2019 NHRA "Silly Season"

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ocdart

ocdart

Inland Mopars Car Club
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The first "Silly Season" news was Tanner Gray moving to some sort of NASCAR racing in 2019.
Then the surprising move of Grubby being replaced on the Clay Millican Top Fuel team.
Now news is out on CompetitionPlus.com that Nick Mitsos has parked the Mountain View Tire Pro Stock team and Vincent Nobile is out of a ride. Mitsos announced Mountain View Tire will be campaigning a Factory Stock Showdown COPO Camaro in the 2019 NHRA season.
 
I think Pro/Stock is being purposely killed by NHRA . Gray and Nobile are young enough to move to other places before it happens.
 
After watching the aweful coverage of the Pomona race just confirms what I suspected all along . NHRA is now NASCAR in a straight line . $$$$$$$$ is all they care about . If you looked at the grandstands during coverage the only time it was full was quarter finals of the fuel classes . Pro Stock is an all Camaro show with prima donna drivers . Factory Stock is being taken over by the pros . Some have 2 or 3 cars . I followed NMCA for a lot of years until they moved everything to the Midwest and poured $$$$$i nto NMRA . X275, Outlaw 632 and the other door classes now have my attention . the D235 class is great . the down side is the livestream coverage can be wonky . Can't wait for Lights Out @ S.G.M.P.
 
383Scampman said:
After watching the aweful coverage of the Pomona race just confirms what I suspected all along . NHRA is now NASCAR in a straight line . $$$$$$$$ is all they care about . If you looked at the grandstands during coverage the only time it was full was quarter finals of the fuel classes . Pro Stock is an all Camaro show with prima donna drivers . Factory Stock is being taken over by the pros . Some have 2 or 3 cars . I followed NMCA for a lot of years until they moved everything to the Midwest and poured $$$$$i nto NMRA . X275, Outlaw 632 and the other door classes now have my attention . the D235 class is great . the down side is the livestream coverage can be wonky . Can't wait for Lights Out @ S.G.M.P.
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I’m moving more toward the outlaw door slammers also. Only problem with them is the ridiculous amount of track prep between classes. Effing ridiculous! More time spent on prep than actual racing. They said each class has a specific prep in order to get down. Hard to sit in the stands all day and watch the tractor more than cars.
 
Agree SSG . I have proposed to our local drag track a street legal race on Friday nights with 1/2 second , foot brake , pro start or instant green . I like instant green myself . Not even a "NO". Proposed it again , nada . They finally told me to get 25 cars to show up and they would think about it . No money in it for them . A friend of mine has a Top Sportsman Duster . they kiss his feet when he shows up to test . Go figure !
 
CompetitionPlus.com this morning reports, "Multiple sources have confirmed David Grubnic will be headed to John Force Racing along with the majority of the crewmembers. Additionally we are hearing quite a bit of news will be coming forth from JFR in the next month."
 
Saw this on FB

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NHRA.com announced the 2019 FOX television broadcast schedule on 11/16/18. Included with the broadcast schedule was a lowkey announcement that Brian Lohnes will be the lead announcer for the FOX broadcast team.
Does this mean that Dave Rieff is gone? I sure hope so (JMO).
There was no mention of Tony Pedregon in the announcement or Bruno Massel, Lewis Bloom, Amanda Busick, Jamie Howe or John Kernan.
Personally, I'd love to see Mike Dunn back on the team and Tony be Pedre"gone".
 
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I find myself watch the races on the Lucas channel of the guys down under, drag racing as it should be plus they don't talk through the whole run like they do here on nhra. My son and I were there at Pomona on Saturday and I love the super stock all the classic cars and a new newer ones. But yeah once the fueler guys were coming up the stands got full.
 
ocdart said:
NHRA.com announced the 2019 FOX television broadcast schedule on 11/16/18. Included with the broadcast schedule was a lowkey announcement that Brian Lohnes will be the lead announcer for the FOX broadcast team.
Does this mean that Dave Rieff is gone? I sure hope so (JMO).
There was no mention of Tony Pedregon in the announcement or Bruno Massel, Lewis Bloom, Amanda Busick, Jamie Howe or John Kernan.
Personally, I'd love to see Mike Dunn back on the team and Tony be Pedre"gone".
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Personally, I like Dave Reiff, and Pedregon can "be gone" for sure. Mike Dunn was very good too. If I had my drothers, I want Steve Evans back announcing, but, barring a miracle, that just ain't happnin'.
 
I thank technology as I can just FFW through all the b.s. and watch DSR run their fuel funny cars. it's about all that I can stomach.
 
Incase you haven't heard . Steve Evans has passed . Brian Lohns is joining Tony in the booth . Brian got his start some years ago announcing at New England Dragway , started Bang Shift , announced NMCA/NMRA , Pro-Mod among other things . And is an automotive journalist . He got the job because he deserves it , knows the sport and is dedicated . Go , Brian
 
383Scampman said:
Incase you haven't heard . Steve Evans has passed . Brian Lohns is joining Tony in the booth . Brian got his start some years ago announcing at New England Dragway , started Bang Shift , announced NMCA/NMRA , Pro-Mod among other things . And is an automotive journalist . He got the job because he deserves it , knows the sport and is dedicated . Go , Brian
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Yes, I know..hence "barring a miracle, that just ain't happnin'."
 
383Scampman said:
Incase you haven't heard . Steve Evans has passed . Brian Lohns is joining Tony in the booth . Brian got his start some years ago announcing at New England Dragway , started Bang Shift , announced NMCA/NMRA , Pro-Mod among other things . And is an automotive journalist . He got the job because he deserves it , knows the sport and is dedicated . Go , Brian
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So Reiff is gone ?
 
I know it won't happen but bring back the kind of stockers we had back in the day of race on Sunday and buy on Monday ….bring back cars the fans can relate to . This includes NASCAR , who's attendance is sinking also .

And you hit the nail on the head when you said it's all about the $$$$$$$$$....sad .
 
Back in Time said:
So Reiff is gone ?
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* I've seen multiple announcements saying Brian Lohnes will be the lead announcer on NHRA television broadcasts.
* I also saw an article in our local newspaper quoting Josh Peterson, NHRA vice-president of racing administration, saying about the 18-race Pro Stock schedule, "We think the new schedule will increase participation by relieving the economic burden and time commitment that comes with 24 events, which will ignite more intense competition. All of that should make for compelling action and drive fan interest." Make of that what you will.
 
Bruno Massel, has a bow tie tattoed on his ***, can't stand him. Go google lee shepherd and reher and morrison on you tube, good info on pro stock from the late 70's and 80's. nhra made them stop selling t-shirts, that was one way they made a lot of their money. They used a 348 crank in a bb to make a small bb. Same time as some of the Mopar folks were making small Hemi's. Welding bosses on 383's to bolt hemi heads on them. Hagen and Carlton died and no one stepped in the void. And That was when Glidden was running the small block Mopar. Hard working creative guys, those were the days. Not any more.
 
Hyper_pak said:
Bruno Massel, has a bow tie tattoed on his ***, can't stand him. Go google lee shepherd and reher and morrison on you tube, good info on pro stock from the late 70's and 80's. nhra made them stop selling t-shirts, that was one way they made a lot of their money. They used a 348 crank in a bb to make a small bb. Same time as some of the Mopar folks were making small Hemi's. Welding bosses on 383's to bolt hemi heads on them. Hagen and Carlton died and no one stepped in the void. And That was when Glidden was running the small block Mopar. Hard working creative guys, those were the days. Not any more.
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Bow tie or not Bruno Massel is an accomplished racer and would fit well in the booth as long as he would back off on the Chevy stuff. I respect him a lot
 
Yea I know, but have you ever seen him on the garage squad show? He makes it clear he doesn't like Mopar. And with todays NHRA there aren't any Mopars to talk about so it really wouldn't make much difference. Only in Stock and Super Stock are there any number of Mopars.
 
Hyper_pak said:
Yea I know, but have you ever seen him on the garage squad show? He makes it clear he doesn't like Mopar. And with todays NHRA there aren't any Mopars to talk about so it really wouldn't make much difference. Only in Stock and Super Stock are there any number of Mopars.
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No different than those who say MOPAR or NO CAR. Maybe if MOPAR would pony up some help there might be more in Pro Stock. I prefer to watch Stock and Super Stock any way because the Mopar's do well there.
 
I see a big future for Chrysler in the Factory Stock Class. Now this is just me,, The class is like old time drag racing mixed with modern technology. I'm not sure what the NHRA is doing with Pro Stock . Maybe it's for the better,,or not.
 
The main reason there are not more Mopars in pro competition is the COST . There is just as much techlology in Mopars as any other brand . Just think about it for a minute . You are a racer in top Sportsman class . It takes 1200 h.p. to push your car into the 7 second zone . A shevvy motor cost $28,000 . A mopar cost $38,000 . You get money for running a shevvy . You get nothing for running a mopar . It costs you $1,000 to race for a weekend . Where does that come from ? I was at a race in S.G.M.P. and the purse was $40,000 . There were 496 race cars there . Ford and Chevy were giving bonuses for winning . there was 3 Mopars on the property . I was the crew on one in Open Comp. One of the other mopars had a 632 cu in shevvy. Did I have fun , you bet . Did we win, not a chance . I'm still not going to race a shevvy.
 
Yep, MONEY. Back in 1976 I quit racing because of MONEY. In 2006 I quit again,, You guessed it, MONEY.
 
Word today on competition.com:
* Bo Butner (Bob Utner?) has changed his mind and will return to the KB Racing-owned Pro Stock Camaro for the 2019 NHRA season. According to the article, it was the new 18-race schedule that contributed to the change of heart.
* Tommy DeLago will not be back with Cruz Pedregon in 2019. He was told on November 23rd that there was no deal in place for his employment in 2019.
 
Now it's making sense why these "underground" street racing events are becoming so popular, they've got some INSANE 1000+ HP "street" cars down in Texas racing out in the boonies, it's so big now you can buy DVD box sets of all the races covered by 1320 Media. That and 1/2-mile drags at abandoned air strips... seems like racers are moving away from the big old sanctioning bodies and making their own.
 
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