TOO MANY ‘NATIONAL’ EVENTS?
Maybe "we" need to put T/F & F/C back in the divisional races, the way it used to be. Less travel for racers and fans = less expenses. Then the world finals would mean more. Besides maybe more funny cars would be match racing in the Midwest again. That wouldn't be all that bad, would it. Maybe we could even get US 30 reopened.
Joe Fleetwood
Logansport, Indiana
OUR ROCK STAR
Mr. Rockstad, what a great story. Thank you for writing it. Anything having to do with SIR brings back such fond memories for me as I spent many a night out there with my Dad, Jim Eubanks, and his friends Gus and Glen Foster, Herman Peterson, R. Gaines Marley, Ruth, Mike Miller, Sherm Gunn, and on and on.
Those were the days.
All the best.
Sammy Eubanks
Spokane, Washington
ROCKIN’ TO THE OLDIES
Hey Rock, glad to see they found something to keep you off the streets. Great stuff, always good to hear a good story from "back in the day" as they like to say. Take care and stop by if you are ever in LA.
Mike Yurick
Sr. Director of Operations
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, California
RACING IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Guess I am a little slow today, I don't know what U-A-E stands for. But, I am sure I would agree. Some businesses just don't understand who their customers are. A track manager once told a group of us racers that they didn't need us, they got their profit from their advertisers.
R.W. Dewar
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
I do not understand this topic of "What does Alan Johnson know that everyone else doesn't know". When JF was winning 14 world championships no one was asking "What does Austin Coil know that no one else knows". Now I'm not the biggest JF fan around but, he didn't win 14 championships for no reason... the other teams worked hard to catch up... TF needs to do the same.
Jon Mikola
Dayton, Ohio
PRO STICKS: A CLUTCH PLAYER
OH MY GOODNESS! This is too cool! I bracket race a stick car, but I think I'm in the only part of the country that only has one person that does it... me. I'm in Portland, OR, by the way. I have heard there's a stick-only racing series that runs at Mission Raceway Park, but even that is 310 miles north and in another country. I'm jealous of a stick racing series! If there were more of us, I wouldn't seem so weird to so many. :P
John Masterman
Portland, Oregon
UNDERWHELMED AT BEECH BEND
Okay, maybe I'm missing something. I attended the HHRR last year at Nat'l Trail in Columbus and this year at Beech Bend in Bowling Green as a spectator, and I'm hard-pressed to think of a worse venue for this event than Beech Bend. Beech Bend's location makes getting into and out of the track a nightmare compared to the ease of access at Nat'l Trail. The lines at the concession stands moved at a snail's pace, and the concession stand workers were less than friendly - both in marked contrast to my experience at Nat'l Trail last year. And most importantly, and worst of all, actually viewing the racing was a joke. The covered stands look quaint in photos, but the low roof and myriad support posts severely compromise the sight lines and make clearly viewing the top end ET/MPH lights all but impossible.
Now is Beech Bend a more picturesque venue than Nat'l Trail? Absolutely, without question. But I'm going to a drag race, not a picnic. I understand how the grove at Beech Bend is a much more attractive setting for the show & shine crowd, but is the HHRR a cruise-in or a celebration of vintage drag racing? I understood it to be the latter, and I want a venue that doesn't compromise the drag racing experience for the spectator. Sadly, Beech Bend fails miserably. I'll not be back to the HHRR as long as it is held at Beech Bend.
Don't conclude that I'm dissing Beech Bend simply because I live 45 minutes from Nat'l Trail. I'll gladly drive the miles for a quality experience. Next year I'll go to Goodguys at Indy and pass on the HHRR.
Ken Chermer
Ostrander, Ohio
COORDINATE THOSE SCHEDULES
I was at Chicago, and I ran into people who were heading to Indy on Sunday. Does it make any sense for two big drag races 160 miles apart to be run on the same weekend? Wonder what the Goodguys crowd might have been otherwise.
Joe Sherwood
Albuquerque, New Mexico
PINING FOR THE AHRA
Just wondering what your thoughts might be... After reading the May History quiz, which was full of AHRA questions, why do you really think Mrs. Tice sold the AHRA to Mike Gray, who had no background of AHRA racing? She had a band of track operators, and her stepson who could have run the company. Ever wonder where we would be if Jimmy Tice Jr. was the AHRA president today? I am sure they would have the same tracks as they did in the day, and I promise you, there would be more sportsman moving up the ranks into semi-pro racing... Just as in the day!
Don Spencer
Houston, Texas
U.S. VERSUS AUSTRALIA
You started this Jeffery, the WORLD championship of the United States. So let's get cars together, a two-race series in Australia and the States before you start giving out those DRO jackets. Over to you mate.
John Geltink
Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
A PRO MOD BY ANY OTHER NAME
To make it work, NHRA’s got to give it a fair go. Here in Australia we love them, we call them Top Doorslammers, last round at Willow Bank Raceway, we had 22 cars for an eight-car field. Had four cars run five-sec passes, one run 402 km/h and they don't get much prize money. But the fans love them; ask Johnny Rocca, Kirk Kuhns.
It's a pity more cars don't come down here for a tour. I think too many classes there, we don't run nitro funny car, the fans are spoilt. I'd like to see Jeg bring his car and then see how real fans are. Or send one or two cars over there. Thanks.
Raymond Victor Love
Sydney, Australia