Feedback , Friendly Notes , & Hate Mail

[ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WES BUCK REPLIES : Well , I hate to collectively take credit for any-and-all organized burnout contests ( we didn ’ t invent the idea ), but I can ’ t say we didn ’ t find the timing of NHRA ’ s Pro Stock burnout contest announcement and our successful execution of the idea in Denver a little under a month earlier somewhat comical . More so than anything else , I appreciate you writing about this - just so we can talk about it . My big takeaway from the Smoke ‘ Em If You Got ‘ Em Initiative ( also a hashtag we ’ ve been using for all of 2017 ) was that it ’ s really important to have the racers on board . We were massively fortunate in Denver during WSOPM in that the racers actually came to me and told me they were organizing a burnout contest . I couldn ’ t believe it . Jim Whiteley tracked me down in the pits and said , “ Hey Wes , we ’ re going to do a burnout contest tonight during qualifying and I ’ m going to put up $ 1,000 to the winner . Is that OK with you ?” I couldn ’ t get it out quick enough … “ Yes , sir ! You sure can !” I think that was the magic with our deal back in Denver - it was the racers ’ idea , and I believe it made all the difference . I felt like NHRA , if there was a misstep with their burnout deal , it was that it felt somewhat forced , it didn ’ t feel natural - especially when it became clear several of the top guys ( and girls ) just weren ’ t on board . Even the ones that were or at least liked the idea , didn ’ t have the green light from their crew chief or team owner to lay down a big , smoky one . Also , I have to say that I got a kick out of the fact that our burnout contest in Denver was

Dying to know if there was a single moment from the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod that stood out to you as especially significant or special to you guys .

Donnie Scott , via the Internet

[ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WES BUCK REPLIES : Without question , at least for me , the start of the first round of eliminations . Leading up to that there had been a lot of powerful moments - the racer-organized burnout contest on Friday night , the super fun party on Thursday night , Pete Farber making the first test pass on Tuesday afternoon , Mike Bowman knocking down the first-ever five-second pass for a doorslammer on the mountain during testing and a slew of others . But there ’ s no doubt in my mind that the start of that first elimination round was when the gravity of the entire situation really set in for me . I ’ ll admit that it brought tears to my eyes . I couldn ’ t believe what was happening - that we were about to make history and have a $ 100,000-to-win Pro Mod drag race , and that 16 of the baddest Pro Mod racers in the country had all come to Denver , Colorado , to support this crazy idea of mine . It was a crazy moment , which you ’ ll read much , much more about in DI 125 . Thank you for asking !]

Turbos Get Dinged

What do you guys take away from this whole turbo situation in NHRA Pro Mod ? What ’ s the answer

SPEAKS HIS PIECE so that the momentum in the class isn ’ t killed ? Was a late season rule change really necessary ?

Joe Kidd , via the Internet

[ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WES BUCK REPLIES : The timing of NHRA ’ s boost reduction for the twin-turbocharged combinations in Pro Mod was certainly a little surprising , but I think it comes from a good place . It was the consistently crazy speeds of the turbo cars over the course of 2017 that triggered NHRA ’ s technical department to make a change . We ’ re seeing these turbo cars consistently approaching 260mph , and it ’ s a common rule of thumb in drag racing that trap speed indicates horsepower . Well , the turbo cars consistently have the rest of the field covered by darn near 10mph , so I can ’ t say that I ’ m shocked by this development . I think there are many factors at play right now that could hinder the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series ’ momentum and amongst the most important right now are maintaining some semblance of parity amongst the three different power adders . There ’ s no pleasing everyone , but all of these guys want to feel like they ’ ve got a fair shake at winning the deal come race day , and I think that notion

has faded for a lot of guys . It ’ s a tough spot , though , especially considering that the quickest Pro Mod car in the country is a supercharged entry . There ’ s no denying Mike Castellana ’ s recordsetting performances have come in uniquely good conditions and on a uniquely tight race track . It ’ s when the conditions aren ’ t excessively favorable and the track starts to fade that the turbo cars seem to really separate from the pack . It ’ s a really interesting storyline , in my opinion , and one of the most hotly debated of the year . As a reminder , last summer the turbo cars were taken from 41psi to 38psi and it didn ’ t seem to change anything when it comes to their 255-258mph trap speeds . I ’ m curious to see what the rest of 2017 will look like . That ’ s for sure .]

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12 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 124