVER going to be 1964 again!!!! Nostalgia racing is fun, but it's certainly not cheap, either. Can't see spending all the money to build a car? Then how about donating some time to help the younger crowd that's out there trying to learn how to go fast??? I just hate hearing all the doom and gloom about drag racing, there is some real talent out there running down the track, both locally and on a National Event level!!!! Check it out some time, you just might still like drag racing!!!!
Yes I remember Arnie the Farmer--he's still around here somewhere near--
Hot Rod Paint---Our car was at main entrance to Sema once --- nothing to do with any corporations---look at todays Sema ---
Also dragster and funny car were at openiing (as in VIP) night of LA Auto show---what a deal for crak legs, claws, oysters,etc----Red Carpet women--limos a block long ---the TV stations camera crews wanted to spray down the polished parts of the cars to kill the GLARE---Yep, you guessed it---we loaded them up and left--movie stars and celebs everywhere---if we had been some corp billboard we couldn't have done that--
Dave I didn't mean I don't like dragracing I go to watch as often as I can. and hope to try my hand at bracket racing this year... I'm just saying it isn't the same from what I remember watching and doing, as I see today on the tube.I guess in compareson it would be like when I ran dirt track back in the late 60s early 70s and todays Nascar.I can except change dosen't mean I have to like it :LOL::LOL: I don't know if I can afford racing this year but if I wait I may be out of shape. I took and passed the Nhra physical so I'd say I'm on my way. Jerry Arnie dosen't live to far north of you. He may or may not be coming to a car show here in town I think its in July. I know I've seen him run. Lots of GTO guys around here. Actualy didn't realize there were so many racers in my town. :D
Here is the kind of racing I fell in love with! A Canadian racer friend just sent me this picture. I wonder who the guys with the blue car are??? :-)~
OK--blue car is a clue , but how do I open that??
I totally agree with Dave.We took a kid that has been around drag racing all his life as a family affair and groomed him with 6 yrs in the Jr's into one of the best drivers I have every see driving a RED 7.90 car.People can say what they like about current drag racing,but I can tell you it was/ and is a great way to spend family time.As I think about it,I have never seen a kid in that kind of family involvement getting into trouble.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Severson
Look at them old push vehicles---where was that at???
I didn't hear that but I did hear the announcer say they were staying another day to test a top fuel car!!! I guess that's what his daughter really wants to pilot?!?!
He didn't say. Sorry.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton