It’s in the way that you use it, Eric Clapton

Can we talk about Pro Stock? Not as it was, but as it is. Because frankly, it’s better than it has ever been. Stop with the “it was better in the ’80’s and 90’s” it wasn’t. You’re looking at the past with rose-colored glasses. We have better competition, drivers and exposure than ever before. But the one aspect we can talk about is where is it going? Before you jump in with all kinds of suggestions ask yourselves one question. Who’s going to pay for it? Because that’s the driving force behind change. Like it or not, this sport like so many others runs on cubic dollars and unless you can show a good or great ROI (Return on Investment) we won’t see any money flowing in from the manufacturers.

I wonder, has as anyone from the NHRA reached out to Dodge or Toyota? Why for instance isn’t there an approved body for the Challenger or Camry? Or for that matter is the Cadillac body so many have run in Pro Mod approved for Pro Stock? Because what we have here is a Nitro Funny car situation. All the cars with very few exceptions are identical under the body. For example, for Toyota to run in the class, it’s no longer necessarily a major engineering project. Just get a body approved and put on an existing chassis and viola you have a Toyota Pro Stock program; that seems like a reasonable investment to me. It’s not unusual to have a Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota lineup in the semis in Funny Car and there’s no reason it can’t happen in Pro Stock.

I recently watched a video about one Nascar truck series truck in particular. The truck named Freak. (I’ll attach the link below). To summarize; the truck was built in 1998 and raced until 2018 with 3 different manufacturers and 9 different numbers. In terms of investment for any given team, to no longer be stuck on one make or another for your car, the ability to switch bodies is potentially a real cost saver as your program develops.

The engines, ah the engines. Let’s get something off the table. Forget about a new 500 Cubic inch Dodge or Ford engine. See up in the first paragraph the phrase “Return on Investment”? In an age of electric and hybrid technology, what sense does it make for those companies to invest in a Pro Stock engine program? Like it or not the future is coming, And quicker than you think. Just pick up any trade magazine or go to any New Car show. In my travels around the country, I have not seen a new or remodeled rest area or service center that doesn’t have a charging station included. In ten years the look on the roads and vehicles the manufacturers are producing will be light years away from Gas burning V8’s.

On the topic of engines, I do have a concern about the current state of 3 teams supplying the vast majority of engines. Just to speculate for a second. let’s say KB racing goes belly up for some reason and closes its doors. Can Elite or McGaha step in to fill the void? Is that a good thing? I don’t know, but I would like to see a couple more engine shops get involved and supply some engines. Just for the overall supply of horsepower.There are others building engines but is it enough?

Factory Stock, the golden boy of NHRA Drag racing. Yeah, don’t get to attached. You need to remember that while superficially these cars are cool, over the long term the class is almost certainly doomed. Remember that as of July 2019 there’s no guaranty the Camaro will exist past 2023 with all engine development canceled outright or shelved indefinitely. Dodge is precarious at best, being the only maker that didn’t submit any new tech for NHRA approval in 2019 and will cancel any program at the drop of a hat (Demon). The facts are the facts and these cars, as much as we love them, don’t move the needle in sales and have shown a year after year decline.

The future of Pro Stock looks bright, just different. It has become a class of equals, more than ever the driver and crew chief make the difference. It’s no longer about Bob Glidden or Warren Johnson massively out horsepowering the field. It’s about who can leave first and hit all the shift points with unbelievable accuracy and which crew chief can evaluate the track and conditions to make the most of every once of motion the car can produce. If you want evidence of the complexity involved I highly recommend the NHRA series on YouTube featuring Joe Castello and the Total Seal Matt Hartford Pro Stock team.

I’ll leave you with this. I’m well aware that the lead picture, Don O’Neal’s Top Sportsman LS-powered Camaro isn’t a Pro Stock car. But to me, this is the most exciting Door slammer at the track. Here we have a Pro Stock chassis and body powered by what is essentially a massaged Factory Stock LS engine running 6.70’s at 205 MPH. Could this be the future of Pro Stock? I sure hope so. We already have a trio of manufacturers making power for Factory Stock and with very little work we could see these engines powering Pro Stock cars. I’ve been very interested to see the progress of KB racing’s factory stock engine program and Elite has dipped their toe in the water as well. Even if the cars for factory stock do go away, the engine technology already exists and has plenty of room for refinement. It’s something to watch for.

Be Safe and Have Fun.