Castrol and ford dumping Force

[MitchP]

I think he's talking Ford and Chevy bodies, not engines

I agree, it doesn't really matter. In the 60's and 70's, nitro was ruled by Chrysler 392 and 426, regardless of whether it was Jungle Jim or Dale Pulde. It hasn't gotten any better. John had the bullocks to work towards a true brand specific body/engine combination. One might say since the other side (Shoe) runs Dodge bodies and hemi's, he's being true to tradition but we all know that's not true. Shoe would run a Camaro if he could field 4 cars. The bigger problem is not the sponsors, but having more than 1 car per owner. You can put a Mack truck body on as long as you only run one car. When you're sharing data, sacrificing a losing car to test track conditions to set up a higher ranked car, nobody really wins. I say go back to the days when sponsors shared the bottom of the body and the owner or car's nickname sat high and visible. And make them recognizable. If it kills the sport, then so be it. Personally, I walk the pits during pro stock anyway. Boring...

[Dave Van]

When did BP buy Castrol??? Or has it always been this way???

I use Valvoline but Castrol is 2nd choice. Dad worked for Valvoline for 25 years that helps but they do have a good product.

[Art Anderson]

We've surely all heard the saying "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" with regard to automakers (and gasoline/lubricant companies as well), but I suspect that it only works for a while, and then goes stale.

As a fairly avid reader of say, newspapers, I can't remember the last time I've seen any serious coverage of drag racing in any major newspaper (even the Indianapolis Star doesn't give all that much really serious coverage to motorsports, and Indianapolis hosts three major racing events every year!).

Sure, drag racing gets lots of publicity in magazines, even has its own couple of mags covering the sport from blowers to slicks, but those aren't really "general interest" publications--not every bookstore or newsstand carries them. Even TV coverage of racing is pretty much limited to cable channels, and then not even the really high-ratings channels. So, does "winning on Sunday really translate to selling on Monday" anymore? With companies such as Castrol--does the large sums of money spent on race car sponsorship inspire increased sales of their motor oil? Sure, it more than likely did, back in the 1960's when Castrol was the principal maker of racing motor oils (their name comes from Castor Oil, which was the preferred engine oil with racers of just about all forms of motorsport for the first 60 years or so of auto racing). But I suspect that Castrol has taken a long look at the dollars they were spending on sponsorship, and decided to take a different tack on advertising--that's happened innumerable times down through the decades of auto racing.

Same with Ford: Does spending a lot of sponsorship on a Funny Car team REALLY translate into selling Mustangs--especially considering that the only thing about that type of race car that truly resembles a Mustang is the legendary FORD script logo? Ford Motor Company has sponsored race cars many times in their 110-year history--with the intent to "win on Sunday, sell on Monday", and if that tactic doesn't sell more cars as time goes on, why continue it (from a business perspective, anyway)?

Art

[johnbuzzed]

I think you hit the nail right on the head, Art.

[Dragfreak]

I don't think it's possible for anyone to compete in any of the nitro categories without a hemi of some sort. Unless Chevy follows Ford and develops a hemi for drag racing then you won't see them in the winners circle. A Chevy big block can run with anything on gas or alky, but it just can't take the abuse of nitro. That is the opinion of a professional observer.

Dale

I know besides fords hemi no matter what body theyre using it has a hemi under it, I should have been more clear but what I meant is he started using a chevy bodied car so it would seem right to retire using a chevy body.

[Nitro Neil]

Couldn't happen to better guy. A friend of mine describes Force as a rodeo clown on crack and I concur.

[rssschris]

I don't think it's possible for anyone to compete in any of the nitro categories without a hemi of some sort. Unless Chevy follows Ford and develops a hemi for drag racing then you won't see them in the winners circle. A Chevy big block can run with anything on gas or alky, but it just can't take the abuse of nitro. That is the opinion of a professional observer.

Dale

I don`t know any pro class cars that run a factory engine - Chevy, Ford, or Mopar - They ALL use aftermarket blocks, heads, ect. Even the factory Hemi can`t hold up in todays nitro classes.

Chris

[MachinistMark]

Couldn't happen to better guy. A friend of mine describes Force as a rodeo clown on crack and I concur.

Precisely why I don't use Castrol...

[PeeBee]

I wouldn't spend my ad dollares on drag racing and NASCAR if I were an auto manufacturer or fuel/oil retailer because neither of these venues generate significant showroom traffic or increase gas/lubricant sales. The equipment raced is irrelevant to a new-car buyer (for obvious reasons) and 99.99% of car owners in this country today don't care what product Jiffy-Lube or their dealer dumps down the crankcase.

WRC and production-class sports car racing is an entirely different story, however. You can buy a Subaru, BMW or Corvette that actually resembles (even mechanically) the cars you saw compete over the weekend.

But still, the majority of the car-buying public in the U.S today are not interested in auto-racing or high-performance automobiles; they want SUVs or hybrids with on-board navigation and computing. "Driving" is no longer the priority when behind the wheel, it seems.

[High octane]

That's pretty simple as it's Castrol's and Ford's money, and their choice.

[caine440]

I did not mind him back in the late 80s.

Now I can not stand the man.

So I am not unhappy to see this but I am sure he will land something.

[Bowtienutz]

I bet he's looking for the shiek's # Ali-Aibi doesn't have any funny cars.

[dragcarz]

IMO Professional drag racing has been in trouble for some time, and NASCAR, if their not careful may fall into the same fate. Fuel cars use no OEM parts whatsoever,nor does any of the technology carry over into production vehicles, the bodies don't resemble any production car other than decals representing grilles and headlamps as well as badging to tell you what it is that your looking at. Add to this billboard size lettering to further obscure the identity, and I don't know why any manufacturer would have any interest in drag racing. Since this is Indy weekend lets look back at the last 10 years of funny car racing,between 2001 and 2011 John Force cars have won FC in 02,04,06,07,08,09,10 and 11. Of the 16 car fields 8 cars are owned by two teams, Usually filling the top 8 spots. Their is no start up teams that can compete as its cost prohibitive. I quit attending NHRA events as aside from the smoke and noise IT'S BORING! I enjoy the stock and super stock class racing more now than ever before. All you have to do is look in the stands at a major event and the empty seats speek for themselves. I have started attending Goodguys And Nostolgia events and they are so much more entertaining and accessible. At a recent Hot Rod Reunion event in Bowling Green Ky. I was able to spend time with racers who were there for the fun of it and not to impress sponsors, the cars were identifyable,painted beutifully,and well prepaired. I spoke with Tommy Johnson Jr. Who had no NHRA ride and was driving for whom ever would let him just drive.A great weekend that,if you haven't been to one of these events you need to.NHRA needs to back up and rethink the professional categories, the electronics,the body rules blower and fuel pump size,tire size. Reinvent these classes, how about a 5.0 mustang motor on fuel with factory supercharger, the new engines the manufacturers are building are capable of a lot of horsepower and in a FC chassis and redesigned mustang body,could bring new interest and life to a dying sport.

[martinfan5]

Ford isnt dumping Force, Ford is dumping the NHRA

[deja-view]

Didn't one of his daughters just win her class this past week? I'd watch them anytime!

[ScaleDale]

I bet he's looking for the shiek's # Ali-Aibi doesn't have any funny cars.

They don't get a lot of press, but Al Anabi runs an Alcohol Funny Car. Frank Manzo won at Brainard in Minnesota.

EDIT: Add the Indy Nationals to that list.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.562, 261.27 def. Annie Whiteley, Ford Mustang, 5.571, 257.78.

Dale

Edited September 4, 2013 by ScaleDale

[tooltas]

I would like to see him and the girls in a chevy funny car a 2014vette would be cool or a Camaro body ..... top fuel would be can be done with a sonny semi hemi heads on the prostock 500 rat

[kit-junkie]

Drag racing has been in decline for a good while now, I think. I've loved it since I was a child. I miss the days of Blue max, The Mongoose and Snake, Jungle Jim, The Hawaiian, Snowman... The cars were like characters in a show--almost like Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars was to my young grandsons. I used to get so excited when I got to see a race! The sport lost something, years ago, when the "characters" in the show went away and the brand names became more important. It's still impressive, what they've been able to do speed and ET wise, but it's just not as much fun to watch. Sad. I'd love to see the excitement of '70's drag racing, again.

[AZ Boy]

I lost all respect for Force after he took that POORLY executed dive at Indy a few years back just to get his son-in-law Robert Hight into the Countdown. To Roberts credit, he made the most of it by winning the championship. But Tony Pedregon hit the nail on the head (and he had a perfect right to since he was the designated team loser on many occasions when he drove for Force) when he called Force out on the dive. To this day, Force has never manned-up and admitted it.

[ScaleDale]

I lost all respect for Force after he took that POORLY executed dive at Indy a few years back just to get his son-in-law Robert Hight into the Countdown. To Roberts credit, he made the most of it by winning the championship. But Tony Pedregon hit the nail on the head (and he had a perfect right to since he was the designated team loser on many occasions when he drove for Force) when he called Force out on the dive. To this day, Force has never manned-up and admitted it.

Is that what the big tiff between John and Tony was in the Indy video they showed last weekend? It was during an interview with Courtney. John and Tony were really going at each other.

By the way, Tony Pedregon never gets the credit he deserves. He's quite an artist and even did the helmet art for JF.

Dale

Edited September 5, 2013 by ScaleDale

[High octane]

Over the last several years there have been a LOT of people who've lost their jobs, and I consider this NO different.