The reason for this is one word: Factoring.
If you had the opportunity to attend any of the old Direct Connection Racing Seminars, you would have been treated to a detailed discussion of how the Mopar combinations (both factory race cars and the less exotic combinations as well) were constantly being factored to the point that the cars were seldom competitive. One year ('77?) there was a (Mopar) racer whose combination was factored 4 times in one season, each time moving the car up a class - he went from like K or L/SA to I/SA in a matter of months.
If you have an old Direct Connection Racing Manual (The single volume versions, the blue and yellow ones for sure, and maybe the multi-colored versions), find the pages entitled "Racing Your Mopar", or something like that... you will find a treatise on various factoring scenarios that rendered one combination or another un-competitive. While the information in and of itself told a story, it was always out-of-date by the time the ink was dry. Some specific examples that I recall were how 440's were factored against 455 Pontiacs, IIRC (forgive me if the details aren't exact but you'll get the general drift) the 455 had larger valves, a better intake, more compression, that sort of thing but was factored below it's factory HP rating, while the 440 was factored above it's factory HP rating. One could almost excuse this, but to then see engines factored two or three times, just to the point that the cars moved up a class, again and again until they could no longer touch the record, one had to take notice.
Even the venerable SS Barracudas and Darts were swiftly shown the door (here's your own back yard to play in, SS/AH) so that some of the smaller kids could be the "Fastest Super Stockers". And now they've gotten into the alphabet soup thing trying to accommodate all the new iron, SS/AAA, SS A/A, SS/BB, all I can do is shake my head and think to myself, WTF/O?
And the reason for all of this? The sales figures were conclusive - more drivers bought GM and Ford products (Chrysler marques trailed behind) and the sanctioning bodies knew that to put "butts in the seats" on race days, that the GM and Ford products had to win. Certain classes were tough to fudge - in the A-D Stock and Super Stock classes the Mopars were so much faster than the competition it that there weren't cars that could even make the class... I don't speak foreign languages well, but there were Camaros and Chevelles with LS-6 (?) and LS-7 (?) stuff, aluminum heads, high horsepower stuff all factored down to classes where they could beat garden variety 440 cars. And so it went down through the classes - 340's forced to run against big Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, 318's running 327's and 351's, the list went on. It was kinda cool to see Super Stock AMC's (before they were part of the family) taking care of business in SS/C. Eventually, however, the classes were diluted with specialized versions of off-brand something-or-anothers until as Don found earlier, the classes once owned by Mopars are now populated by cars that people can go to the dealer and buy. I stopped keeping track 10 or so years ago, but can't understand how 50 year old Wedge cars are supposed to compete against new fuel injected stuff. John Calvert holds today's A/SA mark with a 9.79 record - I recall seeing some Max-Wedge Super Stockers running close - for Pete's sake why aren't the FI cars in a separate class?
A fast check just now revealed that D, E, and F/SA are all held buy Mopars just in the last 3 weeks. Watch those classes closely the next few months and see what happens.
Anyway, I think most of the old factory race cars have either been restored and tucked away or are tearing up the asphalt in NSS. No point beating your head against the wall when you have to run a pair of 50 year old AFB's and dual point distributors against something with computerized ignition and multi-point fuel injection.
And that, boys and girls, is why I'd walk barefoot a mile over broken glass and barbed wire to watch NSS even if the NHRA was holding a national event in my front yard.
SC
On Thursday, June 5, 2014 6:23:59 PM UTC-4, Donald Gallimore wrote:
After a quick check today, it appears the only NHRA S/SS record the 60's Mopars race packages (Race Hemi and Max Wedge) hold is the '68 Cudas and Darts and they have their own class. (The street Hemis hold a couple of records with the 71 cars.)
Why are they shut out? Any speculations and/or facts?
Akron Don Gallimore
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