Ted Jones had an open-door
policy with IHRA founder Larry Carrier, and while he tried to not wear out his
welcome, on a fall day in 1976 he couldn’t resist bringing his idea to the
boss.
Jones was the VP of
Competition for the five-year-old sanctioning body, and little did he know that
his intuition would one day change the way the Pro Stock division would be
contested. The IHRA was always searching for its niche in a drag racing world
dominated by the National Hot Rod Association, and to a point the now-defunct
American Hot Rod Association.
Jones wanted to do away
with the status quo for the Pro Stocks. He was tired of following the NHRA’s
lead of factoring cars into competitiveness, and the aggravation that came
along with policing it. His idea of throwing the standard formula of pounds to
cubic inch out the window had the potential to be taken one of two ways – (A)
the greatest thing since sliced bread or (B) downright blasphemous. The bottom
line is that Jones had to deal with the never-ending issue and not Carrier.
“It was a nightmare
without end because you always had to adjust the rules,” Jones, who now owns a
television production company, said. “You had several weight breaks and they
were for every combination under the sun. You had them for staggered valves,
cylinder heads, wheelbase, and so on and so forth.
“Most every Pro Stocker
had to run a small block because if you didn’t, you’d have to run so much
weight that it was unreasonable and the parts breakage for running such a heavy
combination was unreal. It was a real headache.”
it's
Nationals May 15-17 on the heels of a runner-up finish at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis.
have been determined.
The secret to Ashley Force Hood’s success in the last two seasons doesn't revolve around a magic tune-up. 