When your idol is no longer an idol

[JackDidley]

Zeke, the whole thing has changed over the years. When I started it was 5 ambers before the green. They handed me a business card with my et and rt hand written on it. Then 3 bulbs. Then they came up with a .5 pro tree and a .4 pro tree depending on the class. Now its LED instead of incandescent bulbs. I also recall it being real cool when I got a print out with 60'and other incrementals.

Originally Posted by JackDidley

Zeke, the whole thing has changed over the years. When I started it was 5 ambers before the green. They handed me a business card with my et and rt hand written on it. Then 3 bulbs. Then they came up with a .5 pro tree and a .4 pro tree depending on the class. Now its LED instead of incandescent bulbs. I also recall it being real cool when I got a print out with 60'and other incrementals.

There is a movement afoot to return to earlier means of starting.

I approve.

[Sooner or later]

NHRA really dropped the hammer on little Stevie...
$25,000 fine and he must complete anger management sessions.

Crippling blows....

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

NHRA really dropped the hammer on little Stevie...
$25,000 fine and he must complete anger management sessions.

Crippling blows....

After they gave him $500,000+ for the championship.

[sammyg2]

This weekend is the internationals at Pomona, the first race of the season and little steve is a no-show.
Word around the pits is he was "unofficially" suspended for this race.

PS There's about a 70% chance the race gets rained out anywho and they'll finish it tomorrow if it lets up.

[Sooner or later]

Billy, Salinas , Palmer, and Diehl are also skipping it.

[sammyg2]

Yep.
I also heard that this is a protest about NHRA changing the rules for the championship countdown.
Possible but I have a hard time believing Torrence would sacrifice anything on principle.

But, the rules changes were instituted because daddy qualified for the countdown after only running 10 races, maybe daddy was butthurt and he controls the $$$$$.

Pretty sure that salinas is having money issues, that's why he missed several races cat the end of last year.

Moreover, Steve Torrence’s decision has created a wave of discontent. In a show of solidarity, two owner-drivers—Top Fuel regular Scott Palmer and Funny Car racer Jeff Diehl—also are sitting out the Winternationals.

Wrote Palmer on a social media website, “Not sure if everyone realizes how much the Capco team and Torrence family helps smaller teams out there. The Torrence family and Team personally wired and plumbed our new car, and worked with Rick Ducusin, Will (Rodgers), Alex (Stapleton), Eddie (Reed) and (Steve) Warwick to finish and test this new car for us. Here at SPR and also JDR we don’t feel comfortable going to Pomona running without them there for advice and support, so we will start the season here in Phoenix in a few weeks.”

Diehl posted on a social media site, “We are sorry, but JDR will not be able to make it to the Pomona race this week. With the new car, body, etc., we are just not ready. On top of this we get a lot of help from the Laganas (Bobby & Dom) and the Capco & SPR (Scott Palmer Racing) teams/families—with them not going to this race makes it even harder on us. We are shooting for the Phoenix race, and we’re sure we will be all set by then. We just can’t do this to ourselves, our crew, sponsors and fans, to come out there and not be ready and be a hot mess. ... See you all at Phoenix.”

[Sooner or later]

I can't find a video but did anyone else see Randal Andras' pro bike ride in his finals win?

SOB has the wheels pull up at about 150 mph. Drifting to the centerline so he was leaning as much as possible. He had the front wheel turned so much while it was in the air that when it finally touched down it smoked the front tire!

Dude is crazy!

[sammyg2]

I saw it, 200 mph with the front tire turned at a 45 and skidding. And not just for a split second either.
Those guys are crazy.

I can't believe they didn't get rained out. I live less than 20 miles from there and got lots of rain here.

[JackDidley]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

I can't find a video but did anyone else see Randal Andras' pro bike ride in his finals win?

SOB has the wheels pull up at about 150 mph. Drifting to the centerline so he was leaning as much as possible. He had the front wheel turned so much while it was in the air that when it finally touched down it smoked the front tire!

Dude is crazy!

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I saw it, 200 mph with the front tire turned at a 45 and skidding. And not just for a split second either.
Those guys are crazy.

I can't believe they didn't get rained out. I live less than 20 miles from there and got lots of rain here.

Totally insane. Good racing in all classes. NHRA needs more fuel cars but hope Torrence just quits.

[sammyg2]

About half-track:





I was told these guys wear armored/kevlar chest plates to protect them from getting all kilt from shrapnel when the motor they are laying on blows up.
You'd think that right there would be a red flag.

Kinda reminds me of the olden days when they had a top fuel flatbottom class at the boat drags.
They never really got rid of the class, it just went away when they ran out of people crazy enough to try it.

[sammyg2]

Look like they found one after 30 years ....

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

About half-track:



I was told these guys wear armored/kevlar chest plates to protect them from getting all kilt from shrapnel when the motor they are laying on blows up.
You'd think that right there would be a red flag.

Kinda reminds me of the olden days when they had a top fuel flatbottom class at the boat drags.
They never really got rid of the class, it just went away when they ran out of people crazy enough to try it.

Yeah, what a strange class. A good buddy of mine who owns a local independent Harley shop used to run one of these, about ten years ago, at the peak of the AHDRA - All Harley Drag Racing Association. I'm not even sure if they are still around. Fastest guy in Top Fuel was a Canadian, a full-patch Hells Angel with a shop up in Langley or something. He wound up completely walking away from the whole thing, and is now a salmon fishing guide on Vancouver Island.

Try as they might, the NHRA Pro Stock bikes are darn near as fast (if not faster) on gasoline than these are on nitro. My buddy told me his motor seldom exceeded 4,500 rpm on a run. They put new rod bearings in it after every pass. It would twist a brand new crank out of true after just one pass, so they learned to just live with it.

Here is the tee shirt a lot of their fans wear:

[sammyg2]

Turns out that stevie appealed the slap on the wrist he got in November and NHRA didn't cave, so they took their ball and stayed home for a race.
THAT'LL SHOW THEM!!!!!
The fact that he would have gotten booed may or may not have been a factor

TORRENCE RETURNS TO ACTION, EXPLAINS POMONA ABSENCE | Competition Plus

[Sooner or later]

Everybody's favorite Top Fuel driver wins at Phoenix.