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Jody, Great question. Everything was great when the cars were running 8.70-9.00 e.t.'s. Just about anyone could qualify and be competitive. Try a new convertor or gear here and there and adjust valves once in a while. Now with CW and RBRE turning 10,000 you might get 10 runs before a rebuild or dropped valve, broken rod etc. and you have Pro Stock style maintenance and costs. Will the car construction market correct itself like the housing market? How can you justify a used SS/AH car less motor and trans, costing more than a used Pro Stock roller? It costs between 75k and 125k+ to put a cage, 4-link and modified k, in one of these cars now. Finish it off with a 75k+ motor, and Bucky paint(tuki's the man) and you are at 250k+, and then go shopping for a toter and stacker! All the players are financially independent to start with but now instead of being in their 40's, most are 50-60 and between round thrashes are left up to guys like CW jr. and maybe Dave Barton. Eveyrone else loads the car up and heads over to Darrel Marvels for the Filets.(thanks Darrel) Without CW jr., Bucky, Jeff at Modern, and Dave Barton on this site it was a long, cold lonely winter and slow spring. No one talked about the new Perkins/Jenkins debut, or the record holding RBRE car hurting the new motor at Maple Grove last week. I'm hoping that CW jr., RBRE, Joe Clark (Bucky), and Jeff at Modern are thrashing and have no time to post here and that there will be 20 cars at the next shootout. I know that unless there is more traffic here on this site about who is and who isn't going to the shootouts I won't be booking any rooms.

please come home

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All good points that have merit to a certain degree but a lot of people lost interest in following the SS/AH races after experiencing the attitudes of the racers and engine builders involved as well as it just becomming a battle of the "bucks".There just didn't seem to be anyone that stood out and became the "hero" to cheer for.Don't get me wrong,I admire the effort that some put out and the innovative developments That CJ and Barton camp were doing.I had met CJ and he was as close to becomming the guy that I admired in the class and know Don Bales as a great person personally and wished him all the success.Many of the others are equally great people,but the attitude displayed by some who thought that they were "in a class above all others" or were demeaning in their responses to fans and racers certainly play a part as to why the"flock of followers and interest in the Hemi races" has deminished.I feel(only my opinion)that if these SS/AH racers and builders would follow in the footsteps of all the great "Hemi Heros" that we all remember(quite well) from years past they would have the following and support of many fans and racers.We all want heros to look up to,where have they all gone?As for me I will always remember the great ones and hold those memories close and try to emmulate all their traits that made them outstanding individuals in those days.I still remember sitting around a camp fire with Dyno Don,Hubert Platt,Malcom Durham and some others listening to their stragity on how they were going to whoop azz on Sox and a few other Mopar racers.Not knowing where my loyality was they talked freely and I carried that info promptly to the Mopar camp.The next day was highlited by the biggest,longest staging show down in history each racer trying to burn the other guy down and multipal burn outs through the rosin,each playing the same game.The staging show was better than the actual race.This may have lead to todays"courtisity staging rules.Back then you nodded your head when the flagmen pointed in your direction.So if you see me sitting in my rocker with a smile on my face,I'am just remembering that day at that little backwoods dragstrip and the "racing heros putting on the show" for the fans.