Maybe a new direction coming for NHRA Pro Stock

The class definitely needs some changes to make it more affordable.



http://www.dragracingonline.com/agent1320/2015/1320-xvii_7-19.html

Sounds like the change they need

That will be great if they make them run the heads in the factory configuration.

I like the new body rule idea... To have basically stock factory bodies bolted to a pro chassis...
Pro Stock was always the coolest class as it was so close to what your average racer could accomplish...Im talking back in the late 60s...

Its about time they did something....look at that Camaro in the picture and then look at one on the street..... I know well & good that aerodynamics are required for speeds in excess of 210 mph but the engines aren't even recognizable to ANYONE other than the builders and users.....

I think if they run the factory body the chevys will
be out front.. they spend a ton on airo.. so I HOPE
the mopar boys can find a few more ponies

The problem with the factory bodies, is that the class will be full of whichever body is the most aero. That is what got the class to the point it is now, trying to equal the aero packages out. And if the plans call for current chassis use, that means wheelbase and likely width changes from factory. Tall order.

More affordable???.........hardly. Because you are essentially junking an engine program with millions of development into it. And how will they handle the different cubic inch sizes of motors? Will it be a "spec" blower. Good idea, I like it, but more affordable?.........doubtful. And while we all recall the "factory wars" fondly, I doubt it will be like that again. They WILL try and do something to keep aero and power on the same levels, just as they do now. If not, the factory willing to spend the most wins and all the cars will be that brand

I don't think NHRA is a s worried about racer cost as much as they are about dollars in their own pocket. My bet is that "stock" looking body's and "recognizable" engines will equal more fan appeal, more sponsor appeal. Pro-Stock and Funny cars body's have ZERO appeal to me. I'd much rather watch 10.5 or 275 cars.
Doug

It's about time they're getting rid of carburetor'd engines, and going with current "OEM type" engines! It will put the STOCK back into Pro Stock, just like how it was when the class started.

It's about BIG time.

Sounds like Pro-Mod-Lite.

If this does eventuate I will be curious to see what happens in regards to aftermarket parts for the three engine platforms.
I do agree with Monte, it doesn't matter what kind of racing it is, if people want to spend big money to race, they will. Guys like Ken Black are why we've seen spec weights etc on current parts in Pro Stock. He just was willing to spend the $$$ on the testing etc to win.

We'll see. You are talking about obsoleting literally millions of dollars worth of r&d, plus engines & pieces. Not to mention the cars themselves.

LOL, about time.... Leave the obsolete crap to the bracket racers and street outlaw turbo and nitrous doofasses.... affordable Pro classes ? . LMAO ! !

How much complaining about that do you remember hearing when the Pro Stock teams went from smallblocks to 500" big blocks?

That guy has reported more lies. That you can remember. I believe little to none of that.. fuel injector been coming for a while.

They can't get a full turnout w/ the current approach and participation appears to be at an all-time low. The class is dying, whether people want to admit it or not.

When that's the trend, it doesn't matter what your current R&D cost has been, etc., because you have to be willing to sh!t-can the old program and start from scratch.

For the die-hards, it sucks because that's what they've been eating, sleeping & breathing for years. But as those teams keep folding, the only hope is to change the program to encourage new participation & sponsors.

Or, you punt the whole deal as the participation dwindles to a measly 8-car program run by a total of 3 or 4 teams. Nobody will pay to watch it, nor sponsor it, when it's that small of a "show" anyway.

Just my opinion, but I've been following Pro Stock for decades (since the mid-'70s) and used to work for a former class champion years ago in their non-racing business.

Doesnt Toyota make a V8 ? be careful what you wish for

All that stuff is obsolete year to year anyways.

I like the idea, for sure, but you are talking about rendering millions of dollars of pieces totally worthless. I mean worthless.....this is all one off stuff and won't even be able to be sold. The big money boys will scream and holler and stop this cold. Remember the lawsuits when NHRA pulled the rug out from under Pro Stock truck because of the complete obsolescence of the Mopar and Chev small block stuff? Does Todd Patterson ring a bell? Lawsuit city. I don't know the results, but they can make it a PITA for NHRA.

I remember well when they went to 500 inches, I was involved then. There was not near the controversy because everything was much closer to production engines....the Chev small block stuff was readily adaptable to Modified and Comp Eliminator. The big block stuff of the time was based on out of the box stuff, and not near as exotic or expensive.

It is a step in the right direction....and the funny cars, as well. But, this isn't going to be as easy as it sounds, and just changing the text of the rules isn't going to cut it. Be ready for a lot of fighting and controversy if it happens.

I want to see parts born from it for us common folk. Currently,just like Nascar, they use NOTHING that can be used on an affordable bracket or street car. I know guys use the old R5 stuff but yeah....

REALLY? It`s about as stupid as "no confederate flag", can`t say this or can`t wear this in school. Leave [censored] alone because change isn`t ALWAYS good and Pro-stock was founded on n/a engines not this moders CRAP they`re spittin out these dayz. No wonder our world`s so f#$^d up..........

I don't really get the correlation to the confederate flag but using production based motors is definitely a step in the right direction. So what they're supercharged, wasn't Pro Stock originally like outlaw Super Stock back when it started (1970?)? They used production engines then, why not now? People like rooting for something they can correlate to, if the Dodge Boys are using an engine loosely based on what's in my truck or Magnum I'd be a lot more invested/interested. Top Fuel uses forced induction are they a bunch of pansies? ProMod? Any of the fast 10.5, 275, Street Outlaw whatever all use FI.
ProStock as it is is dying, I guess they could hang onto "history" and go down with the ship but then what? And imagine what it would do for the current aftermarket for the Gen III HEMI. Current Pro Stock does nothing for the masses of Mopar fans, using a Gen III would be a huge boost.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out if true. I am not a huge fan of Pro Stock using power adders though. I'd rather see them stick to production style n/a engines ~7.0L or so.

From a fans perspective if this is handled right I think it'll be good. Hopefully the cars will more closely related to whats sitting in the parking lot and the engines will be based off CURRENT production engines. So what if they're super charged, all the factories fastest offerings are supercharged.

I hope it's true.

Don't hold your breathe...

I'll honestly be suprised if this is true, I'm hoping it is but skeptical it is BS

True, I know a guy who is sitting on a half dozen or more Hemi 99 blocks.

The big boys replace their cars season to season anyway.

I watch every race that is televised but I'm part of that older crowd, ask a twenty something about pro stock and you'll probably get a blank stare.
Times they are changing
Remember when Buddy Ingersol tried to run fuel injection in pro stock?

http://competitionplus.com/drag-racing/r...or-lack-thereof

maybe...maybe not..

99 blocks are easy to come buy GOOD 99/06 blocks and heads not so much. When Mopar came out with the symmetrical port version no one could make power and teams went about procuring all the asymmetrical stuff they could find for a time. The port design may change frequently or regularly but the hard parts not as much. The stuff is out there you just need to know WHAT you are looking for and WHERE to find the good stuff.

Pro stock = bowling......... Dead

IF I liked the modern stuff I guess it would be cool but I don`t therefore it isn`t of any interest to me that`s all and N/A is the most impressive and always will be.........to ME...............

The 500" Pro-Stock motor ran it's course years ago. Those motors are virtually useless to anyone BUT a PS guy. The correct move is base it on production motors, or allow the bigger motors like IHRA PS

They already HAD a small block N/A class, it was PS Truck and that went over like a lead balloon so why try it again. You think just putting the same motors in door cars vs trucks will make a difference? NO. Plus you immediately slow a PRO class down over a second and a half. Nobody wants to see that.

If you allow a "spec" blower, that only makes X amount of boost, this still puts a premium on parts and engine development vs just shoving more boost in them.

Would be interesting, but I will believe it when I see it.

Fair enough, but even then the PS stuff is cool but from another planet when compared to any Mopar BB. When Alderman ran I was really into it because it was still pretty close to BB stuff. The 99 HEMI is cool but it seems that the format of PS is having a hard time getting viewers

Not just FI but a FI turbo Buick V6 against the 500"ers.

You can do whatever you want with P/S and fans will still stay away in droves. PS/T died because the fans would not watch it. It was also a class of 20 Chevies, 3 Dodges, and maybe 1 Ford because like everything else the parts/technology was there for the Chevy and not for anyone else. Hell, the Fords wouldn't even fall out of a tree they were so bad.

Unfortunatdly, if it don't run on nitro fans don't watch it. The few hundred of us that do are a real minority.

I`m too stupid to mess w/power adder stuff and can barely make n/a stuff work SO, the simplicity(so some say)of n/a just turns me on although we all know no n/a car on the planet can compete w/power adder stuff......

Wonder how far Mr. Wescott has gotten on this near dead class......

I know everyone has a answer for making pro stock better but I hope they don't change anything. I have dreamed about racing a pro stock car for 20 years and this year I got my shot. I feel that the changes they want make are already in place in super stock.

Time for a change indeed. Either go mountain motor in a more legit body or go the route of the current production based engines in a legit body. Do something. This current format is god awful.

I'm 28, I love Pro Stock and think that Pro Level NA racing should be kept in place but also realize that from a marketing standpoint, taking advantage of boosted racing popularity maybe beneficial. If it happens however, the only way it will occur is with a slow progression over a period of say 3yrs. There are just too many many teams with millions invested in 500ci engine development programs. I don't think you can afford to lose constituents like Ken Black, Allen Johnson, Richard Freeman, Gray Motorsports, etc in the hope that they will be replaced by another group of individuals so its has to be a racer friendly transition.

Realistically, I think we will see a change made to the bodies to maintain a more stock appearing car. Reduced or no hood scoops as well. I do not think they will force them to go to all steel bodies as that would slow the cars down and nobody wants that.

I think they will make a move to fuel injection to help with the hood situation

Lastly, I think they are going make the PS Group as a whole operate less secretively in an effort to make the fan experience more enjoyable. Its hard for any fan to get excited about a car with black sheets covering up the engine bay and rearend.

I wish them good luck with switching engine platforms. I don't see an easy way out of that one. If you go to an OEM NA platform, you slow the cars down significantly. If you go to boosted combinations like the class shootout stuff, you have to govern a parity nightmare that I don't feel NHRA would like to handle or enjoy.

DING DING DING We have a winner !!!
The infusion of new cash will be in yen , but with a relatively strong dollar ( for now ) the bonuses will be the same for years to come.
I am only about 10 % joking here.
Don't be surprised to see new players in the game , and this will likely alienate the American manufacturers if they can't compete.
You have to admit , when the powers that be get to cat herding , they don't leave many strays.

I'm for N/A Pro-stock engines based on the new versions on the market now along with Factory stock bodies that resemble a factory/dealer offering.
Maybe this will bring back the design of the New Generation Charger that was unveiled back in 2005 or so.
That Charger body was both swoopy and beautiful, just like it should be.
There could be two classes.
*N/A as outlaw Pro-stock and EFI as factory stock pro-stock.

First let me state, I am old. I have seen drag racing change and I understand that change is a constant. It's hard to pinpoint NHRA's agenda except you know that it's about money first. If you look at the stands at televised races, they are not always full. Same for NASCAR. NHRA took the NASCAR model long ago when they conceived the "pro" classes. To the uninformed, it's no longer about the cars or even drag racing. For them it's about "my guy". But that crowd is fickled and the rising ticket prices send them running. You can't tell what brand a car is unless you look hard for the insignia or you have to wait for the interview, "I'd like to thank my crew for making my Depends, Draino, Goo-Goo Cluster, Joe's Plumbing Supply, Flex-Seal Pontiac run so well. It's just a big rolling billboard but how else are you going to pay for it?
People that actually race see the sport in a different way. NHRA failed to notice the popularity of Pinks All Out. Regardless of what you think of the show, it filled the stands and the pits. It had regular guys running regular cars that looked like cars. 10.5 and 275 cars look like real cars. They can be identified with. Back in the day (remember I'm old) stockers and super stockers were wildly popular. Now they are gone from the pits by Friday to make room for the "pros". Back then factories participated a lot and their motto was "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday". Your lucky if they even mention the other class winners during the broadcast nowadays.
I'll concede to factors like the economy and that, like Monte said, the days of the "factory wars" are over. I may be wrong but this may be an attempt to appeal to a different crowd. Not the "my guy" crowd but the car crowd.

Rant over.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SANCTIONING BODY!!! If you remember drag racing from the start it was street racing. Wally and company came along to get the racing off the streets and get rid of the "punks on the street" image. Great. The sport grew. Lots of new faces. Local and national heroes. Innovation! Innovation! Innovation! And forget the Big Three factory support, that went along with the innovation. Then came "BIG MONEY". Then Wally and company lost their way. With the Nitro guys, it was allowing Bernstein to have several back up motors for an event. Blow it up and replace it for the next round. This raised the amount of money needed to compete. Stock Eliminator- A thru Z stock, anybody could race. Super stock was the next step up for the stockers. Transition from S to SS was a natural progression. Modified Production and Gassers to Pro Stock. It all worked because the rules were not so stringent and just about anyone could find a class and compete. AND NOT TO KNOCK WARREN JOHNSON... but his development of the present day pro stock motor killed the class. If you don't have at least 2 team cars you are out of luck...Force, Schumaker, Kallita, Summit, Elite etc. Classes must be able to evolve. Safety is at the forefront. For every organization that I have worked, it is the guys in the trenches that get things done and make things grow. The suits... they created the term cluster f_ _ _ with their actions or inaction's . So my solution for PS is steel bodies, production motors, 12" tire, 5 spd. trans and either carb or efi. I think the present AAA/SA record is 8.33 on a 9" tire. Seven seconds not that far off. I can see that same car on the street about 10 times a day. Mustang and Challenger all over the place. I can spot these cars on the highway or traffic jam. Other than a dragster, I can't tell, with a quick glance, the difference between a FC or PS unless I see the factory logo. Case in point, Nostalgia classes, Dragster, Funny Car Super Stock and Gas, there has been a big resurgences and excitement among racers and spectators. Same goes for NMCA and outlaw classes. And not to commit a mortal sin but yes... Street Outlaws TV show, Pinks and Grudge. Fun, payouts and a budget with which to work, that's what will keep this sport alive. Remember the 1/4 mile is getting too short for the speeds that are being run by the pros.Roll back the need for big $ and the speeds will slow down. Then, through innovation, the tracks will have time to prepare for the next round of performance. Remember... there are racers and spectators and we all need to survive.

I wanna compete in a Pro-stock Mini-bike class.
Bring 'em on.
My Mini-bike looks, sounds and moves like a real mini-bike, because it is.
I bet if I went down the 1/4 right now with it, everyone would know exactly what it is. Point put across.