Check this out, Spiro Pappas new car, pontiac G6 (looking...:D) I guess he's still getting it dialed in but look at this pass, 6.32 on a 10.5 tire, I guess it's time we quit this class 'cause this is just nuts! 1.00 60', the thing is ridicules quick! (I still like his Camaro better though)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY6BIHUtbks

Damn!!!!!!!

Sean,
Just like we talked about in Las Vegas. They get faster and faster every season. Something is going to have to be done, the big money guys will be impossible to compete with. The performance is impressive but, if the competition isn't close it will kill the class. Nobody likes to see 2 or 3 guys always winning. I know there is more to it than having the fastes car or the most money but, that sure does tilt the odds in your favor.

At this rate Trevor might need the twin tubo and nitrous.

Sean,
Just like we talked about in Las Vegas. They get faster and faster every season. Something is going to have to be done, the big money guys will be impossible to compete with. The performance is impressive but, if the competition isn't close it will kill the class. Nobody likes to see 2 or 3 guys always winning. I know there is more to it than having the fastes car or the most money but, that sure does tilt the odds in your favor.

At this rate Trevor might need the twin tubo and nitrous.

Thats exactly what I was thinking Royce, the very discussion we had standing there in Vegas, we are definitely seeing it now. The cubic dollars aspect just plain makes it tough to compete for average joes like us, and anyone thats seen Spiro's cars and the package he hauls them with knows that money is not an issue.
Trevor called me this morning to tell me about that pass, and we both said they will basically have to throw those cars into pro street and start over in outlaw, because hell that car would qualify SOLID in last years pro class in Vegas. I'm really not sure what they can do but apparently it is time, I don't know that adding weight is even the answer. It's amazing but I'm afraid what made the class so awesome (heads up and few rules) has almost destroyed it, too bad.

At this rate Trevor might need the twin tubo and nitrous
Seriously! :D . We may have to bolt the twin turbo to the front of the 707 like the twin engine dragsters did in the 60's.....
We decided to pull the weight out of it and run big tires and compete in pro street while we get the suspension right, we have a fighting chance locally in pro street (of course there is Brian's vette...) and that will give us a chance to go rounds and to get the chassis tuned, too many changes to the chassis to fast made it real tough on us last year, the motor was so detuned in Vegas our last two runs just to get it down the track it was ridicules, the tune ups were small and we had timing ramping up 5* over .5 so it wouldn't blow the tires off. It should go 6's this year which I feel will be a hell of an accomplishment for us, but apparently it's a little late for outlaw 10.5 in the SCSN race, because we will need 6's to qualify in the bump now probably....
Bummer, hopefully they figure something out, either way we are still going to go out and have a good time, and race wherever we can fit!

Was that Bad A** or what !! This years SCSN #5 http://www.streetcarsupernationals.com/ is gonna be great.

IMO, the best parts of the run was turning on the headlights!

Was that Bad A** or what !! This years SCSN #5 http://www.streetcarsupernationals.com/ is gonna be great.

As always Rich! That's an awesome race :thumbsup:
The thing about Spiro's car is even as fast as it is, Bill Glidden is going to be tough to beat, he ran 6.60-6.70 like a bracket car last year (remember seeing that thing rocket out of the hole?) and Spiro has a lot of hit and miss with some redlights in between. But unfortunately as Royce said, people will get tired of losing to (or seeing in the finals) Glidden, Pappas, Lynch or a couple of the other big dollar guys and just bail on the class, as much as I hate seeing restrictions put on I think it may be time.

IMO, the best parts of the run was turning on the headlights!

That's a true story Rob, I thought that was a nice touch too. I don't know about the best part though, seeing that thing on a rail for the first 660' was pretty amazing, imagine the g forces he is seeing in there...

That's a true story Rob, I thought that was a nice touch too. I don't know about the best part though, seeing that thing on a rail for the first 660' was pretty amazing, imagine the g forces he is seeing in there...

Don't get me wrong, that is one bad car. But the fact that all night time running lights work, and he used them, is just darn cool.:thumbsup:

Don't get me wrong, that is one bad car. But the fact that all night time running lights work, and he used them, is just darn cool.:thumbsup:

Definitely! That's a very cool touch :thumbsup: . Every car of Spiros' I have seen is like that too, pretty stock "looking" from a distance but all business up close. I love that look!

The car is nice no doubt about that and very impressive. I am not taking anything away from him on that. I will still try to make Vegas this year but, if it becomes a freak show for rich guys then I will be out. I like to see real guys with real cars. This type of racing was "grass roots" and it is now becoming high class. Nothing wrong with that either just not my cup of tea.

How much do you think that car cost to build? I saw some build pictures of it and I know it wasn't cheap. This car was already in the works when he wrecked one of his 69's.

The tire size was the limiting factor before but, with the turbo cars that's becomes less of a factor.

I agree Royce, if it keeps going the way it is it will ruin the whole idea behind the SCSN and for that matter the PSCA to a point, and even the NMCA. As you point out it started as grass roots, true car guys that quit racing on the street and took it to the track, heads up the way it should be IMO.
But now we see the same stuff that forced original NHRA into bracket classes, huge money wins out everytime. At some point you will see massive sponsorships and the big dollar guys own the races (it's damn near there) and people lose interest. It sucks because you don't want to see regulations and restrictions but I think maybe the time has come.
What we don't want to see is just more bracket racing, because IMO it's the worst kind of racing for the spectator and while any kind of racing is fun, it's not much fun to compete in in my opinion. Who wants to see Mom's brand new family wagon run down the track 20+ seconds dead nuts everytime, just cut a good light is all, beating a true hardcore guy that runs his car as fast as he can afford to, even if it's the 11's or 12's, or heck even 13's, it's pretty lame IMO. (Disclaimer: nothing against you hardcore bracket guys either, a good buddy races in super gas and the competition is fierce and those guys are good, but it just sucks to watch a throttle stop car).
I hope Mel with the PSCA adresses this issue, by grouping the classes different or whatever it takes to make the garage mechanics that just enjoy the cars and have full time jobs and families (Like guys like Trevor and myself, and even Brian for that matter though his budget is still pretty large by our standards). Maybe change the weights a bit or even a turbo only class, but hell weights are tough even now, I mean the Gliddens owned Outlaw 10.5 with a smallblock Ford powered, cast intake single carb nitrous motor. Of course the Gliddens know cars like few others, but they had to weigh about 2200# compared to our 2850#, we had them on cubes but thats one hell of a lot of weight to overcome.
The tire size was the limiting factor before but, with the turbo cars that's becomes less of a factor
Exactly, thats the problem I think. People figured out the 10.5 tires, and with all the boost control you can get now you just dial it up down the track, enough R&D and you can nail a curve nuts on. We still have the twin turbo bullet from the Elky sitting on a stand, and switching has crossed our minds, but guys like Pappas and Moran have so much cash and R&D time they have big blocks dialed in dead on, the small blocks still only get about 100#'s weight break on them is all.
So yeah, I wish I know the answer but I sure hope they find one, because I'm totally with you Royce, if it does become a freak show for rich guys (like the description ;) ) we are done as well, we'll just go back to racing local like back when we ran the Nova, and we'll still have a blast. It would suck to lose the Vegas race but if it becomes a waste of time why bother, we'll find something else I guess because as I know you know we will never stop being into cars, it's like a sickness......:D

How much do you think that car cost to build? I saw some build pictures of it and I know it wasn't cheap. This car was already in the works when he wrecked one of his 69's.

I remember hearing about it awhile back too. Pappas has got to be loaded, he (had) three killer race cars and a million dollar hauler to carry them. That car has to easily be cracking 200K turn key dont you think? Just insane...

It's very difficult to regulate. I think about the only thing you can do is something along the lines of what NASCAR "Cup" series does. There are a lot of rules but, they keep the competition very tight. To do something like that in drag racing would almost take a spec engine and a weight restriction. Maybe more classes is the answer.

Don't get me wrong I don't have anything against a guy with a lot of cash having fun and enjoying what he has. I just don't see how a working guy on a budget can compete with the multi-million dollar teams. I go to the NHRA Summer Nationals to see the big money guys run where the playing field is even as far as "most" teams having what is needed to compete and anyone can win any round. I don't want to go to PSCA, NMCA, SCSN events and see 3 guys dominate and the only way they lose is if something goes wrong.

I wish I had the answer. We'll see where it goes but, like we talked about in Vegas last year it is headed right where we thought.

Agreed, nothing against the guys with bottomless wallets as far as I'm concerned either, but them dominating just ruins the competition factor and drives the average Joe out of the events. I love watching the ridicules power those high dollar cars are making go down the track but car count is going to suffer.
It's almost more fun now to watch wild street, a few more restrictions and more "real" cars, but even they are going mid 7's and faster, it's nuts. We have seen a huge change from when we ran in the PSCA world finals before the SCSN event, and then the start of the SCSN. Trevor runner upped in heavy street at the world finals a year or two before the SCSN with high 7 second passes, even the heavy cars are crazy fast now. Nuts really.
It will be interesting to see when next years rules are posted for SCSN, Mel knows there are issues to address so it's going to be interesting to see how he does it.