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No argument from me, I was trying to make the distinction respectfully.... I've gone to see top fuel stuff at Ocala and it blew my mind, but it IS a totally different set of skills... I don't think Courtney Force could hustle a rally car like a rally driver or a GT3 like a Patrick Long.. And vice versa. To me she's a top level downshill skier, say, but doesn't mean she'd necessarily be any good at tennis...
On the other hand we've seen more crossover between racing disciplines where turns and braking are involved (Indy/F1/Nascar/Rally/GT). Seb Loeb (9x WRC champ) was very respectable in F1 tests and won in GT and touring cars (though not as much, to be sure), Kimi did OK in a Rally car (but crashed a lot), Kubica did well in rallying until he cuts of his arm in the process, Jeff gordon/Montoya swap....
Not saying a NHRA "driver" (I still think of them as pilots) cannot drive a race car, just that there is nothing in the curriculum to get them there that is super relevant to high level track/dirt road, except maybe reflexes and big attachments... For that matter I'm making a point towards Rally, because that is the only other discipline I saw live (WRC) where I thought "No way I can ever do this, even with 20y of training and a cojones transplant". Even top level track racers have a special place in their heart for rally drivers that do it between trees ;-)
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