PRO STREET: A PASSED FAD OR ON LIFE SUPPORT?
Even the staunchest supporters of sanctioned Pro Street racing cannot
agree whether or not this one time drag racing trend is dead, but
they’re unanimous that it’s on life support. If death is near, the fast
street legal community will realize it when the National Muscle Car
Association (NMCA) heads into Bradenton, Florida for its first of seven
national events in 2008.Maybe Pro Street Racing has seen its better days and maybe, Charlie Harmon, President of ProMedia, producer of the NMCA events felt giving the class one more season was necessary to leave no loose ends. What might not be common knowledge is the fact that Harmon’s group came close to pulling the plug on Pro Street, formerly the premiere classification within the series.
“Not for 2008," Harmon said, when asked if Pro Street was dead. "To be honest we considered it, but after we examined the implications, and spoke to various racers and sponsors, we chose instead to concentrate our efforts this year on resurrecting the class, not killing it. Pro Street is what helped define our sport, and we feel we would have been turning our backs on the foundation of street legal drag racing if we would have eliminated it.
Once the darling of the media, Pro Street has fallen on hard times
Even the staunchest supporters of sanctioned Pro Street racing cannot agree whether or not this one time drag racing trend is dead, but they’re unanimous that it’s on life support. If death is near, the fast street legal community will realize it when the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) heads into Bradenton, Florida for its first of seven national events in 2008.
Maybe Pro Street Racing has seen its better days and maybe, Charlie Harmon, President of ProMedia, producer of the NMCA events felt giving the class one more season was necessary to leave no loose ends. What might not be common knowledge is the fact that Harmon’s group came close to pulling the plug on Pro Street, formerly the premiere classification within the series.
“Not for 2008," Harmon said, when asked if Pro Street was dead. "To be honest we considered it, but after we examined the implications, and spoke to various racers and sponsors, we chose instead to concentrate our efforts this year on resurrecting the class, not killing it. Pro Street is what helped define our sport, and we feel we would have been turning our backs on the foundation of street legal drag racing if we would have eliminated it.
“We didn’t want to just hold our hands up and walk away, so we put our heads together and put into place the most aggressive rules package we have ever had. We listened to racers, heard their concerns, and reacted accordingly to offer a package, which would be acceptable to a wide-variety of racers and combinations. There is a place for a Pro Street class in the racing landscape and we are doing our best to keep it that way. There are people out there that have limited resources and time, but still have the desire to compete at a national event level and we feel we can provide that platform for them and welcome them to race with us this year.”
We all know there are only a certain number of cars that are capable of running within what we would define as ‘Street Legal’ rules. However we don’t kid ourselves into thinking that these cars are street cars anymore. They haven’t been for over a decade. That said, there are probably more cars capable of running under the Pro Street banner than there ever was before. But anytime you have organizations running the same type of events you always will have some degree of fractioning. - NMCA Promoter Charlie Harmon
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
This season, Harmon’s NMCA will have the perfect setting to determine if Pro Street will be euthanized in 2009. The Pro Street community took a hit in November 2007, when the rival National Street Car Association [NSCA], led by Tony DePillo, announced that his group would cease conducting races at the end of the season. This downsizing of opportunities will ensure Harmon has the only game in town for organized Pro Street racing.
The NSCA had been in business for ten years. Some might say this narrowing of options proved a blessing; others said the added opportunity the NSCA provided over the years very well may have stunted the growth of the premiere division.
“To a degree it did,” said Harmon. “We all know there are only a certain number of cars that are capable of running within what we would define as ‘Street Legal’ rules. However we don’t kid ourselves into thinking that these cars are street cars anymore. They haven’t been for over a decade. That said, there are probably more cars capable of running under the Pro Street banner than there ever was before. But anytime you have organizations running the same type of events you always will have some degree of fractioning.
“With the NSCA recently closing down operations, the door opened to consolidate the class for the first time in many years, and we adjusted our rules to do our best to accommodate those who raced in the NSCA so they could join us this year.”
“I just think a lot of people have forgotten about it but I don't think it's dead. I just think it needs some hype and promoting. I think there are a lot of people out there that are willing to run Pro Street.” - Pro Street Champion Vinny Budano
Vinny Budano captured the 2007 NMCA Pro Street championship. He cannot help but wonder if he’s championing a lost cause.
“When you divide a class like Pro Street that wasn't really strong to begin with, it never really had a chance to be strong,” said Budano. “It was strong in the days where it was created but I don't think it's something that ever had a really super solid foundation and then I think when it got the rug pulled out from under them with the NSCA closing it didn't help matters. The Pro Street class wasn't really. Today the car counts are down; no one wants to sponsor it.
“I don't know if there were enough cars to run two sanctions to begin with. I think having only one choice will only make it stronger. Of course no one wants to see a sanction die but I guess when the NSCA closed, it made the NMCA stronger.”
Budano drives for former Pro Stock legend turned Pro Modified pioneer and now successful engine builder Scott Shafiroff. He’d like to think the class will revive in 2008 with an undivided opportunity.
“I just think a lot of people have forgotten about Pro Street but I don't think it's dead,” Budano said. “I just think it needs some hype and promoting. I think there are a lot of people out there that are willing to run Pro Street. The class is getting a second chance.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Pat Musi, largely lauded for his Pro Stock roots, was one of the pioneers in the Pro Street movement dating back to the early 1990s. He doesn’t shy away from offering his opinion regarding the decline in this class.
“If you ask me it's been dead since the '57 Chevy [Bob Reiger] and the green car [Musi’s 1969 Camaro] went away,” Musi said. “Reiger came along and they let that deal get out of hand and then I left. We let that rivalry get out of hand. I don’t know what the hell has happened to Pro Street racing.”
Musi officially walked away from Pro Street racing following the conclusion of the 2006 season, running just one local event in 2007.
“If you ask me it's been dead since the '57 Chevy [Bob Reiger] and the green car [Musi’s 1969 Camaro]. Reiger came along and they let that deal get out of hand and then I left. We let that rivalry get out of hand. We let that rivalry get out of hand. I don’t know what the hell has happened to Pro Street racing.” - Former Pro Street Champion Pat Musi
While Harmon has commented that Pro Street’s decline can be attributed to an abundance of choice, Musi said the writing was on the wall well before that. When the rivalries died, so did Pro Street, he said.
“The rivalries among other things,” Musi added.
“If you remember with me and Tony Christian, it really got blown out of proportion -- really big and then it progressively got worse,” said Musi. “I mean it got big because of the way they portrayed me and Tony on that Horsepower TV show. I think they had a lot to do with it, I’m not bragging but I think me and Tony had a lot to do with it. It really got out to the masses. I heard Warren Johnson made a comment when I had my 1969 Camaro, through the grapevine, he said that kid is getting more ink than I am in a Pro Stock car.
“If you remember, we were getting more back then. I don’t know what it was -- just something new or something different. I told them they were going to kill it when they let that turbo deal come in. A kid can put a nitrous system on a Camaro and kind of look and relate to our car. Ain’t no kid out there that’s gonna put turbos and twin-turbos, they just can’t afford it. Even though my nitrous car would cross the line a 7.07 just think of the mentality - they can take their 350. That turbo deal really ruined street racing I think.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
As Budano pointed out earlier, the Pro Street community could use an influx of controversy and hype. Those key elements could save the program and create less stress for the promoters. Apparently, a large portion of the Pro Street market share has been acquired by the 10.5-inch tire cars.
Showmanship could save Pro Street, some say, and that’s an art that Musi says has been lost in the mix. Dirty, knock-down drag out showmanship, could bring Pro Street around.
“Yeah, they don’t have a clue about that,” Musi said. “I’ll tell you what happened- I lost my NHRA license for a month, well they wanted to take it away for a year, over an argument with Annette Summer at Columbus. They complained to NHRA that I was abusive on the starting line. It was just Pat, getting out of the car running his mouth.”
Musi said the late Vinny Napp at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ understood that because he was a promoter at heart. He said Pro Street could be thriving today with a man like Napp in its corner.
“Vinny, when he was still alive, threatened to pull the NHRA Summernationals- that’s how pissed he was,” Musi said when talking about his license suspension. “He said, ‘listen the reason that I hired Pat Musi to match race at Englishtown is for exactly what he did in Columbus on the starting line and you guys want to take his license away for it.' We ain’t in it for politically correct racing, we’re in it for the show and he has showmanship and he knows how to do it.”
Harmon is quick to point out the NMCA and sister series, the National Mustang Racing Association [NMRA] tours are flourishing, although the game plan might change next year. This season he’s moving forward despite the elimination of the headlining Pro 5.0 division – a Pro Street equivalent. The NMRA’s rival, Fun Ford Weekend, still contests Pro 5.0.
“Simply stated we dissolved that class due to a continued lack of participation,” Harmon said. “The class got out of hand because it became very expensive and outgrew itself very quickly. Some of that was our own fault for letting the rules get out of hand, but that can easily happen when you’re dealing with something as specialized as essentially a Ford exclusive Pro Modified car. However we adjusted the NMCA Pro Street class rules so those former Pro 5.0 drivers could be competitive racing in the NMCA this year, if they choose to.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Most of those racers will do battle from their own wallets since sponsorships for this style of racing are few and far in-between.
“Truthfully with the amount of exposure that we get, it's really hard,” Budano said. “There's no exposure for the class. It's hard to sell something that there's nothing for.”
Budano contends that he and Shafiroff will keep their options open, but are committed to Pro Street until the bitter end.
“We're committed to Pro Street at this time. For 2008, we're going to go to Bradenton and keep our chin up and hopefully the NSCA deal dropping out will make the class pretty good. We're also, because I'm afraid of what could happen, we're working on a big cubic engine program and Scott ordered another car from Tim McAmis- a light car. We're going to keep our options open. We have every intention of staying, running and being around this Pro Street field but obviously if there's nobody there then there's nobody there.”
Budano admits a deep affection for the class and his mentality as a racer refuses to let him declare Pro Street a done deal.
“I would think looking at it from a racer’s stand point, for a guy that doesn't have the funding or the time to run Pro Mod and who is interested in winning a championship this provides an excellent opportunity,” said Budano. “I just think that a lot of people don't know about it. I get the deer in headlights look when you mention what you're doing, they are like, ‘Does that still exist?”
| {loadposition feedback} |
