The professor is right....about a lot of things....but I loved the ''scalping the fans'' comment the best.......second on my list is how they treat the sportsman classes......nhra sucks....
@Ultra CNC they shortened the track for the fuel cars for a couple reasons. Two drivers were killed in a very short span, and the extra 320ft is where most of the cost is for the fuel car teams. That's where they destroy most engine parts, use more fuel, most likely to blow up, etc... a lot of it was cost factorization for teams and since it was with the 2008 financial crisis, you need to keep it appealing for small budget and or new teams. Also teams have stated they do not want to return to 1/4 mile
Back 15 years ago you could actually earn a living racing something like Comp Eliminator. $30k to win a Wednesday night race all around the country. Now the total prize pool for all the door cars is that 30k
WJ and other Pro Stock racers had with NHRA was only prepping the racetrack to 1000 feet leaving the last 320 lose which greatly effected the Pro Stock cars as they run with little down force in their spoilers so when they run out of the treated 1000 foot and transition onto the untreated last 320 feet their cars get lose as the video shows. Pro Stock Chassis and engines cost wise are just as expensive if not more than the fuel cars.Only difference they don't trash a motor every run.
I am not a huge WJ fan, but I have met him and fully respect his knowledge and opinions. I can also tell by many of the comments here that many have never been down the track before. Dragstrips were never designed to handle 300mph plus cars that weigh as much as a F/C...back in the day, 250 mph not only put butts in the seats, there were also more cars for the spectator money, making it a non-stop show. As a racer, even driving a much slower car (120 mph) I can tell you first hand how fast the retaining net comes. So the rest of you who are armchair quartermile quarterbacks, go ahead and piss your hard earned money away on watered down NHRA shows, or you'd agree with WJ.
WJ was/is probably right with his complaint here but IMO it has to be tempered by the fact that that guy seemed to get upset all the time for sometimes questionable reasons. I once watched him lose a close one to a relatively unknown racer who ran a surprisingly good time and he began to bitch about engine builders "selling motors to whoever shows up with the cash". I'm sorry but....Isn't that what an engine builder's supposed to do? Or are they just supposed to build for you and others you approve?
Themmmm, I'm from the younger crowd BUT I have a whole lot of respect for the likes of Grumpy,Glidden,Warren,Landy,Sox& Martin,Mancini,Grotheer etc. Its like KOBE calling Jordan a hasbeen.......Respect, I believe they EARNED it.
I agree 100% with what WJ had to say, and when he's talking about the 99.9% of the 'other racers', he's not talking about the other NHRA big dog cars, he's talking about us weekend warriors that support the track every weekend when there isn't a national event. Our track has the same problem with water coming up through the track occasionally...however, what all you guys who seem to know it all fail to realize is, VHT+water=a skating rink. Even if you get a bunch of tiny drops of water seeping up through the track, once the tires go through that, they lost traction immediately. Usually when water starts coming up through the surface at our track, unless it's a super tiny amount, there's a damn good chance we're not racing that day.
What WJ is trying to say, is that most of the focus goes to the fuel cars, which still are dangerously fast, but so are all the other classes. Pro Mod is only 100 mph slower than the fuel cars and 200 probably feels almost no different from 300 at that rate.
@fender4444 Im pretty sure you would be angry and vent your frustration's if you came close to wrecking your car at 205 mph due to piss poor track prep. If it wasnt for Warren Johnson several drivers would have wrecked not only at this race but Phoenix & Seattle earlier this year. Warren Johnson is the man and he is just trying to look out for his fellow comeptitors. Yes he's said some stuff that was uncalled for but it was in the heat of the moment.
WJ was absolutely correct about the problems, remedies and, what is at stake. Though angry, he was rational and, composed enough to illustrate everything aforementioned clearly and succinctly.
I need to add the problem has been track prep. The fuel cars prefer less compound and the crew only sprays to 1000 ft. When Pro Stock runs, the prep is similar to Stock, SS and Comp...more compound but they need it all the way to 1320 (we only need it to the 1/8 except maybe the SS/AH guys and Comp due to downforce difference). That has been the major gripe.
Dig trenches a little ways from the track and pump the runoff out! Would really only make sense to incorporate such a thing on a new track due to cost.. :(
It would cure a lot of problems, if you give water a place to go instead of pushing the track up in the WINTER time Florida has drainage down to an art .Northern people don't quite understand, I don't think you're roads really suffer from pour poor drainage and freezing conditions in the WINTER.
He's right, I've seen tracks put out of business because they spent a bunch upgrading to cater to the rarified air of the fuel classes, only for them to hold events there for 2 or 3 years and then blow them off because they got a better offer elsewhere.. What are Top Fuel and FUnnies gonna do when the remaining veterans like Force retire which is gonna happen sooner than you might imagine?
Even now, NHRA still hasn't changed the 1,000 ft. racing for the fuel cars, but yet still 1,320 (Quarter Mile) racing for Pro Stock and the Pro Stock Bikes. They need to change that and just slow the fuel cars down a little like WJ said
I can't blame WJ for being angry when he got out of the car. Getting sideways at 200 mph is bound to make your adrenaline flow. All the posters down there calling WJ a pussy should recount how they handled getting sideways at 200 mph before they start calling names.
@@johncarl5505 LOL. Isle of Man is an amateur event raced by methamphetamine riddled bike riders. NHRA is one of the top professional motorsports on the planet. Big difference between some weedy irishman getting high and throwing a Yamaha R1 around a street circuit once a year, versus an actual professional who has sponsors, equipment and a livelihood at stake.
dragonfly fab -- your disrespect comes from your lack of knowledge of Warrens point. He wasn’t the only one upset. Had he not complained someone would of lost a car for no reason beyond NHRA negligence.
@nhraboy125 dude he has been complaining with the track prep for the pro stock cars and how nhra only cares about fuel cars which is pretty true, and it is not just him all the pro stock drivers are pissed about it he is just the only one saying anything
It's not so much the horsepower they are making at that point it's the lack of downforce because they run little angle on the rear spoiler to improve on top end performance. Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars have so much power they can use a lot of downforce to keep the cars tracking down track. I mention that previously. Trust me you take a 2350 pound PS car with 1400 plus horsepower and the tracks not treated properly on the top end they will get lose. That's what WJ is upset about.
Sorry to say for all the haters on here but WJ is exactly right. NHRA wrongly made the decision to move to 1000' and as a consequence these issues happened. NHRA leadership lacks the foresight and intelligence to run the largest sanctioning body in drag racing.
Agreed, I said it when they did it and I'll say it again, The cars are going faster and are just as dangerous. It doesn't matter. Oh and as far as the reason? My home town. Englishclown. Was Kalitta drinking the night before? And how much? But was that the only factor? NO! Putting a cement pillion at the end of the track but I think the explosion may have done him in before he hit it, No one will say. RIP.
I lost interest when they started shortening the runs, it was hard to relate to the speeds and times. It didn't take long before the E.T.s and speeds were back up where they were at the full 1320'. Put restrictions on the speeds of the cars, yeah, how has that worked out for NASCAR? It became boring and stagnated evolution, because people were then trying to find ways around the rules instead of improving the overall package. I understand that the cars are getting faster than anyone could have imagined decades ago, but that's what happens. The answer is not to outright slow cars down, but to improve safety.
i'm happy we have drag racing at all to be honest. and funnycars are now the faster fuel class. something i couldn't have dreamed. but there's just no runnooff room if a car goes out of control at some old tracks
lucus1959 -- he’s referring to fuel cars that qualify 16 in Top Fuel and 16 in Fuel Funny Car and only run 1000 feet vs other classes run 1320. His point is NHRA only prep the track for 1000 feet to accommodate the minority of race cars.
They arent making enough horsepower that far down the track. Its water seepage. They WONT spin the tires that far down the track under normal conditions. end of story
I disagree with alot of you guys, I always go to Drag Races to see drag races to see Drag Racers, have been one for 35 years and cant anymore, this is a sport where speed is king, wether your speed is 340 or 100, track need to be taken care of like everything else.
NHRA isn't paying any attention and the AMA isn't paying any attention to the MX tracks. We MX racers are in the same prdicament. Not that we don't want to go faster but that the track conditions suck and they are raping us with the fees it cost to race. PA tracks and Racewaypark Englishtown NJ are where I ride. Not sure about the rest of the country.
i'm not saying it is a joke i mean i just would rather watch a doorslammer than a top fuel car i love all of the classes i just prefer the pro stock and pro mods
wj needs to understand that most fans pay those ridiculously high ticket prices to see the 300+mph top fuel cars. most people want to see the sport go even faster. the fans and sponsors drive the sport. face it, without the fans and sponsors, no nhra.
Wow so simple to take some dirt away so the track drains away .. As far as Funny Cars and Top fuel.... They are going too fast it's too dangerous.. Cut back the amount of Nitro they can use to say maybe 50% for starters.. I live near Martin Drag way and I have never seen Funny Cars or Top fuel .. I thought the cost of tickets was too much.. I paid to run my own car on Grudge nights..
I done recall what university he got his degree from..Bob Glidden, Jack Roush, Bill Jenkins etc. and friends always beat his ass. He's just not good enough......
The t.f. is A waste of time and so isnt the funnys. Real cars built by real drivers like what you see on A sat night street race is the real racing! Get rid of those crappy loud wannabe cars and put the door slammers and pro mods up to the top rank that fixes all the cheating by force racing and crappy high prices to come to the show! . Tracks closed because of this its now 2020~Nhra lost its core fans . and now its a joke worse then nascar.
Warren Johnson has always been a poor sport andpoor Example of how not to act to your fellow racers if you're not winning. Iremember him getting angry with the late Bob Gliden because Bob was beating him like a red headed freckeled geek that he is and Warren was getting pissed and throwing a hissy fit. I laughed my butt off!
I wish warren was still in the sport. that guy is one of the best!
The professor is right....about a lot of things....but I loved the ''scalping the fans'' comment the best.......second on my list is how they treat the sportsman classes......nhra sucks....
I love the comp eliminator boys ... I miss the modifieds. Was a blue collar class that should have stayed
@Ultra CNC they shortened the track for the fuel cars for a couple reasons. Two drivers were killed in a very short span, and the extra 320ft is where most of the cost is for the fuel car teams. That's where they destroy most engine parts, use more fuel, most likely to blow up, etc... a lot of it was cost factorization for teams and since it was with the 2008 financial crisis, you need to keep it appealing for small budget and or new teams. Also teams have stated they do not want to return to 1/4 mile
Back 15 years ago you could actually earn a living racing something like Comp Eliminator. $30k to win a Wednesday night race all around the country. Now the total prize pool for all the door cars is that 30k
WJ and other Pro Stock racers had with NHRA was only prepping the racetrack to 1000 feet leaving the last 320 lose which greatly effected the Pro Stock cars as they run with little down force in their spoilers so when they run out of the treated 1000 foot and transition onto the untreated last 320 feet their cars get lose as the video shows. Pro Stock Chassis and engines cost wise are just as expensive if not more than the fuel cars.Only difference they don't trash a motor every run.
I am not a huge WJ fan, but I have met him and fully respect his knowledge and opinions. I can also tell by many of the comments here that many have never been down the track before. Dragstrips were never designed to handle 300mph plus cars that weigh as much as a F/C...back in the day, 250 mph not only put butts in the seats, there were also more cars for the spectator money, making it a non-stop show. As a racer, even driving a much slower car (120 mph) I can tell you first hand how fast the retaining net comes. So the rest of you who are armchair quartermile quarterbacks, go ahead and piss your hard earned money away on watered down NHRA shows, or you'd agree with WJ.
@Fuzzy Butkus fuck the nitro cars
The professor...miss this guy...
WJ was/is probably right with his complaint here but IMO it has to be tempered by the fact that that guy seemed to get upset all the time for sometimes questionable reasons. I once watched him lose a close one to a relatively unknown racer who ran a surprisingly good time and he began to bitch about engine builders "selling motors to whoever shows up with the cash". I'm sorry but....Isn't that what an engine builder's supposed to do? Or are they just supposed to build for you and others you approve?
Themmmm, I'm from the younger crowd BUT I have a whole lot of respect for the likes of Grumpy,Glidden,Warren,Landy,Sox& Martin,Mancini,Grotheer etc. Its like KOBE calling Jordan a hasbeen.......Respect, I believe they EARNED it.
I agree 100% with what WJ had to say, and when he's talking about the 99.9% of the 'other racers', he's not talking about the other NHRA big dog cars, he's talking about us weekend warriors that support the track every weekend when there isn't a national event. Our track has the same problem with water coming up through the track occasionally...however, what all you guys who seem to know it all fail to realize is, VHT+water=a skating rink. Even if you get a bunch of tiny drops of water seeping up through the track, once the tires go through that, they lost traction immediately. Usually when water starts coming up through the surface at our track, unless it's a super tiny amount, there's a damn good chance we're not racing that day.
What WJ is trying to say, is that most of the focus goes to the fuel cars, which still are dangerously fast, but so are all the other classes. Pro Mod is only 100 mph slower than the fuel cars and 200 probably feels almost no different from 300 at that rate.
Minimum downforce on the door cars makes for tough sleddin".
The professor has evaluated the situation. IF NOT HIM.......WHO
@fender4444 Im pretty sure you would be angry and vent your frustration's if you came close to wrecking your car at 205 mph due to piss poor track prep. If it wasnt for Warren Johnson several drivers would have wrecked not only at this race but Phoenix & Seattle earlier this year. Warren Johnson is the man and he is just trying to look out for his fellow comeptitors. Yes he's said some stuff that was uncalled for but it was in the heat of the moment.
WJ was absolutely correct about the problems, remedies and, what is at stake. Though angry, he was rational and, composed enough to illustrate everything aforementioned clearly and succinctly.
They didn't call him the professor for nothing
Amagine what Grumpy Jenkins would have said.
Was this filmed in the 90s? Quality is shocking for a 2009 film.
Warren Johnson is such a great likeable guy. If you don't believe it, just ask him.
twit
The 2006 Goodguys Nostalgia March Meet had the same problem. The race was eventually cancelled.
Don Garlits said that a couple years ago to slow the cars down he said drivers are not even driving them they send the driver like a rocket.
Mark Nairn I remember garlits saying to make the fuel cars run smaller engines like 426 inches instead of 500
I need to add the problem has been track prep. The fuel cars prefer less compound and the crew only sprays to 1000 ft. When Pro Stock runs, the prep is similar to Stock, SS and Comp...more compound but they need it all the way to 1320 (we only need it to the 1/8 except maybe the SS/AH guys and Comp due to downforce difference). That has been the major gripe.
3:18 when you go to your girlfriend's house and her mom is home...
I'm so mad that modifieds were the 1st to go
Dig trenches a little ways from the track and pump the runoff out! Would really only make sense to incorporate such a thing on a new track due to cost.. :(
It would cure a lot of problems, if you give water a place to go instead of pushing the track up in the WINTER time Florida has drainage down to an art .Northern people don't quite understand, I don't think you're roads really suffer from pour poor drainage and freezing conditions in the WINTER.
why did both he and his son just disappear from the sport
He's right, I've seen tracks put out of business because they spent a bunch upgrading to cater to the rarified air of the fuel classes, only for them to hold events there for 2 or 3 years and then blow them off because they got a better offer elsewhere.. What are Top Fuel and FUnnies gonna do when the remaining veterans like Force retire which is gonna happen sooner than you might imagine?
Even now, NHRA still hasn't changed the 1,000 ft. racing for the fuel cars, but yet still 1,320 (Quarter Mile) racing for Pro Stock and the Pro Stock Bikes. They need to change that and just slow the fuel cars down a little like WJ said
They aren't going to slow the fuel cars. They sell tickets on that 300mph number.
I can respect what wj said, I won't voice my opinion due to the fact I don't want to be flamed for my own individual opinion.
How Swiss of you. Rim Shot!
Is it just me or was 2009 just the year of tempers flaring?
Nitro is what brings fans to the track…not Warren Johnson
Funny how the “fans” sided with Warren and not the nitro
3:42 journey
I can't blame WJ for being angry when he got out of the car. Getting sideways at 200 mph is bound to make your adrenaline flow. All the posters down there calling WJ a pussy should recount how they handled getting sideways at 200 mph before they start calling names.
Maybe he shouldn't go racing when he get's angry because of a crash. I wonder what he would think of the Isle of Man TT.
@@johncarl5505 LOL. Isle of Man is an amateur event raced by methamphetamine riddled bike riders. NHRA is one of the top professional motorsports on the planet. Big difference between some weedy irishman getting high and throwing a Yamaha R1 around a street circuit once a year, versus an actual professional who has sponsors, equipment and a livelihood at stake.
Less and less respect for that guy. Now even less than that.
dragonfly fab -- your disrespect comes from your lack of knowledge of Warrens point. He wasn’t the only one upset. Had he not complained someone would of lost a car for no reason beyond NHRA negligence.
@nhraboy125 dude he has been complaining with the track prep for the pro stock cars and how nhra only cares about fuel cars which is pretty true, and it is not just him all the pro stock drivers are pissed about it he is just the only one saying anything
It's not so much the horsepower they are making at that point it's the lack of downforce because they run little angle on the rear spoiler to improve on top end performance. Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars have so much power they can use a lot of downforce to keep the cars tracking down track. I mention that previously. Trust me you take a 2350 pound PS car with 1400 plus horsepower and the tracks not treated properly on the top end they will get lose. That's what WJ is upset about.
Sorry to say for all the haters on here but WJ is exactly right. NHRA wrongly made the decision to move to 1000' and as a consequence these issues happened. NHRA leadership lacks the foresight and intelligence to run the largest sanctioning body in drag racing.
Agreed, I said it when they did it and I'll say it again, The cars are going faster and are just as dangerous. It doesn't matter. Oh and as far as the reason? My home town. Englishclown. Was Kalitta drinking the night before? And how much? But was that the only factor? NO! Putting a cement pillion at the end of the track but I think the explosion may have done him in before he hit it, No one will say. RIP.
Diego Blanchard he couldn't see regardless because of the fire and I do think the explosion did him in but if anything the pillar sure did
i don't hear anyone else complaining
I lost interest when they started shortening the runs, it was hard to relate to the speeds and times.
It didn't take long before the E.T.s and speeds were back up where they were at the full 1320'.
Put restrictions on the speeds of the cars, yeah, how has that worked out for NASCAR? It became boring and stagnated evolution, because people were then trying to find ways around the rules instead of improving the overall package.
I understand that the cars are getting faster than anyone could have imagined decades ago, but that's what happens. The answer is not to outright slow cars down, but to improve safety.
i'm happy we have drag racing at all to be honest. and funnycars are now the faster fuel class. something i couldn't have dreamed. but there's just no runnooff room if a car goes out of control at some old tracks
The Professor..
Warren Johnson is always angry.
Only 32 cars in the whole country!
lucus1959 -- he’s referring to fuel cars that qualify 16 in Top Fuel and 16 in Fuel Funny Car and only run 1000 feet vs other classes run 1320. His point is NHRA only prep the track for 1000 feet to accommodate the minority of race cars.
Yep, they should have thrown a cid limit in the fuel cars decades ago.
They arent making enough horsepower that far down the track. Its water seepage. They WONT spin the tires that far down the track under normal conditions. end of story
HEY WARREN, NO ONE WANTS TO PAY TO SEE A 80 MPH RACE CAR. SLOW DOWN IS NOT NHRA .
Fuel cars bring the fans
I disagree with alot of you guys, I always go to Drag Races to see drag races to see Drag Racers, have been one for 35 years and cant anymore, this is a sport where speed is king, wether your speed is 340 or 100, track need to be taken care of like everything else.
Dude 13yrs I guess so Dade ya bad trace prep
And your credentials are?
Multiple time champion
warren Johnson best of the best in pro stock
Second best of the best. You forgot the word "second". Glidden was best.
NeilLB7 Truth
Maybe 4 best you forget in order Glidden Sheppard alderman then maybe warren
hey Warren fans come to see fuel cars not door slammers -- so without them you have no money to repair/maintain the track
Try throwing an event with one class running and tell me how that goes sweetheart....
I'm OK with it
Still a issue!
NHRA isn't paying any attention and the AMA isn't paying any attention to the MX tracks. We MX racers are in the same prdicament. Not that we don't want to go faster but that the track conditions suck and they are raping us with the fees it cost to race. PA tracks and Racewaypark Englishtown NJ are where I ride. Not sure about the rest of the country.
AMA has fuck all to do with tracks.
WJ complaining and pised? Say it isn't so!
Ashley is a smoke show
the fans are the money and they want to see the fuel cars -- i respect the pro stocks but thats not what i pay to see
+mark f then don't go you and fans like you are what's making this sport the joke that it's becoming
i go to watch the pro stock because that is the only real pro class
your an ass with out the fans like myself spending the $$$ to support this sport it will cease to exist and please explain how it has become a joke
i'm not saying it is a joke i mean i just would rather watch a doorslammer than a top fuel car i love all of the classes i just prefer the pro stock and pro mods
NHRA (No hot rodders allowed) all they want is your money.
COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS?
RIGHT.
wj needs to understand that most fans pay those ridiculously high ticket prices to see the 300+mph top fuel cars. most people want to see the sport go even faster. the fans and sponsors drive the sport. face it, without the fans and sponsors, no nhra.
Rick Stewart shut it down. He puts up with no shit.
John Force pulls the strings. He gives NHRA their marching orders
Wow so simple to take some dirt away so the track drains away ..
As far as Funny Cars and Top fuel.... They are going too fast it's too dangerous.. Cut back the amount of Nitro they can use to say maybe 50% for starters..
I live near Martin Drag way and I have never seen Funny Cars or Top fuel .. I thought the cost of tickets was too much.. I paid to run my own car on Grudge nights..
I done recall what university he got his degree from..Bob Glidden, Jack Roush, Bill Jenkins etc. and friends always beat his ass. He's just not good enough......
Cry baby
HES A GOOFBALL
The t.f. is A waste of time and so isnt the funnys. Real cars built by real drivers like what you see on A sat night street race is the real racing! Get rid of those crappy loud wannabe cars and put the door slammers and pro mods up to the top rank that fixes all the cheating by force racing and crappy high prices to come to the show! . Tracks closed because of this its now 2020~Nhra lost its core fans . and now its a joke worse then nascar.
Warren Johnson has always been a poor sport andpoor Example of how not to act to your fellow racers if you're not winning. Iremember him getting angry with the late Bob Gliden because Bob was beating him like a red headed freckeled geek that he is and Warren was getting pissed and throwing a hissy fit. I laughed my butt off!
No dickweed Warren has the balls to say what all others think. Hes won 97, how many have you won?