FEEDBACK ARTICLE – A/FUEL FLOPPER: THE WEISGUY

Having not been to races for a few years, going to Pomona this weekend was
great.  With all due consideration for safety maybe going back to 1/4 mile by
removing the blower for T/F and F/C,  The A/FD are very exciting to watch, with
four second at 300 mph do able. The cost consideration would allow for more
competion with the touring Pros budgets at 1.5 to 4 million dollars.  I remeber
Tom Topping car and others who ran the numbers over ten years ago.  Anyway Nitro

Injected for T/AC and T/AD why not.  Removing blowers from the T/F and F/C to
incease safety and lower cost should be serious consideration. - Jim

FEEDBACK ARTICLE – A/FUEL FLOPPER: THE WEISGUY

11-21 FEEDBACK

Having not been to races for a few years, going to Pomona this weekend was
great.  With all due consideration for safety maybe going back to 1/4 mile by
removing the blower for T/F and F/C,  The A/FD are very exciting to watch, with
four second at 300 mph do able. The cost consideration would allow for more
competion with the touring Pros budgets at 1.5 to 4 million dollars.  I remeber
Tom Topping car and others who ran the numbers over ten years ago.  Anyway Nitro

Injected for T/AC and T/AD why not.  Removing blowers from the T/F and F/C to
incease safety and lower cost should be serious consideration. - Jim

10-31 FEEDBACK

Many Top Alcohol fans cringe at the sound of an A-Fuel car, but personally I love them. My suggestion, rather than try to create parody within TAD, give the A-Fuel cars their own category and lift the restrictions placed on them to slow them down. How long do you think it would take to hit the 4 second range without current cubic inch limits, weight, etc. Next, create an A Fuel Funny class and now you have a show. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of 2 Alky cars winding up on the line and then screaming down track with driver controlled shifts...takes intense tallent to drive. On the other hand, you have to respect the power that the A-Fuel cars make naturally aspirated, and who doesn't love that nitro roar. If I knew it wouldn't spell the end of Top Alcohol classes, I would start the petition today. Mabey these types of classes could fill the void in the IHRA if AA/FC gets axed again...just an idea. One last thought...how about a story on the father of the modern A-Fuel car...John Mitchell. John has rarely been recognized for bringing the concept back in the 90's, and even less recognized for giving a lot of current NHRA stars their first rides in both A Fuel and Top Fuel. He has quite a history of his own as a driver, and has some hell of a stories to tell...again, just an idea. - Shawn Kohut

10-24 FEEDBACK

GOOD STORY!  This is the simplest solution to ALL of the blown-fuel classes' current problems:  Ban the blower (which can't be seen anymore, anyway), and bring back quarter-mile racing and records.  – Dave Wallace


Thank you for running this article. I wish I would have been paying attention to the IHRA and those types of innovations back in the day. As NHRA allowed the nitro A/Fuel dragsters, they were very exciting to watch based on the fact of their need for near perfect tuning through natural aspiration.

These cars still intrigue me and through talking to many racing fans, the added mix of blown alcohol and injected nitro have added alot of excitement to the class, and based on the numbers, seem to have saved it from the looming death it was destined for based on the drop in its numbers. 

It is so very sad that a sport that was built on engineering and thinking outside the box would in the end; handcuff itself to rules that allow spec cars to run in its classes -- huge money and classes that have fields that are divided by 2 tenths of a second.

Our sport has changed for the worst, in both NHRA and IHRA. The people that initially worked so hard to find an advantage over their competition seem to be the first in line to scream foul when they are outsmarted. Neutering through rules... how our sport has changed. - Jim O'Connor


I think that the IHRA may have missed an opportunity to one-up ole' NHRA. 

Maybe they should take a second look at this, especially since the Pro-Nitro FC class is dead without a SPONSOR. - Jack W Smith


This would make for great racing and a training ground for future AA/FC Entries, Tuners & Drivers.

The fans would love it....the racers would love it. A great new category for lifting what appears to be a static and/or declining interest in the sport.

Just look at the interest in Nostalgia Funny Car racing now. Less expensive, safer speeds and still GREAT RACING!

Both NHRA & IHRA are really missing the boat. I bet many Top Alcohol racers would make the change as seen in the dragster class.

Great opportunity for match races and exhibition shows for all of the track operators & owners. We need to band together to make this happen! - Clift Sammons



Great article.  I always felt bad for him concerning the A/FC car.  It was quick and always a threat but you never knew which car would show up on the starting line.  Sometimes it would be the one no one could touch, sometimes it would fart and the race was over....just like the nitro injected dragsters.  I remember seeing him at Epping, and you could tell by listening to him and the crew that they were on to something good.  He certainly did take the pipe on that whole deal with IHRA. - Steve George



It was a lost opportunity to bring to the game one of the most reasonable combinations that would have brought fans to the smaller events. Imagine nitro at regional events. Remember that these cars make noise, flames and smell like nitro just like the bigger brothers.

It is sad to see such short sightedness belong to those that lead.  In the early years there were many, many circuits of injected nitro Funnies and they were reliable, affordable and fun to watch. 

Many racers sitting on the sidelines now have stated that they would definitely consider coming back if this combination was legal.  But of course that would be too much to ask. - Jim Burke




The fans (at least I think) would really like to see A Fuel Funny Cars. It's new, they sound mean, and they haul ass. And if you can tune the thing right you can save a bunch of money. (About $25,000.00 for a screw type blower/with manifold, pulleys ect..)..

And the best part is they don't have all that hardware sticking up in the air. They look more like real cars.

After all as a racing organization, isn't it all about attracting fans? - Bry Schmidt, Fresno Ca


 

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