New NHRA Pro Stock rules

[whitea62.7t]

With the many impressive engine builders on the Forum
I was wondering what your thought are about the new rules
Greg Anderson was complaining about the cost of the 10,500 rpm limit
Larry Morgan said he liked the new rules
Before he switch to brand X from Ford he was saying the 11,500 rpm they are turning was crazy , and costly on parts , mainly valve springs that needed to be change almost every run
So i dont understand why the cost would be so high lowering the rpm limit
Any thought from the Guru's , would be enlightening to a novice
Thank You all
Sean

[machoneman]

It's all a big load of crap! The rumor of the demise of the 500" engines is just that.

It figures that NHRA would take baby steps to improve a fast dying Pro category rather than make some massive changes like stock bodies, a 3,000 lb weight minimum, engines limited to 360 CID and more. What fools.

http://www.nhra.com/story/2015/7/25/pro-stock-changes/

[CaptCobrajet]

I think they are trying to move slow enough to keep from running off the current 18 to 20 players with too much change all at once.  All of those teams have years of R&D, and piles of usable 500" parts.  A major change would rule out probably more than half of the ones currently running just from a cost standpoint.  They gotta do something, but the problem is deeper than Pro Stock.  They need to spark interest in the Stock, Super Stock, and Comp classes.  Those used to be the guys who worked their way into Pro Stock.  If the "base" is not healthy, less guys will migrate into Pro Stock.  It has been a 30 year slow decline.  It could come back.  They might do better to add a Pro category for the newer supercharged cars with OEM based vehicles and gradually the heavy hitters would migrate over there.  JMO.

[whitea62.7t]

Blair i heard rumors  that is the long term plan
i know r&d is expensive and going to EFI could take some time , but the rpm limit , is that really a big deal?

[Barry_R]

Blair is 100% correct - and the problem is even deeper than the sportsman classes.  NHRA seems to refuse to see whats right in front of their eyes - the sport itself has shrunken dramatically over the years.  There are so many factors that its hard to put together a coherent story of "why", but I would wager that drag racing in total is probably 50% of what it was in the 70's & 80's.

The growth of big time sponsorship and giant publicity for the Pro classes in the 90's and 00's masked the underlying decline in participation and interest in all other levels. 

The well intentioned "Super" classes were (and are) near impossible for fans to understand or relate to, and they dominated the hours spent at a national event, leading spectators to feel disconnected - why did they slow down, why are they sputtering, why did the slower car win?

The cars - even at the Stocker level - have become so professionalized and so highly developed that the average spectator is intimidated away from even trying to step into the game.  To the uninitiated it looks like you need a toterhome, a 38 foot stacker, and four days per week off in order to run at the entry level.

Pro Stock started out as an extension of Super Stock or Modified Production style cars, but from the stands they look more like really fast Super Comp cars now, with unidentifiable bodies and exactly perfect identical runs from all involved.  There is nothing visceral about watching them, and the incredible amount of technology is largely hidden from the casual fan.  The cartoon like Pro Mod stuff with various drivelines (turbo vs nitrous vs blower) are far more entertaining.

Personally I think they should push the current Pro Stock cars into the Pro Mod pool with some weight shuffling to bring everybody into parity, and have a N/A option for the big tire bar of soap type cars, and take the gloves off of the "Factory Stock/new car Super Stock" cars like the new Camaros, Challengers, and Mustangs & make them the new Pro Stock.  It would be closer to the roots of a class which has long since lost its way.

[whitea62.7t]

Since Bob Glidden , pro stock has been an all GM show with alittle Mopar sprinkled in
they need to make the Factory super stocks the new pro stock . which could be done over time.
there are really only 4 engine builders left , Alan Johnson for mopar , KB, Grey and elite
Sucks not seeing the Blue Oval there

[fekbmax]

i wish more tracks would do the open comp style drag racing for us low buck guys that wanna run all out as hard as we can off a pro tree with staggered start and no breakout.
 
http://northeastopencomp.webs.com/

as well as pro stick racing which is my class of choise and im hoping to be back out for the full schedule next year.

http://www.prostickracing.com/

pro stick runs both 1/8 and 1/4 depending on the track.

[whitea62.7t]

I bracket raced a 1968 Cougar with a 390 for yrs , couldnt afford to race heads up , back in the 80's the Navy didnt pay much , and i loved it
I dont like this 1/8th mile racing , did it once , hated it

[57 lima bean]

Pro Stock tripped over itself soon after it started (Pro Superstock)with allowing tube chassis and Vega/Pinto combos.Then again with the 500 inch rule.But they're door cars and I love'm.The new classes in Stock and SS spin my head with the use of the alphabet.