Q: I really enjoy the Craftsman Truck Series in NASCAR and also liked NHRA Pro Stock Truck. Why did the NHRA get rid of its Pro Stock Truck division?
A: It’s a shame the NHRA got rid of Pro Stock Truck, but the class never caught on with manufacturers and fans like it has in NASCAR. In 2001, the last season of competition, most of the entries were Chevy models, and that July, the NHRA said the class would be restructured and run in the competition eliminator class for 2002.
Also leading to this decision was the TV situation, with time allocated between the professional classes of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock Car, Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock Truck. The NHRA felt it was too much to cover properly in one show, so one division had to go, and it turned out to be the less popular trucks.
What really caused problems later on were the Pro Stock Truck owners, who supposedly threatened litigation against the NHRA for dropping the class so abruptly after they had put so much money into the trucks. Pro Stock Truck was supposed to be a professional class, and many of these team owners were reduced to running the trucks in non-pro classes, like competition eliminator. To make matters worse, the next thing you see at NHRA races is a Pro Mod “exhibition” class.
To this day, I still say the only reason Pro Modified is not a full bore Pro class at the NHRA events is because the truck owners will litigate their cause even more and prove that NHRA just dumped the class because it wasn’t doing well. Rumors persist that the Pro Stock Truck drivers will go to court anyway in 2006 against the NHRA. We’ll watch closely.
As for Craftsman Trucks over in NASCAR, three cheers for 10 great years. It’s the best racing just about anywhere right now.
Q: I know you are an IRL (Indy Racing League) supporter, but what do you think of IRL President Tony George fielding a team for his son, Ed Carpenter, with Toyota power? Isn’t this a conflict of interest? Long live Champ Car!
A: I do like the IRL, but I have to agree with you that this is probably not the best move in having the president of the IRL field a team for his stepson. Over the past few years, some good things have happened in the IRL, like Honda and Toyota joining Chevy as engine suppliers and the addition of road racing in 2005. However, on the other side of the coin, you have an IRL roster loaded with non-American-bred drivers with ride-buying ala the old CART days the norm via “helping bring a sponsor onboard.” Also, you continue to see an exodus of good, American-based drivers who trained for open-wheel careers in USAC or the Indy Car feeder series moving over to NASCAR.
If the CART and IRL split would have never happened, and Indy Car racing would have kept champions like Tony Stewart and other USAC open-wheel standouts like Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Tracey Hines, Jason Leffler and J.J. Yeley (to name a few), you might see an Indy Car division that is as popular as NASCAR instead of vice versa.
Nowadays, the IRL is facing some serious engine considerations, as Chevy may not renew its supplier contract. There is still time to correct all this, but getting back to that team for Ed Carpenter, I think it may prove more costly, conflict-wise, than fruitful on the track.