Is Nostalgia Top Fuel Dying out?

With the March Meet right around the bend I was thinking how NTF has changed over the past few years. There are a lot fewer NTF cars running now days. Why is that? I know that with the surge of Funny Cars some guys have moved to them, but why has the NTF ranks shrunk?

Don't get wrong, I love NTF and would like to see it grow.

 

It costs a lot of money, and it is unlikely that sponsors can pony up enough to cover the tab. I'm sure there are other factors in play, but this has to be one of the main ones.

 

My guess is that Nostalgia Fuel is a very costly racing venture these days since there are very few things nostalgic about it now. Modern chassis refinements, modern supercharger specifications along with many other class refinements have left this class in the hands of the elite.

I knew Nitro Neil Bisciglia fairly well back in the mid 90s when he and a few of his neigborhood childhood friends fronted a world record holding Nostalgia Fueler on common middle class budgets, but sadly those days are long gone. Their front engine digger with a then 30 year old chassis and iron headed whale motor comprised of used parts was running 6.20s back then and I witnessed Neil ocasionally using both lanes to turn those times.

 

Nitro Neil was a great racer back in thoses days with his nitro coupe.

 

What ever happened to Neil??

 

I remember him fixing a front axle issue with a jack handle.......

Didn't he buy a 32 coupe from groucho

 

I saw him last year at the CHRR working on the Crop Duster NTF car.

 

The new rules are killing the cars. $$$$$ and more $$$$$ not to mention the wear and tear on the engines. New pistons, sleves and bearings every few runs.

 

Neil was married with a couple of children when I spoke to him last about 5 years ago. The rising costs of this class have kept him out for a very long time now. I think that the timing of Neil's Foothill Flyer team mate Ken Castignino's death and an unexpected accident during a Wisonsin exhibition race that destroyed Neil's own midwestern fuel coupe bodied digger put him in a rut that he could never recover from.

My father and I locally raced a 1935 Dodge Brothers coupe with a blown gas 392 HEMI back then and Neil taught us much and generously filtered down many parts that were no longer deemed useable for nitro but were just fine for our 10.00 second bracket car.

 

You cant run a two speed and a large slick like the funny cars. Hence, why the funny car class is exploding right now because you can run 5.80s all day without hurting the damn thing. To go an .80 or less in the NTF cars you have to really have your shit together and know how to run a decent high/low fuel system or have the mucho $$ for pistons, sleeves, rods, clutchpacks, etc. for every run your eating the shit up just to have smoke out all 8 pipes and pistons fused into globs of shit. Hell, even Brendan got rid of the big chev he's been running for the last 15+ years for a late model just to stay in "the game"..And I never thought i'd see the day that would happen.

I know of a couple teams that are still running 417 blocks with iron heads and a pedal clutch, and yeah, they will sneak into the field and run low teens in the 6s, just because of the sheer smallness of entries, but when it comes down to it the numbers just arent there. You have to have the "hot shit" set up which =$$$$$. Same as its always been.

It's all relative (and opinion) for sure, and i'm in constant close contact with a lot of people in the realm of this world as it's what we do. So i wont get too involved. Just my quick thoughts..On a thursday lunch hour.


TH

 

The NTF class needs more guys like Neil and Jim Boyd. The NHRA has put thier 2 cents into the class and the added cost of running a dragster out of sight.

It's a bunch of great people who run in the class, I'd just like to see the NHRA open the rules a little to allow more cars.

 

The only ones to blame are the racers themselves!!!
NHRA did not mandate--
$7000 blowers
$15,000 racepacs
$3000 mags
$ Ti clutchs and cans
$$$ Spare bullets in the trailer
$$$$ Racks and racks of pistons and rods
$$$$$ Ten uniformed crew and hangers-on
$$$$$$ Everthing else required to run 5.60's @ over 250mph

Yes- NHRA is the bad guy here

 

Very true, but they did drop CF brakes and the auto shut off on racers.

 

It doesnt matter what type of racing ..Drag or Circle Track.....A racer is his own worst ememy
Its the nature of the beast.....

Going faster is the same as a Drunk or Crackhead....The only difference is they rehab for that shit

We have nothing to cure "The Need For Speed"

And rules only make you spend more in other areas to achive the same effect

There is no answer

"Hi,My name is Tony and I am a racer"

 

Absolutly correct!
The T/F cars suffer from the same thing they did "back in the day", the funny cars simply put on a better show. They are nearly as fast, are more
indentifiable and colorful. They also look more period correct.
Nitro racing has NEVER, repeat NEVER been "affordable", ask anyone that's raced!

 

I woundn't call NFC, "period correct."

 

As been stated before, $$$$$ is the reason. The rule makers catered to a few choice teams and ran the competition out of the class. Drag Racer magazine had a real good article on this a few years ago. Nostalgia FC has kept a better rein on the class, but it too is getting out of hand to be competitive, especially with the pros and recently retired pros getting involved. Plus you have the IHRA making Nostalgia FC a professional class a couple of years ago.

 

all the certifications add up to big cash. also the recently mandated carbon fiber brakes dont help. the automatic shut off was also a additional cost. i heard that due to the shrinking fields the rules are being revised. the teams have been priced right out of racing and some of these are the more well funded teams. neil does have a 32 ford coupe it should be out this year. he still has his dragster and he was working on the crop duster. we went to symco together the last two years and had a great time.

 

I said they LOOK more period correct.

 

This did not happen in the last few years.
I can speak first hand because I own one. Not sure if anyone else here actually owns a current NTF here. I really took the whole nostalgic thing in, built a 1961 Catalina Safari wagon to use not only as a push car, but it really towed my car and trailer to the track. I use a push bumper, use as many vintage parts as is possible. Really like the vintage look too.



I was a big fan of N TF in the 90s. Really took it in and dreamed of the day I could have my own car. The rules were so good with the limits on fuel pumps, mags, inches to weight etc.
Then the time came and I was able to build my own NTF car. We ran it for some time including 3-4 times at Bakersfield MM or Reunion. While doing this and learning, the class changed or evoled etc,

In no order, they allowed the later 426 style engine, they allowed billet heads, billet blocks, large MSD magnetos, billet puel pumps, etc.
The safety rules also made the cars much more expensive even though there were no injuries due to the existing rules.
Some rules that come to mind in the last 10 years- $2,000 blower bags, carbon fiber brakes, titanium flywheels ( after spending close to $10,000 on 2 clutches, they will not now pass tech., etc NHRA has put NTF safetly on par with current TF which are much quicker and faster.
Another thing that really changed, and hurt NTop Fuel was when Good Guys left. Really, they got pushed out , partly by greed. Bakersfield raceway realized that they did not need the Good Guys when they can run it themselves. When good guys were pushed out , that opened up NHRA to get more involved and that was what everyone wanted to avoid in the first place. Nostalgia racers did not want an NHRA style event and rules, they wanted nostalgia racing to aviod all the negatives that NHRA races have to put up with.
That was one of the biggest blows to the little guys in NTF. There are pllenty of NTF owners who can afford most anything, they will not be affected.

Part of the reasons too are the racers themselves, some of the car owners started their own 'union' and made demands on the promoters for increased payouts. Collectively, they told the promoters that if they did not payout a certain amount, that the cars would not show up to the event. Then they started forming their own rules based on the most vocal members. The main thing NHRA did was impose more expensive safety regs.
So, between the 2, the little guys like me, have been forced out.
I do not see how I could ever run at the larger meets, like Bakersfield again.
The 90's have turned out to be the golden era of NTF and that is sad. The class has, generally, moved away from being really vintage. That was done by the car owners, and their union.

So, sadly, my NTF sits in my trailer collecting dust. I get to run it a few times a year here in Az. we do have some fun with it though at times like this, when we staged a real live fire burnout just like the old days!!



Am remaining optimistic though, perhaps another , more realistic NTF class, can be formed with class rules like the 90s as I had built for.
If that happens, I will be able to run a class again. I have no desire to run this car in a lower class. I have invested substantially in a nostalgia Top Fuel operation and want to stay with it.



In the meantime, will just continue to run a few times a year and have fun with nitro. Perhaps some match racing too.

 

i have not seen a late model yet that has been sucessful in a front engine car. they cant turn the rpm of a 392. with the spec tires and gear you have to turn 10,200 rpm to go 260mph or so. the funny cars can use the 426 because they have a two speed. i do agree it has moved away from what it was in the 1990s. walking the pits at the march meet it looked more like i was at a modern nhra show. the only difference was the old f/c bodies.

 

Cost is a factor however as a nostalgia racer myself (diff. class) I can tell you that many of the people that are running/promoting these events are killing it themselves. Rules are one thing but the egos, attitudes and politics that some of these "extreme Gods" have is really taking the fun right out of it. If it's not going to be fun then why in the hell would someone spend a lot of money to do it!

And I don't mean money just spent on the car. Hell I spent $960.00 before I made my 1st (and only) pass last year in Bowling Green for the NHRA Reunion. For that kind of money I expect a good time.... well I didn't but that's another story.

 

X2 on what Applecrate wrote , guys like him , Jimmie Boyd , Nitro Neil , Gerry Steiner were my favorites . Brenden with out a Chevvie ? WTF has happened to our sport ?? -- I can remember Al Marcellus' reaction to a newby tech.official that the Winged Express wouldn't pass chassis certs. as it wasn't a funny car style !! I'll bet that guy still has a splitting headache from the tongue lashing that Mousie laid on him !!

 

Very well stated by Applekrate and his opinion is based on experience and knowledge. I've also got to believe that dollars are the main issue. I can't even imagine what the cost of running nitro is. I ran Top Alcohol 20 years ago and back then that car depreciated over $1000 every run (not including breakage).

 

Applekrate, it would be great to have you and your Poncho out there running. Times sure have changed. No more SBC's and I guess the only guy out West running a BBC is Arnold Birky, maybe. It's a shame this has happened to a great class. I'll be at the March Meet crewing on a NTF.

 

Despite the die hards here, FC's are just more popular than dragsters. It's been that way since 1970 or so. Dragster owners have been in a hole ever since the FC's came on the scene, it true of the NHRA shows and nostalgia ( I HATE that term) and probably always will be.

 

Gary I like F/C's and dragsters I just think its cool to see a dragster with a small tire and no trans haul ass. I say make em all run an iron block. They'll de tune em real quick, then we can all play.

 

I cannot disagree but, personally, I love both classes and types of cars.
That is why I am building a blown altered wheelbase '65 Tempest funny car to run exhibitions and match races ( at the fraction of the cost of running my NTF).



With all that said, nothing can compare to a pair of front motored blown nitro burners! It is the ultimate expression of a drag car. no compromise, not trying to look like something on the street, etc.

Also, really like the term 'nostalgia and nostalgic' as long as it is used properly.

The current N funny cars properly marketed themselves with recreations of 70s floppers.
Most N TF Owners have no desire to relive the 'old days' as I wish I could. I say 'wish' because I was not old enough to actually do it in the day. I see it in pictures and video..and consider it awesome and I do not use that word often.

I look forward to the day I can run both cars at the same event! That would be something.

Top Fuel needs to work on its image. Decades back when the funnies were so popular, I can assure you NO ONE went the bathroom when Big DADDY, TOMMY IVO, THE GREEK, etc where getting ready to fire up! There were Top Fuelers that the fans screamed for!

 

A lot of good points have been made by others here. I have been going to CHRR since the second annual, and have been to everyone since. I have seen the gradual change to T/F. I think they should make a new class... AA/FD. The new class could get back to way a 60's dragster should look. The current T/F class could run larger tires two speeds and eventually price themselves out of existence.