FEEDBACK ARTICLE – SHIRLEY SAYS: ON DRIVERS AND DRIVING

Always
a class act, Shirley hits the nail on the head with the lacking
requirement that NO ONE should be able to compete in a Top Fuel
dragster or Funny Car without prior experience "in competition" in one
or two lower classes...who cares that their car passed tech and they
managed to go down track a couple times to get a pro licenced ... that
does not make them a driver ready to
line up against and experienced one. - Fred Farndon

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: MY TAKE WITH STAN CREEKMORE 

Mr.
Creekmore, I agree with all said in your article . But most of all I
agree with the need for live t.v. coverage. It can be done with shorter
turnaround times - I suggest showing alky Funny Cars and dragsters, Top
Fuel, Nitro Funny Cars, Pro Stock cars and Bikes. Also put some
reporters in the pits for interviews with crew chiefs, they always are
talking to NASCAR crew chiefs and it seems always to be about tires and
or do they have enough fuel to finish, I'm sure NHRA crew chiefs could
talk about something better than that . I also feel that after every
run they should try to talk to the crew chief before they leave the
starting line area . The t.v. sound of drag racing does not capture the
true sound a fuel car makes so I feel the sound needs to improve
greatly. There's so many things that could be done with dragracing for
a liveshow but yet its only talked about and not done . Whats wrong is
when the t.v. show is delayed 45 minutes for little league baseball (
nothing against little league) is just wrong . NHRA's t.v. package is
weak at best . So thats my take . - Robert Keelan Jr.

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: FIRMLY IN NASCAR, ROUSH KEEPS AN EYE ON THE DRAGS   

I have one word for the entire article; AWESOME

I am an old drag racer from the Orange County International Raceway -
OCIR days  in California, who had friends, family and a nephew who
never let it die inside of her. My brother and nephew make it come
alive. I lost the desire to drive, I was never good enough at it to
spend any hard earned money at it, and am not the best spectator,
unless that family is competing against the racer, but the love of the
sport will live on forever inside. You see I was one of those racers
that had the chance to experience the thrill of two top fuels taking
off of the starting line and will never forget that sensation and the
energy that it gives you, I guess you call it the adrenalin rush! Love
it! - Mary Langdon

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: FROM THE GRANDSTANDS: DRAG RACING STILL THE BEST MEDICINE

After some 45 years in the sport and having raised a son who has been
on the 'tour' for 25+ years, I couldn't agree with you more.  Plus,
everytime you meet another racer/fan, you've made an instant friend. - Pat "Ma" Green

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: SUSAN WADE: DRAG RACING NEEDS A PROMOTER IN A BAD WAY  

Excellent story from Susan. Drag racing does need to be promoted better
- a lot better. Rhetorical question: take a look at National Dragster
with the list of NHRA personnel inside the front page. Is a "Promotions
Manager" listed?

Answer: No, just sales, marketing, financial, operations, technical,
etc. If you don't have someone with the job title (and support), how do
you "promote" the sport?

The lack of a named person to "promote" the NHRA speaks volumes. - Fred Simmonds

FEEDBACK ARTICLE – SHIRLEY SAYS: ON DRIVERS AND DRIVING

All drivers mentioned aside, big time racing or just weekend adrenaline
rush junkies, I think it is a biggie that you need to have experience
before getting onto the strip. Now I don’t have anything but a street
machine, but I still know a little something-something about racing.
You have to walk before you can run. I know quite a few guys (no pun
intended because I'm the only female I know personally that has the
mind to want to drag race) that think because they have the money they
should have a car. That's REALLY not the case. I know quite a
few men that want to "buy a car" (not build one, mind you) and race but
can't drive worth a flip on a public road let alone being safe on a
strip, or how to take care of a vehicle and not blow it up every
thousand miles when it is their EVERY DAY DRIVER. Money doesn't equal
smarts. Being able to drive a car and drive it well is something you
either have, or you don't. - Gabrielle Gardner

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: FROM THE GRANDSTANDS: TWO TRACK OPERATORS WHO GET IT

This From The Stands article seems to have very little do with a
specific spectator view or angle on or about drag racing and spectator
interests or situations, and more like a public relations article.  The
last From The Stands article also felt this way, but less so compared
to this one which seems almost totally P.R. work.  While I thought the
initial articles spectator think-pieces were interesting perspectives,
these now seem merely ingratiating to the business interests.  I fail
to see what that shares with us from a unique spectator view, and I
find this article boring.  From A Reader's Perspective. - Ken Tesoriere

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: MIKE KLOEBER'S NITRO UNIVERSITY - COURSE 4, FUEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS   

Another fantastic article by Mike K... easy to understand, thoroughly
comprehensive, and delightfully entertaining. Still the best. - Scott Mackie

FEEDBACK ARTICLE:  BILL DONER: DRAG RACING’S PROMOTER

WOW;
what a great article! This makes me wish I had been in the area during
his heyday, it would have been a blast. Doner still looks good and most
likely could fill the stands once again. I am sure his personality and
innovation would re-create the lost interest in drag racing.

Wish him well for me. - Bob O'Brien

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: MIKE KLOEBER'S NITRO UNIVERSITY - COURSE 4, FUEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS   

Obviously Mike Kloeber is very smart and current with these fuel cars. 
Which, in regards to these on-line seminars, is a problem.

Take this current fuel system article: How many readers who are not
versed in any facet of running fuelers, past or present, can seriously
take away any PRACTICAL knowledge from what he wrote.  It comes across
as very complicated when his job in these articles is to SIMPLIFY, so
average readers can get a handle on how these fuel systems are actually
run, NOT how complicated they are - anyone around drag racing fuelers
knows that.

Secondly, Mike Kloeber's mixing of old tales with these tech might seem
entertaining, but it clouds what should be a clear lay-out of tech
information, clearly.  Those entertaining old tales can either be
tacked on later, or in another article.  This has been an issue with
every one of his articles.  While I enjoy them, I know most of what
he's talking about, but he is not writing this out for those who know,
but those who DON"T know and want to.

In none of his articles, so far, has he given actual in-depth know-how
that anyone without prior knowledge in the field could actually apply. 
Isn't this the whole purpose of these?  Or just entertaining filler?

Lastly, I think this fuel article in particular displays how
unnecessarily complicated the fuelers have become, and while they are
the most exciting classes in drag racing, these are also at times the
most disappointing for all of their tech issues to get the cars down
the tracks.  What both fuel classes need is to be simplified - and yes,
that curse said aloud, slow them down so they have more affordable full
fields at every race that have CLOSE SIDE BY SIDE RACING.

I do appreciate Mike Kloeber's efforts, and I'd like him to continue,
just consider simplify what he's writing in ways that can more easily
be understand and perhaps even applied. - Ken Tesoriere