Over the years I've faithfully touted our area Pure Stock drivers as some of the best on dirt. There are plenty of them that I still feel the same about, but the recent rules meeting for Hilltop actually made me ashamed of some of them. I didn't see any drivers from any other class throwing hissy fits like a few Pure Stock folks did. Of course, one of them is known for throwing his tantrums on the front stretch during a race, so I shouldn't be too surprised.
It's bad enough that over the years the Pure Stock guys have been allowed to vote their way towards a totally different division than what a Pure Stock class should be. I suppose it's only natural to want more "goodies" on your car if you feel that those "goodies" will give you an advantage. Many times these same people voted to have the rules changed to fit the things they've already been doing with their cars. This brings me to the current complaints by some of them about the new requirement for stock firewalls in their stock location. I couldn't help but smile a bit as the cheaters exposed themselves. Their complaint is that they can't put a stock firewall in the stock location because of where their engine is currently located. The engine alignment rule has been the same for as long as I can remember, and the very first line clearly states that the engine must be in the STOCK location. The second line in this same old rule describes alignment with the balljoint which pertains to cars that actually have a similar stock location to keep them from locating the engine any further back. It really wasn't meant to relate to the currently popular cars being used in the Pure Stock class such as Monte Carlos, Camaros, ect. However, it seems these guys have chosen to move their engine back to match the second line, not the first line in the rule. Now, that would mean the engine is no longer in the stock location as required. Think about it. Why wouldn't the firewall and engine line up just fine if both are in their stock location as required? It worked for the factory! It seems that some think that the engine location rule has been changed, and I assure you that it has not been modified in years, it has always stated "stock location". This can only lead to one conclusion and it's this, anybody claiming that they can't install a stock firewall in the stock location due to their engine location is obviously cheating, and now they want the rules twisted to match their cars once again. Not only did some folks not like the few rules that got changed, they whined for even more aftermarket parts on their cars. I say enough is enough!
If you want to build a damn Modified or Late Model, then go build one, and go play with the big boys. Think that sounds a bit harsh? Not if you witnessed the Pure Stocks from Muskingum running with our local Pure Stocks. One good look at their rules will tell you just how handicapped these guys "should" be against the best we have to offer. To hear our guys talk, they "need" high dollar engines with roller cams and high compression, aftermarket bodies, aftermarket bumpers, weight jacks, aftermarket chassis/suspension parts, lightweight firewalls, and relocated engines, just to get around our local clay ovals in a "safe" and "affordable" way. The guys from Muskingum seem to do just fine against our best regulars without any of those things. Speaking of our guys that say they need aftermarket parts because it's more "affordable", I have to wonder how they'd feel about an engine claim rule of $1550 like the one the boys from Muskingum run with. That's what I call saving money! Now, I'm not dumb enough to think that none of the Muskingum teams have more than that in their engine, but after talking to one of the top teams from there, it's clear that they're not far from it, and wouldn't have a problem being claimed. They also got 5 full season out of their "low buck" engine. That should easily prove to our locals that they might just be pissing money away when it comes to their engine, not to mention the modifications needed to hook up that monster power plant. It seems clear to me that a real Pure Stock can still put on a great show, and judging from the car counts at Muskingum, they're more popular when they're affordable to build. Maybe it's time to bring back the real Pure Stocks, huh?
I'm obviously not alone in thinking it's time to return this class to what it was meant to be. It took 12 people to vote on the few changes that were actually made. These few changes might not be all that is needed to take this class back to it's roots, but it's sure as hell a step in the right direction, and I'm glad a track finally had the balls to try.
