Second, if you want to watch nitro cars race a quarter of a mile then nostalgia racing is for you.

Third, while it is not “cheap” to race a Nostalgia Funny Car or Top Fueler, it is significantly cheaper than what is required for an NHRA car. It is so affordable that many of the current cars are owned and raced by hobby racers with 9-5 day jobs.

Nostalgia racers basically saved themselves from themselves when they banded together and came up with a set of basic rules that mandated a 6-71 supercharger with an overdrive restriction, a single small-volume fuel pump and a points magneto. There is undeniable proof that those three rules have kept the cost of building a competitive AA/FC and to a lesser extent the AA/FD from rocketing  into the stratosphere. That budget racers such as Jake Jacobsmeyer in the Midwest and “Lil” Nate on the West Coast can actually win races under these rules proves that point.

But the rules aren’t so restrictive that individualism and innovation is throttled. There are many, many different engine combinations being used in “Nostalgia” racing including Hemis as well as big and small block Chevys that are competitive. In the Funny Car ranks Hemis are abundant, but even in that class there are racers who are competitive with Chevy rat motors under the body. There’s absolutely nothing in NHRA nitro racing to compare.

To be honest, the really nostalgic part of “Nostalgia” nitro racing and what attracts me to the sport isn’t the body styles or strict adherence to exactly copying a vintage funny car. I actually don’t find seven-second funny cars with automatic transmissions and period-correct engines entertaining, just as I have no real use for “cackle cars.”

No, sir, give me serious qualifying and real nitro-burning racecars, and crews and drivers who push themselves and their equipment to the limits. A front-motored, nitro-burning, Hemi-powered dragster going through the lights at 10,500 rpm or a Chevy-powered, nitro-burning five-second flopper is easily worth the price of admission.

There is nothing really “nostalgic” about most of the cars or their powerplants. They are, in reality, built using state-of-the-art design and components. But the three or four basic rules regarding fuel systems and tires ensure that the drivers and tuners are at least 50% of the winning combination and that innovation plus hard work are at least as important to being successful as how much money is spent.

So these cars aren’t as quick and fast as their Big Show counterparts. So what? The Funny Cars at their best run 5.70’s at 250 mph. The Top Fuelers are about a tenth quicker and 15 mph faster, and that’s plenty good for me.

And I don’t care even a little bit if they aren’t “period correct.” I just want real nitro racing where I’m going to see new cars, new drivers, a variety of powerplants and occasionally 100% nitro in the tank.  I want racing where the crew chief/tuner is getting dirty, where there are more volunteer crews than paid ones. Where the teams are racing and sacrificing because they want to race, not keep a job. I want racing where qualifying means something.

I don’t want to have to spend 500 bucks a weekend to bring my family to the races. I want to see fuel cars run a quarter mile if it can be done safely. I want points programs that reward racers who excel for a full season and I want 32-car nitro fields.

Right now the Goodguys, Hot Rod Heritage, and the DRO Funny Car Challenge offer fans and racers much of what I have described above.

I’m not saying that NHRA fuel racing doesn’t remain the epitome of professional nitro racing. Quite the contrary. There is no doubt that it is the best and now NHRA is exporting its brand worldwide. But I freely admit that NHRA fuel racing has become too much of a corporate business/entertainment for me to take as a steady diet.

I have to admit that I don’t watch or follow Formula One, NASCAR, or Endurance racing. In some respects NHRA racing has moved that way. Those racing circuits are just too elite for me, too Country Club if you will. I’m not saying it is bad racing; I’m saying it’s not really interesting to me as far as participation and spectating is concerned.

I guess as I get older I’ve discovered that I like enjoy watching semi-pro baseball better than watching than big league ball, I like minor league hockey better than the NHL, and I really like “Nostalgia” racing because most of those involved are doing it because of their love of the sport not for the paycheck.