Goodyear Drag Radial 2010 Rollcall

[Kurt Butler]

Who will be racing in the drag radial class this season? It would be great to have some new racers! Those of you that are, good luck with your winter upgrades.  Jeff, get your ass in gear! Perk, WTFAY!!!


-Kurt Butler Nova Sbc Auto
-Joe Boywitt Pinto Sbf Auto
-Frank Peacock Nova Bbc Auto

[BAD-289]

 .. allful quiet in here ...who's going to stir the pot up 

[Richard Maitre]

Well we are starting this Saturday on Brian McKinney's motor at the shop. The heads are getting done, but in the meantime we want to dummy up some pieces and get the pistons cut and the shortblock assembled. This is a back up motor for now but should run good with the new heads on it. The new motor is a little smaller and he needs a few more items for it, so we figured we would get the 505 put together to have something to start the season with. He bought Mike G's Grand National that was advertised on our board a while back and should be a decent starter piece for him.

If you are working on something, chime on in.

Rich

[badbird68]

sorry guys but I will be sitting out for most of the year if not all of it... good luck and hopefully some new guys will come out...

[Kurt Butler]

Yo Jeff, sorry to hear that, hopefully things will come together sooner, than later. I really hope there are more guys working on their cars right now. Stock suspension, 275 radial tire, conventional heads, and there are not any other racers on this board that fit these rules? I would think there would be several racers that this class would appeal to? I have to be missing something.

[BAD-289]

sorry guys but I will be sitting out for most of the year if not all of it... good luck and hopefully some new guys will come out...

think we can fit that poncho under my hood ?? HELP A BROTHER OUT WILL YA   

[badbird68]

I think we can fit it in there, maybe we can do a lease program or something..

[BAD-289]

sounds good how much you think i'll need to weigh ? maybe i can get rich to put the (p) back in.. buick/old/pinto/other..

[Richard Maitre]

sounds good how much you think i'll need to weigh ? maybe i can get rich to put the (p) back in.. buick/old/pinto/other..

Buick/Olds/Pinto.......That is frekin hilarious

But seriously, the lease deal is a great idea. If you guys can come to some kind of agreement. Hybrids dont get much more peculiar than that do they 

Rich

[BAD-289]

sounds good how much you think i'll need to weigh ? maybe i can get rich to put the (p) back in.. buick/old/pinto/other..

Buick/Olds/Pinto.......That is frekin hilarious

But seriously, the lease deal is a great idea. If you guys can come to some kind of agreement. Hybrids dont get much more peculiar than that do they 

Rich

Look its better then putt'n a chevy in it !!! 

[Kurt Butler]

Joe, I don't care what bullet you have in that pinto, just as long as it's in the staging lanes at Delmar! In order for a class to survive it needs racers to support it. You can't find a cheaper form of heads-up racing, and racers still will not bring their cars out. Once again, stock suspension, 275 drag radial, and conventional heads. This class should be able to bring 16 cars easy. We all know drag racing is a very challenging sport, if you're not the fastest when you first bring your car out, doesn't that give a racer something to work towards? I've never been the fastest, and never will be. But it does give me something to shoot for, as it should every drag racer. It would be great to see new cars supporting the class this season.

[Ron Rhodes]

Well said Kurt! I have always thought this is a cool class! I am surprised at the small car count as well. There always seems to be rumors of cars being built for this class, but they never end up showin. Whats the deal? Do they change dirctions or what? I think there will be some new faces this year  

[Richard Maitre]

I try real hard on alot of the other forums online and try to either promote, inform, coerse, suggest, and even sometimes antagonize or straight out call them out to come out and try the class. many know of the class, but many still dont know the specifics and how simple the rules are. The other thing is, after I post my challenge up, wiithout the help of you racers behind me, praising the class, the topic soon finds its way to the back of the line. I need some help and encouragement....when you guys se me start a thread on YB, gDR, classracer, or other, I need your backing behind me to keep that post alive and interesting. As a team I think we can educate more about the class and maybe get more involvement. Right now there is a good thread on YB on NMCA's Factory Street Days. I have in there how our D/R rules are based right off of those rules. Everybody on there saying how much fun that was, well come on over and continue the fun....Right!!

Rich

[10secBu]

Rich,

I'll add my thoughts and hope they aren't taken the wrong way. To me, the head rule might be limiting D/R participation.

I followed the Factory Street class years ago. I saw quite a few guys spend a ton of cash on iron castings that were essentially worthless to anyone else. In D/R the allowed castings are basically street performance heads that will require a TON of work and money to be brought up to competitive levels. I did some investigating and saw numbers of anywhere from $8-12k for a top level set of heads. You can buy a set of similar castings CNC'd out of the box for a fraction of that cost. Granted, maybe not to the level of the custom built set, but again, costs are much less to the racer.

I do understand your position in keeping a clear separation of 10.5 and D/R. It's a tough place to be no doubt.

Come on spring...I'm about to go stir crazy with cabin fever and all this freakin snow.

Todd

[Richard Maitre]

Well lets hope that Goodyear's return will instill some new faith in the class. They will be the class sponsor but not in an exclusive way, so those of you with other brand tires are ok 

Rich

[Kurt Butler]

Cool! Thank you Goodyear for coming back as class sponsor! Now, all we need are a few more racers to come out and support the class.

[BAD-289]

YO KURT !!  YOU STILL OUT THERE ??  THE CLOCKS TICK'N AWAY.

[Richard Maitre]

Joe, nice new avatar of the pinto, looks like maybe you found a few new ponies.

Rich

[BAD-289]

IT'S THE NEW GOODYEAR D/R THAT HELPS . 

[Kurt Butler]

Hey Joe, I'm still here bro. I figured no need in posting when you only get 3 responses as to who intends on running D/R next year. Man it should be killer with 3 cars, a Fire Bird, Pinto, and  Nova. I guess there aren't any conventional headed, naturally aspirated, stock suspended cars out there that like to run heads up? Bracket racing must be the hot ticket.

[fastfairmont]

it's like this Kurt. i've got a lot of money in my heads and i am not competetive in the class, probably because i have a stock block with a small bore that restricts airflow. i can go a .6x but not at the weight i have to carry. at d/r race weight i can only go .8x in good air so i run index where i have an even chance of getting past the first round. at the minimum i need an aftermarket short block for 6-8k to have any chance and it's money i don't have. i had a lot of fun when i was running d/r but the economics are'nt there. to get any more out of the heads i have you are welding, etc and then at my 15+ compression ratio the heads are prone to come apart and be an expensive pile of useless aluminum.
i'll be there runnning index because it's all i can afford.

[Richard Maitre]

(Bouncing around in Rich's head right now)..................Weight break for Trucks and Station Wagons?? If I get a little feedback here by those interested in running D/R, those are a couple of items I WOULD consider. I think I had a phone call from a gentleman in Douglasville who wanted to build an S-10 truck for D/R. May be a good time for you to chime in now sir : )

Rich

[Brian C]

You know, I've been thinking. I could be competitive in drag radial.......





....if it was 2004!

Yeah, bracket racing's the hot ticket!

[Kurt Butler]

Hey Lee, hope all is well. That statement was not directed at you, although it would be great to have you back in the class! For the past few years, there have been several people who have said they were building for the class and have yet to show up. I guess I look at it a little differently, there will always be someone faster, that's just the way it is. But, if you have an interest in a class, and your car fits the rules, but you fall short on power, it gives you something to shoot for. If you wait until you think you have enough power, and do not support a class, by the time you think you have the power, the class is gone. I see guys in these outlaw power adder classes spending endless amounts of money, that do not pay out shit compared to what they spent, and the classes have great car counts? Look at all the guys building for the 275 class at Cecil? These guys are spending BIG dollars! Here, you have one of the most affordable classes in heads up racing, and struggles for cars? So, it appears to me,  a racer either chooses to empty his pockets completely to sit in the stagging lanes next to promod cars, or, you go bracket racing? I feel that N/A D/R is a great class. It allows you to race heads up without the class getting out of hand, that is, compared to that power adder shit!! I can't believe there are not more racers out there, that do not want to bracket race, but can't afford to run outlaw. Obviously, I am very wrong! Oh well, that's life.

[RRCPERF]

hey Kurt, you are not wrong. bracket racing is just easy, so thats y it is popular.   as far as spending big money to run the other classes, it is also about how fast you go for what you spend.
the same 20 grand for a drag radial motor can be spent on a power adder motor and be a second faster.

I AM NOT TRYING TO START ANYTHING BY MAKING THIS POST.
just telling you what i hear when talking to people about racing.

[Richard Maitre]

hey Kurt, you are not wrong. bracket racing is just easy, so thats y it is popular.   as far as spending big money to run the other classes, it is also about how fast you go for what you spend.
the same 20 grand for a drag radial motor can be spent on a power adder motor and be a second faster.

I AM NOT TRYING TO START ANYTHING BY MAKING THIS POST.
just telling you what i hear when talking to people about racing.

And this is coming from one of the biggest Stock eliminator fans in the world.   

Rich

[RRCPERF]

thats y i am a FAN , not a car owner or  participant.

[Richard Maitre]

Fair enough 

Rich

[RRCPERF]

thanks buddy.

[Richard Maitre]

no pokes Mike, you know I luv ya as a brother dude, just hopin ya help a brotha out. 

  with recruiting new D/R racers, just askin for a little help promoting. you know you have a large following.

Rich

[RRCPERF]

kim said make his heads legal and he would try it 

[Richard Maitre]

If I had a nickel........

Rich

[fastfairmont]

do'in ok Kurt
i agree with Mike that it is less money to go fast with a power adder. there is a considrable savings in driveline parts and if you need to go faster it's all in the tune. the cost factor goes way up when you have rules restricting many areas of the racers combination. look at the rules for D/R at Cecil. 3200 lbs, single power adder, stock suspension, stock transmission, stock frame rails, any DOT radial, mufflers and no wheelie bars. when i ran D/R under similar rules i was going .40's on a 200 shot with out of the box AFR 205's and 10-1 compression at 3260 lbs on 275's
i really like the RAM D/R class but the way the rules are it is set up as a money pit. i don't know the cure but i see it staying the way it is with a few people who can afford it running it on a regular basis and no growth to it.

[Richard Maitre]

Lee I completely agree with what you are all saying. Everything takes money no doubt, but regardless of the ET, lets look at the competitiveness between the two. Our D/R field we already know is a smaller one than the power adder 275. But your .60 is a about a half second off of the top of our smaller field, when your .40 is over a second and a half slower to the much larger 275 field. But either way it all takes money to get to the top of either field. I am not poking nor am I criticizing, only trying to recruit for our D/R class which is already a difficult task without others pointing out what they feel to be a bad decision on anyones part who decides to run our class.

What exactly is the reason the class wont grow? I am not sure, but I am positive its not from the negative comments about the class. Whats weird is that the class has always remained the same, only people's views of it after it became less competitive for them. When we first started the class you all said what a cool class it was, but now after nothing has changed, its stupid to try 

Rich

[Kurt Butler]

Mike and Lee, I understand your point. I will a agree that for a given amount of money you can piece together a faster power adder car. However, to think that a competitive 275 outlaw car could be built for the same money as a N/A drag radial car is rediculous. Those cars are making 1500hp+, it takes a 4.90-5.20 to be competitive, to think that you could run and maintain a car like that for the same money as a N/A D/R car is unrealistic! That class is a true money pit! There are guys over there with deep pockets, they will spend what ever it takes to win. So, if your and average guy running that class, chances are you're spending every dime you make trying to keep up. That's cool I guess, if you never plan on retiring. I just feel, if you do not want to run brackets, but cannot really afford to jump into that outlaw stuff, where every year it gets more out of control than the last! Why would you not run the most affordable class in heads up racing, N/A drag radial?  Like I said, it's very evident I'm wrong!