I love Pro Stock. I don't follow the drivers, teams or even the brands so much. What I love is the technology that makes these cars so fast. The first time they mentioned tire shake I thought of how that was once a discussion point for for fuel cars only.
But, there has been a word used in previous posts and that word is "relate". In the human psyche, relating, identifying and belonging is a powerful force and that is the predicament that faces NHRA today, not unlike NASCAR. Pro categories are "The Show". They are there to entertain, thus the long burnouts. I'm afraid those of us that appreciate the technology and actually know what's going down the track are too few.
Back in the day (I'm really old) the stands at the US Nationals would fill up for the Jr. Stockers. Why, it was that "relate" factor. I loved watching Don Garlits make his first sub-seven second pass. I loved watching Willie Bortz try to make a complete pass but they were still a bit of an oddity. Stockers and Super Stockers, that's what we had and drove if only in our minds. There can be great appreciation for the pro classes but only a very small percentage can relate. Relating is a powerful calling card.