I say that if they are going to have that rule, then either EVERYBODY has to be caged to run or they seriously need to drop the rule. It's this very rule that's been holding me back from consistently going to the track.

 

I've been kicked out of Englishman several times and Cecil county. They Def crack down on imports way more. There is Def. A double standard. I'll sign the petition. I'm sure the nhra will just wipe their a$$ with it.

 

yea cause if you can die at 11.4 you can die at 11.5 its stupid...and 12s and 13s...

 

I agree that the rules are stupid at times, but honestly, NHRA has to draw a line somewhere and enforce the rules. There are a lot of rules I think is nonsense, such as 135mph and faster you have to have a full 8 point roll cage and chassis cert ($200 for cert) then on top of that you have to have a NHRA license along with the hot as hell multi layer fire suit, neck collar, and gloves. It get's stupid hot in that crap during the summer.

But the sad truth is, it's NHRA and SFI and we all know that both of them are in bed together to make money. I've said it many of times NHRA is a money machine along with SFI. Half of the rules are there for them just to make money.
Like the dated 5 point harness belts, I mean what the hell? Only good for 2 years then either the belts need to be sent back in to get re tagged or throw them out and buy a new set. But yet a bone stock seat belts in a 1969 mustang is ok to run. I don't get it, but whatever. Again, it's just a way for them to make more money on stupid crap like that.

 

^well said.

 

I can deff see the point in revisiting the rollbar rule for 11.49, like stated earlier it has been dropped from 11.99 due to "Technological advances" I would like to see it at 11.0 personally. Adding veyrons and the like into the equation here doesn't make much sense though, those cars are engineered to a complete different standard than a Honda or a Mitsubishi with a complete package built to handle the power. The cobbled together messes are what they fear so the rules are what they are to cover their ***.

However the 135mph/9.99 rule seems to be pretty fair, seatbelt re-certs excluded, if you are running that fast in a "tin can" production car you are really asking for trouble, a lot of bad stuff can happen at those speeds.

Also some people need to face some facts, if your car runs deep in the 9's it's NOT a "street" car anymore, you've reached racecar status. When my Camaro run's 6's I'd like to pass it off as a "street" car too however I don't think that will be the case.

The evo is a scary looking car when you start to look at how it's put togther, most of the car is held together with seam sealer, you can pop floorboard panels off with a putty knife. Even my wife was able to pop the panels up with the scraper and shes nowhere near a strong person!

So in a nutshell I agree with lowering the rollbar rule to say 11.0 but the cage rule of 9.99 seems to be fair IMO, I really don't think NHRA would drop it. 9.50 would be a nice cushin for most since a rollbar isn't really that hard to package "safe".

 

A stock Z06 with drag radials and a good driver can almost run 130. I have seen street tire Z06s run high 120s STOCK. Cam and headers and it was running 132+ on street tires.

The cage rule was invented for cars like my 66 Chevelle. Drum brakes factory, axles that brake C clips and come out of the housing with the drums attached, steering that feels like you are doing a 100 at 50 (thanks negative caster) and all at the same time as this, weigh 3600+.

I mentioned it to a Tech once, they dont care. We are not their focus, it is and has always been domestics. However even when new domestics run as fast as us and do it stock they cant make the split. How do you tell the guy with the 66 that he needs a 10 point and needs to be an NHRA member, buy the safety stuff (and renew it ever 2 years), and pay pro entry, but the Vette guy doesnt or we dont?

Thats the issue, Classics kill it for everyone.

Damn Me.

Aaron

P.S. I end up racing on closed courses as a professional driver a lot.

 

haha QFT.

 

I always thought the same thing about these rules and modern cars. Maybe it should depend on the safety the car has from the factory such as airbags and other safety stuff like that. But I think anything in the single digits should have a roll cage.

 

10.99/11.00 seems reasonable.

 

At the end of the day these rules are for the benefit of the driver.I mean 11.0 seems reasonable.That veyron comparison seems way out there i mean what are the chances of seeing one rolling into water box.I've spent a bunch of money in my drag car to get to it to 25.3 spec.But I don't regret it because it should keep me safe in case of a wreck.
Here's the interior of my car.

 

Just to add to the rules, I've gotten kick out of just about every track. So I tried an 1/8 mile track. Well guess what? They follow the same rule. 7.2 and under and rollcage is required. Pretty much ruined my night after finding out that they enforced it at that speed. I barely break 100mph on the 1/8 mile.
Another thought why I considered caging the car was when I saw a slow old MG lose traction. Went left, counter steer then went right, got sideways and flipped. As already stated, our cars have a bit more balance than what these older cars are backyard made to be. I've seen drag car chassis that I wonder how tech passes them. Brakes barely work, rear window taped on, huge steering play etc.

I agree they need to look at the rules again but it will be a hard battle.

 

I forgot to add this.I was going to put a roll bar in the evo.but they want a 1 3/4 main hoop.as opposed to a 1 5/8 main hoop when you have a roll cage.

 

To make a few replies....

NHRA can be in bed with SFI all they want. I'll wear a helmet, a harness and whatever jacket and suit they want me to, but I refuse to cage my car. Also, SFI and NHRA aren't making any money on cage installs. There are thousands of fabricators out there that can handle the job.

You have to draw the line somewhere. I understand that. The NHRA also doesn't have millions in surplus to hire teams of people to go over each and every car and make an insanely complex rulebook that addresses each car individually. I understand that as well, HOWEVER, these rules are generally written for old, gutted lead sleds that have 2 point seatbelts and drum brakes stock. There should be a separate listing for newer cars that can go faster and safer. I don't know what the criteria would be, could be drivetrain, brakes, safety rating, etc. They could also just leave the discretion up to the tech officials. My car barely burns out first gear and runs low 11's. The thing has never even been scary to drive on the track, not once. It is safer than just about every else on the track when I am there and I'm the one getting kicked out.


This is what I suggest. Keep the rules the same for helmets and firesuits. Make the cage rule 11.0 for RWD and FWD. Cars with AWD should have a more lenient rule set for E.T., I'd say 10.50. The MPH rule should also be bumped to 140 IF the car has properly functioning disc brakes on all corners.

 

Yeah the local tracks here have a few hilljacks that say stuff to me once in a while, complete BS as my car looks bone stock.