[cook_dw]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: old5.0</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: old5.0</div><div class="ubbcode-body">NHRA is in it to get paid. What have they done over the past thirty or forty years to fulfill this sacred mission of theirs? What have they done to support grassroots racers, encourage young people to enter the hobby, or substantively change the public's perception of drag racing?</div></div>

I'm not supporting NHRA's action against the SO participants, but I would have to object a bit on the statement above - the Jr Dragster class has been the fastest (and within the last 4-5 years, the only) growing class within the NHRA - us included. So, while they have not really catered to the Jr's, they have created the class, set (sometimes 'silly') rules, organized 2 National Jr Dragster Events each year, and recently have allowed a handful of Jr's to run during NHRA National events. So, on that front, they have done well. They continue to struggle with converting Jr racers to big cars, but that is true in just about every sport with a 'feeder group'.

I do like the SO show, I watch it with my sons, and I point out their controlled environment and that it is against the law to street race - we enjoy the competitive nature of the participants, the smack talk and the calling out process. I'll take SO over the new 'Karting' show any day.... </div></div>

That's true, they do support the juniors and I should have acknowledged that. My problem, though, is what happens after you graduate out of the Jr. ranks.

I had a discussion about this on another forum sometime back, but it's relevant here, as well. NHRA is declining in relevance, and they've done it to themselves simply because they thought they were the only game in town. Back in the 80's, you could see it coming. They were already marginalizing the grass roots racers that put them on the map in favor of the Pro classes, but then the NMCA popped up and, concurrently, as the 5.0 Mustang got rolling, you began seeing small shootout series like the 5.0 vs. GN races, and finally a 5.0-only sanctioning body, the AMRA, was formed in about '89 or '90. The impetus behind this was easy to figure out; I could by new Mustang, H/C/I swap and a blower and have a driveable 9-second street car. On top of that, I could head to an AMRA race and participate in some good old-fashioned, heads-up, run-what-ya-brung drag racing.

Or, I could go to NHRA and spend a bunch of money on a 78 Sedan deVille to run V/Stock because that particular car hadn't been hit with a massive horsepower factor yet and I might stand a fighting chance of winning a hundred bucks for my trouble. That's an easy decision in my book.

It would have been so simple for the NHRA to provide a home for all the young people who were part of the emerging heads-up revolution back then. Revive a dead class designation like Factory Experimental or Modified Production for the late-models, and another for the vintage musclecar guys who didn't want to be restricted by the existing Stock-S/S rules. No factors, no weight breaks, no BS; whoever hits the stripe first wins. Everything from the Pure Stock drags to big tire grudge style racing could have existed wholly under the NHRA banner (as opposed to just racing at NHRA sanctioned tracks), which would have provided all drag racers with truly unified front that might have been more effective in actually accomplishing goals like getting kids off the street and keeping tracks open. But that isn't what they did, and the landscape of drag racing has been completely altered because of it. NHRA thought they <span style="font-style: italic">owned</span> drag racing. But they were wrong, and their arrogance is exactly why they're on ESPN 47 getting preempted by professional women's curling.

NHRA is killing itself slowly, a self-imposed death by a thousand cuts. Ten thousand stupid little decisions adding up to a massive problem (not coincidentally, unless something has changed, don't they refuse to acknowledge that your Deuce even exists?). I suppose my biggest problem is that in my mind, I can't square NHRA's actions with incompetence, not completely. Which is why I said they're in it to get paid. They want to squeeze as much money as possible out of as many people as possible for as long as possible. I just don't see any other reasonable explanation for their actions, although maybe I'm reading too much into it and they really are as shortsighted as they appear. Ultimately, I suspect this entire mess with SO has less to do with street racing and more to do with (as someone on another forum so aptly put it) the fact that a primered Nova from Oklahoma has twice as many Facebook likes as they do.
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Couldnt have said it better. Well done.