MM: Your family, especially your younger brother Jeff, tried to get a Sportsman Racing Association going several years ago. What were the main goals of the SRA?
JOE T: I’ll turn that over to Jeff and he can tell you.
Jeff T: The first goal was to just get some communication going between the NHRA and sportsman racers. My concern was primarily the Super Stock, Stock and Comp racers that have to deal a lot with technical issues. We got a few things done but nothing major, unfortunately. We did get them to reserve a section of grandstands for racers after we found out a lot of racers could not get seats to watch from even though they had paid a premium price for pit passes. I am pretty sure NHRA still has a Racer’s Section in the grandstands at all the national events.
MM: Jeff, if there were three things you could get NHRA to listen to you about, what would they be?
Jeff T: That’s easy. 1.TECH, 2. TECH, 3.TECH!! The little things seem to work themselves out, but TECH is so important when you are a class racer to make the playing field level. Here is an example: One winter I worked with another guy and made a set of templates for ’68 Cudas and Darts for the Hemi guys. They were made excellent and even had a felt strip on them so paint couldn’t be scratched. I wanted NHRA to use them to make sure the Cudas and Darts we were racing against hadn’t been “modified.” I wanted to be sure the windshields hadn’t been laid back or fenders dropped in front or anything that would help the “aero” of these cars. It is important when only hundredths of a second separate the cars in ET. NHRA basically shrugged their shoulders and said it didn’t interest them and there would be NO TEMPLATES used in Super Stock. I wasn’t trying attack anyone, I just wanted everyone to be dealing from the same deck when we raced heads-up. I am pretty tired of fighting with them now so whatever the rules are we will stay within them and see how we come out.
Joe (far lane) competed against Steve Wann in the Hemi Shootout at Indy last year. (Tom Schiltz photo)
MM: What could NHRA do with the SS/AH class to make it even more of a spectator attraction?
JOE T: Three things really would make it as special as it should be:
- Run the SS/AH as its own Hemi Shootout Eliminator at several national events. Maybe six or seven per year.
- Qualifying and eliminations to be run in conjunction with the pro sessions; before or after, it doesn’t matter.
- Take advantage of the uniqueness of both the CARS and the OWNERS. Both are very special and race fans around the world know these cars.
MM: If NHRA made this change, should it be a professional class?
JOE T: No, we (the Hemi owners) aren’t professional racers, never have been never will be. It costs $250,000 to get one of these cars built, tested and equipped with the right parts to be competitive. We (all the Hemi owners) have been doing it for so long it is way beyond the money, it is about RESPECT. Hemi racers have paid their dues and helped NHRA become what it is starting way back in the late Sixties. If NHRA doesn’t think a Hemi Shootout class would be popular then why not give it a try and see what happens?
MM: Now there is a good question to end the InnerView with.
