Although, I am a GM person, it is great to see someone campaigning a Ford. I am
sick of look-a-like Pontiacs, Cobalts and whatever that Dodge deal is and no
Fords. Maybe I am too old, but I liked Pro Stock much better when the late Lee
Shepherd, Bob Glidden, the late Don Carlton mixed it up. People came alive when
competative brands came to the line. Let's see a Fast Ford back in the mix. Good
Luck Mr. Cunningham. (I'll still root for Warren) Laugh a little, have fun.- Charles Doan, Plymouth, Ohio

FEEDBACK ARTICLE - ASHER'S VEGAS REVIEW

Thank you for blessing me
with your writing on the Las Vegas
race. It was truely a great weekend to celebrate the life of Eric Medlen. Your
words are near perfect in my eyes. Thank you again for blessing me.

I also like what Jack Beckman said, that Eric had a higher calling. And I do
believe that everything happens for a reason. And maybe, just maybe Jack is
right. That because of the loss of Eric, one or many lives will be saved by
making the cars safer. And what a legacy that will be! – Pastor Terry Mode, Wendell, Idaho

FEEDBACK ARTICLE - ASHER'S VEGAS REVIEW

The
article by Jon, in my mind, caught the real feelings of not only the new
generation of racers but the whole drag racing community. I think the new
generation of drivers coming up will represent the sport well, our sport is in
good hands. Great article! - Mark Anderhalt

FEEBACK ARTICLE - TOBY MORIN, THE REAL MAN OF STEEL

Hi Guys, Concerning Toby's Word's Fastest Wheelchair racer. I know no one keeps
these records but I'm a T7 Para and own a 7.03 time slip from the NHRA Division
1 points race at Lebanon Valley Dragway. The run was made in my ‘63 split window.
735 inches on 1 stage of n2o. Any questions just let me know. Thanks, Scott
Hamel. By the way. Toby's a tough kid. Hats off to him - Scott Hamel, Averill Park, NY 

FEEBACK ARTICLE - TOBY MORIN, THE REAL MAN OF STEEL

Toby
Morin story was very interesting. Thanks for running it.
My Brother Scott Hamel is also paralyzed from from his ribs down from a back
injury when he was 16 years old. He has no feeling/movement in his stomach or
legs. To date his best is 7.03 @ 196 mph in his Top Sportsman style ‘63
Corvette which he also drives with hand-controls. Prior to the Top Sportsman
car, he raced a ‘66 corvette that ran 8.60's for many years at Lebanon Valley
Dragway near Albany, NY. He has finished as high a 3rd in their
super eliminator points program.

His life story is pretty incredible. He has had
very difficult life, but through optimism and determination, he jumps any
hurdles thrown in front of him.

Thanks again for the Toby Morin story.- Mark Hamel, Albany, NY

FEEDBACK FRIDAY - FEEDBACK FROM FEEDBACK

Mr. Elms was right when he said it's sad when we lose a racer. Be
it cars, bikes whatever. The fans that followed Medlen, Russell, Trett,
Schultz, Myers, Nix, Blaine,
the list goes on, they all feel the pain of losing an icon.

I take offense to Mr. Elms saying Force is scared.
This accident was the ultimate "let's regroup" that I can
imagine. I'm more than sure that Force felt the pain of losing fellow racers
before. This one hit way to close to home. Mr. Elms said he would give anything
to get a nitro seat. Does that mean he could jump right back into the car
without fear? If yes, that sounds like a cold individual. Force lost as he said
"the leader of his next generation".

Let's see, his daughter and son in law sit in the other seats. If
Mr. Elms put himself in that position, would he not explore every option to
make the cars safer? I would bet he's a good guy and yes he would try his
damndest to make sure this didn't happen again. Ashley said she didn't want all
her training to go for nothing. That's nothing new. Force is the owner and is
just trying to protect loved ones. I believe he did share his info with
Bernstein. So don't be surprised if we see Brandon's cage modified. Would Kenny do the
same thing as Force did if a teammate lost his life? YOU BET HE WOULD! Would
that make Kenny scared? NO.

And yes Mr. Elms. I being a hard-core drag racing guy since
1969 (when I attended my first race at 6 years old) can tell 300 mph from
scared! If anyone was scared they wouldn't even strap into one of these
potential time bombs!  If you want to call Force scared, so be it. Call
John Medlen "the strongest man I think I've ever seen"! It's easy to
sit here and second-guess decisions made by teams we'll never be a part of.
It's the better part to respect a man who thinks that there are things to be
made better to be a safer sport.

Thanks Bobby for giving us a great website. - Dale Orange, Grove City Ohio

FEEDBACK FRIDAY - THE REBUILDING OF THE NORTHWIND

I
just want to pass on my appreciation for having the story of the Northwind Top
Fueler and its restoration here on Competitionplus.com.  As a 29 year old,
I wasn't around to see these original cars run back in the 60s.  My
parents have told me stories of what Northwest drag racing had been like,
attending races at Bremerton Raceway and Puyallup.
My cousin Wayne Delong had run c/modified production back in the 60s and ran
around with other Northwest racers like Herm Peterson.  I appreciate the
effort of people Like Jim Rockstad for finding and restoring such Northwest
history.  Please keep the stories coming.  Look forward to seeing the
Northwind in Seattle.
- Mike Puderbaugh, Lynden, WA

FEEDBACK ARTICLE - THE REAL SCIENCE OF SPEED

This is in my opinion one of the best articles I have read in some
time. I have been a drag racing fan since the late 60's and it is about time
that we see involvement or at least articles like this.

Keep up the great work! - Doug Mitchell

FEEDBACK ARTICLE - DRAG RACING, AN EIGHTH MILE AT A TIME

In NHRA Drag Racing we as fans, sponsors and racers face the
inevitable gnashing of teeth each time a racer, professional or sportsman, dies
in the process of doing what they love.

In the aftermath of each death we are left with far too many questions, not
enough answers and the resolve to not let it happen again.  And yet as we
search for definitive answers, we all have a tendency to over look what a
mechanically brutal sport we are involved with. 

The acceleration data has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past
decade, and yet no one questioned it or requested a moratorium on the data. The
fans continued to attend races in record numbers and equipment manufacturers
continued to let the equipment evolve in order to make those 60' times even
quicker. For all of the professional classes and even the top sportsman classes
the numbers are staggering.

Take the SS/AH class for instance.  These vehicles are now entering the
8.5 second zone at more than 150 mph.  Look at the National record for
this class at the beginning of the 2004 Season. That was just 3 years ago.

This sport that we enjoy so much is built on the foundation of elapsed time and
speed.  It is what we in the sport preach in our advertisement, it is what
separates us from all other forms of motorsports, it is the benchmark for the
equipment manufacturers, but more than that it is our identity.  This
includes the length of the course in which we contest each race.

As fans, manufacturers, and racers we stood in awe each time a speed barrier
was conquered. Each barrier that was eclipsed was an achievement for all of us
because we were and are a part of the family of drag racing.

There are no easy answers, and each change we make in order to insure that
racers can live as they accelerate into danger are not well served.
The costs for safety equipment in all categories are staggering and continue to
grow as each improvement is put into place. 

As a long time enthusiast what I can safely say is that the good times are
definitely behind us.

The years ahead will be filled with ramifications that will affect
each and everyone involved with the sport of Drag Racing. There is no room for
questioning how we as a community could have let things go this far, simply
because we never questioned ourselves before. - David Gutierrez, Dearborn Heights, MI

FEEDBACK ARTICLE - THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE

Since
you have taken the Luckiest Man title. I will take the 2nd Luckiest Man in the
World title if I may - I just got the job of being one of the announcers at
Maple Grove Raceway – Best Seat In The House! – Dave Thomas, Schwenksville, PA.