Sport of drag racing has no interest anymore. Lol
Bracket Racing is thriving but Stock / Super Stock
is struggling a bit.
Many tracks in the West Coast have closed and more
are soon to be closed out here. Wild Horse in Phoenix is having the
last National Race early next year before the Indians tear it down! I have
been running the National Race and a division or two there for 30 years.
Many of the remaining tracks like Sears Pt. and my home track LVMS have dropped
many of their bracket races and test dates. They are just too big a facility and too expensive
to operate on a regular basis for Drag Racing. It is not a money maker for them except for
the National races once or twice a year.
If I did not have 12 race cars / 5 Grand Kids and a 5000 ft shop, I would be moving back East
and hanging out with you guys!
Bracket racing does ok at my local track but they do much better with special events like funny car shows, nostalgia races , swap meets etc. The average car count in my class ( sportsman ) is between 30 -36 cars a week , pro is usually 40 -50 cars and super pro is 15- 20 for some reason that class has been suffering for a few years now perhaps they are out big money racing. We lost Englishtown a few years ago and that was a big blow , we almost lost Atco last year but it going strong now, my local track of 25 plus years closed briefly back in 2013 due to poor management luckily it reopened after a few months under new management ( same family only now ran by the 3rd generation ) Stock and Super/ Stock , S/ST, S/G S/C etc. seem to do well here in the north east between divisional , nationals and association races (.90 , Stock / Super Stock etc. ) We run 1/4 mile but lately some races are 1/8 mile including the Bracket Finals there is talk around that all racing might turn to 1/8 mile in the Northeast division I guess it will be discussed at the Track operators meeting in January maybe just for the Summit series I guess we will see. I lately prefer index racing on a 5/10ths pro tree my local track doesn't offer it so I have to go to Atco ( two hours away ) or Cecil County ( two and a half hours away ) both tracks do pretty well with their index programsBracket racing is doing fine here, but what pays the bills for the track is the small tire and heads up shoot out stuff. Not many spectators at the regular bracket programs but there will be tons of people at the heads up stuff.
I was racing at Fremont when I was stationed with the Navy at Moffett Field with my 68 AMX from 1984 until they closed the facility then I switched to Sonoma and Sacramento. Loved Fremont. Turned my fastest ET ever with the old AMX there.Mr Irving, you and I have both been around to know what exactly is and has been transpiring over the last 3+ decades with class racing and the political nonsense that goes along with it. I started racing S/S in 1971, primarily at Vacavalley and Fremont (Sears Pt was too inconsistent then with the movie corp owners at the time...might have been a tax write off?!). As much as I hated to do it, 5-6 years ago I decided I was done with NHRA and that form of class racing for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, it's gotten way out of control in Commiefornia now for most forms of motorsports as well. Interestingly, since I moved from the State of Confusion to the South I have discovered a much different form of 'S/S' racing in the form of South Eastern Gassers Assn. It sure isn't what NHRA/AHRA/IHRA was or is but it looks to be fun and the crowds are pretty impressive and more symbolic of the '60s (fairly sizeable, energetic and appreciative). The only REAL drawback is it's mainly 1/8 mile tracks but then...it's better than no track and beats the stuffins' out of street racing! YUP, it just ain't what it used to be...no doubt!...wb