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Many Mopar guys want to label me a Mopar hater and that is FAR from the truth. I LOVE Mopar but am also a racer and mostly a "realist". And the simple truth remains in a realistic situation of parts, we are way behind being able to compete on an inch per inch hp basis in most situations. Now, could I build a screw blown HEMI or a twin turbo HEMI and have just as good of a chance as anyone else regardless of brand.........yes I could. But that is not what I WANT to do. If I wanted a boosted combo, I would have one. None of the OTHER brands are limited to ONE single combo that could compete, so why do I have to be. Same as if I was running an N/A class that say had a 632in limit and allowed any cylinder head. As a Mopar guy, you are out. At the absolute BEST you could be given those rules, you will be 150+ HP down to the best Chevy and Ford combos. So why in the world would I be willing to go out and beat my head against the wall, knowing I can't compete, but possibly being able to say I have the "fastest 632 N/A Mopar"..........yeah, that gains me a lot of satisfaction. I like to WIN.

I realize most of my arguments fall on deaf ears, because the percentage of Mopar guys who choose to race in a "heads-up" class is very small, so the lack of HP making parts is a moot point. It simply doesn't matter to most who are die hard brand loyal, because most are looking to go as fast as THEY can, not faster than everyone else..........So just because I choose to be a heads up racer and constantly lament the fact that I can't get the parts to compete on a heads up level makes me NO LESS of a Mopar guy than anyone else, just a different TYPE Mopar guy. While having the "fastest Mopar" so and so may appeal to some, it doesn't to me. I don't find much solice in this "moral" victory and "everybody gets a ribbon" society we live in today. I want to win in my chosen class and crush the other guy while doing it, regardless of the brand he drives. This is the reason I ran very little of the KOS stuff when it was going good. I think I was number one qualifier at every KOS race I ran by a good margin, yet was just a top half car at NMCA or HOT ROD events. I always wanted to race the best of the best, not just the best of my brand. Brian Hicks was the same way and we both felt the same way about that. He flew the Mopar colors with the Chicago "Wise Guys" and I did the best I could with the NMCA and Hot Rod crowds. We were both very proud that we had two of the fastest small tire Mopars on the planet, but both wanted more. Nothing wrong with that.

Monte

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