New NHRA Rules

[SWT Racing]

What does everyone think about this new rule? I can't wait to get a new custom engine diaper made to fit my car.

Oil-retention Device
Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all Comp competitors will be required to have an oil-retention device meeting either SFI Spec 7.1 or 7.2. For Jan. 1, 2008, the same rule will apply for Super Gas, Super Comp, and any E.T. vehicle running 9.99 or quicker or 135 mph or faster. NHRA is developing an implementation strategy for an oil-retention device meeting the SFI specification for the reminder of the NHRA Lucas categories.

[greg72]

Definitely a bummer in terms of extra stuff to buy and fit to the car , however after sitting in the stands a few weekends ago while they cleaned the track for an hour because someone broke and proceeded to oil down the whole track, i can see the merits.......

[Fastmax32168]

Im with Greg. I went to the street car nationals in Orlando a few weeks ago and all of the track cleaning made it border on boring. I dont think they ever got more than 3 runs in, somebody would blow, and they would then spend an hour cleaning the track. Between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon I dont think they got 20 runs in.
Roy

[zeke]

Interesting! hmmmm, should I buy the chrome or stainless diaper? well depends...

If it increases the amount of racing then prob a good thing I guess from spectator point of view.

[greg72]

And of course it also sucks for the racers waiting in the staging lanes. You get all set to go and then you wait and wait and wait so more .

This happened to Robert (73Sedan) at the race I was attending in Bradenton FL a few weeks ago. They had called his class to the staging lanes just before the track was "oiled" . What was particularily maddening is the guy broke right off the line , but rather than stopping over to the side , out of the racing groove , he continued to roll all the way down the center of his lane until the first turn off. And Bradenton is a 1/4 track! And no , his brakes were not inoperable....

[73Sedan]

Yes, it was a VERY long day.
But this rule wouldn't apply as he was in a class slower than 9.99. It comes down to drivers needing to pass tech...not the cars as much. If he had pulled off when it popped, it would've been a quick clean up.

[greg72]

Excellent point Robert. I had forgotten that the offending car was in a slower class.

And yes having the drivers understand what to do and when to do it can make a world of difference

[73Sedan]

Knowing how much is running through your mind during a pass, I can only assume the guy just had no idea why he was losing power...that said, you SHOULD shut down and pull off, but I can understand how it can happen. Now if the entire length of the guard rails were able to flash a bright red to signal drivers, that would be another story. All I remember is the announcer screaming at him for the entire 15 or 18 seconds it took him to limp down.

Greg: there are 2 links on Bradenton's site regarding the 2 injured crew members of the pro-mod mishap...I don't know if you saw that happen or not...another good case for neutral safety switches.

[DEMON Precision]

they keep adding rules like this and all it,s gonna do is push racers back to the streets . NHRA is becoming a big$$$ PRO ONLY organization at the rate they are going , soon it will be just like nascar , where on race day it,s only the pros that race .

[craggar]

Oil downs are one thing but the biggest reason for the diapers are "safety", I agree totally with the rule change even though it will be a pain to put one on my Camaro because it's not a tube chasis.
Most times when an engine lets go it's at the finish line and after seeing guys hit the wall because of it I have no problem spending the money for my safety as well as the guy beside me.

[DEMON Precision]

Oil downs are one thing but the biggest reason for the diapers are "safety", I agree totally with the rule change even though it will be a pain to put one on my Camaro because it's not a tube chasis.
Most times when an engine lets go it's at the finish line and after seeing guys hit the wall because of it I have no problem spending the money for my safety as well as the guy beside me.

my beef with this new rule is the fact that it,s only for cars going faster then 9.99 , if oil downs are a concern then every car that makes a pass down any NHRA drag strip should have to follow this rule , a 17sec car can oil a track down just as easily as a 6 sec car .

[craggar]

I agree Demon but if they did it to all they wouldn't get any street cars coming out which is where most of the hard core racers come from.
Hard thing to draw a line on but for safety I still think it was a good move.

[dragmonza]

I belong to IHRA and we have had this rule in place for a while now. At first everyone grumbled about having the retention devices but we all quickly learned how much more enjoyable the day was without having to wait for a cleanup. This not only kept the day from dragging on but kept the tack surface in much better condition. Speaking from experience I can't imagine why it took sso long to implement this rule

[craggar]

I belong to IHRA and we have had this rule in place for a while now. At first everyone grumbled about having the retention devices but we all quickly learned how much more enjoyable the day was without having to wait for a cleanup. This not only kept the day from dragging on but kept the tack surface in much better condition. Speaking from experience I can't imagine why it took sso long to implement this rule

If you have the rule in place already it's a track rule not IHRA. Our track is IHRA and it's not in place until this year as per their rule book. I do agree that it is a good rule.

[dragmonza]

You're right, it is a track rule, I didn't intend for it to come out the way it did. N.E. Dragway has always implimented the IHRA rule before IHRA makes them mandetory. It makes the transition easier, and keeps us one step ahead of the hassle of teching through for the national event. In all I think it makes for a better day at the track.