Darr Hawthorne

The best part of drag racing I witnessed in 2011 was the continuous splintering of the pie we know as NHRA.  While NHRA, knowingly or not, works to alienate both professional and sportsman racers, those racers are finding homes for their racing activities in so many other venues where they are welcomed with open arms.

The growth of the PSCA, Street Car SuperNationals, NMRA/NMCA’s expansion into the West Coast, a healthy schedule for the West Coast Outlaw Pro Mods, IHRA’s declaring a Sportsman Division 7 and, of course, Heritage-type nitro drag racing.  While NHRA declines because of its constant meddling, racers are finding other places to race, and that’s a really good thing for all of us.

The worst part of drag racing 2011 is that there is still no oversight in the way the NHRA is run, that there are some 66,000 dedicated dues paying members of the NHRA left disenfranchised, who no longer get a printed rulebook, a patch, or any say in how a $100 million dollar Not For Profit drag racing body conducts it’s business.  Ask around, when was the last time you or your buddies actually read a printed issue of National Dragster, when ND goes digital what will a member then bereceiving for his blind loyalty, a password.  How's 1,000 foot nitro drag racing working out?

Second, why is it that most drag racers, drag strips and the NHRA continue to ignore the Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW) or the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in favor of making donations to NASCAR-oriented Speedway Children’s Charities and the like.  Please don’t forget those worthwhile drag racing oriented charities.
Norman Hechtkoff

My best for 2011 was the survival of the IHRA and the health of the small circuits. IHRA provided drag racing entertainment and filled a need at many venues. Their abandonment of top fuel is unfortunate. Hopefully the future will be good with N/FC, Fuel Altereds and the rest. They seem to be trying to revive their sportsman racing. The other encouraging scene is the many small circuits, deals like the Great Lakes Funny Cars, the Chicago Wise Guys and all the rest. They provide shows the little tracks can book.

My worst for 2011 is the confiscating of Bartone/Jackson's blower. No real word about what was done, Boggs says just one small area was deburred. NHRA nonsense like disqualifying a stock class winner because you require a muffle and the guy had a muffler not stock for the car. The car ran with open headers....

NHRA just does not know how to deal with human beings.
That confiscation would be considered grand larceny in any other situation.

Nick Licata, Editor Camaro Performers Magazine

Since the NHRA chopped the racing surface by 320 ft. in 2008, the last three years haven’t really offered a whole lot for me to get excited about. I will say that it was refreshing to see Del Worsham win an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing championship. After spending 20 seasons behind the wheel of Funny Car, the fan favorite was finally able to claim Championship status in 2011 piloting a Top Fuel dragster. No, it wasn’t done in his more familiar digs of a Fuel Coupe, but a championship is a championship, and Del absolutely deserves one…

But well before Del crossed the finish line on his way to becoming Champ, the rumor mill was swirling with news that he would not be returning to the cockpit in 2012 … in a Funny Car or Dragster. Unfortunately, the rumors were true, as Del announced his retirement soon after his final round win at the season ending 2011 World Finals in Pomona. I have mixed feelings about Del going into retirement, as NHRA fans won’t get to cheer him on in his attempt to defend his title.

The good news is that Del will be back at the track in 2012, but in a different capacity. Del will open a new chapter in his drag racing career as crew chief for Kalitta Motorsport’s Funny Car pilot Alexis Dejoria in the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car. Although he won’t be behind the wheel, Del Worsham will certainly be a driving force in Alexis’ quest to become the Funny Car Champion in 2012…

Although not necessarily applying to this year alone, I’m still not a fan of 1,000-ft racing. I’ve tried, but I just can’t get a grasp on it. From its glory days, Drag Racing has always been 1,320-ft, and today I believe drag racing should take place on one quarter of a mile. Now, I realize reducing the racing surface length by 320 ft was done with driver safety in mind. I get that, but I think slowing the cars down (there are numerous ways to do it, just pick one … or five) would be a more effective way to approach the issue of driver safety. I’d rather see a side-by-side full quarter-mile drag race at 305 mph than a one-sided 1,000ft blast at 327 mph. I can guarantee that no one in the stands will notice, much less care, that their favorite Top Fuel racer is going 25mph slower in 1,320 ft. than they were in 1,000 ft. Slowing the cars down a bit would also put a lot more pressure on the driver to cut a better light in order to get the win. How great would it be to take a little pressure off the crew chief and put more responsibility back into the hands of the driver?

What do you say, NHRA? Give the fans what they want. Drag racing the way it’s supposed to be: 1,320 feet! Oh, and while you’re at it, can you do something about the crazy high food prices at the track?

We had a glitch with our mail program, so if you sent your selections for the Best and Worst in Drag Racing for 2011, please try again.
Send to best-worst@dragracingonline.com. We’ll add them as the month goes on.