NHRA shortens track to 1000 ft for fuel cars

PRO brought about the 1000 foot plan..
It's about time nhra.....

 

make the cockpit detatch like the TFH boats do!!! and a longer shut down with a net of course

 

good thing bandimere just spent all that money to redo the whole length of track in concrete, now they won't even be putting the power down on it. I love having that hill at the end of bandimere to help slow me down and I'm only going like 135mph... steeper longer hills at the end of the tracks could help some but nets and aircraft hooks would be cool..

 

let them race and bring back the 1320, its whats its all about.

racing is racing, thats why when i do it i always gave my wife a kiss cause you dont know whats gonna happin, we all know its a dangerous sport, but if we didnt know that then we wouldnt do it

redo the tracks however they need to be done and if you cant do it safe then close it down!!!!!!

 

Read this!!

 

I posted it earlier, John Force is one of those pushing hardest for the 1000ft track for fuel cars.

 

This part of the interview pretty much sums it up.

"Look, with this thousand foot deal all these guys are going to do is turn things up so they blow up at 800 feet. That’s no good. It’s not going to be any safer, and it’s going to cost just as much money. It just doesn’t work. I applaud NHRA for doing it in the short term. It shows the fans they’re trying to do something, but it shouldn’t be permanent, and they should find another solution."

Makes sense, what he's saying. Fix the static compression and blower overdrive.

Still kind of defeats the purpose of drag racing if you ask me. Maybe they just shouldn't run the fuel cars at tracks that can't handle them.

 

Have they run at 1000 ft yet ?

and how did it work out ?

Beaulieu

 

Last two events have been to 1,000 feet for Nitro. It worked out, though I hope they slow the cars and go back to 1,320.

Sub-4 second runs at 310 is the fastest I've seen the rails turn. Still pretty exciting to watch.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

I was at Seattle (Pacific Raceways) this weekend for the NHRA race, and to be totally honest, the 1000ft fuel race doesn't look, sound, or feel any different from a quarter mile. In fact, on Saturday and Sunday about half of the fuel cars shook the tires before making it halfway down the track. It's really no different except for the shut-off time, and that is a miniscule difference.

I'd also like to say that the article posted above with the interview of Dale Armstrong has the best ideas I've read yet on how to keep it interesting without the cars/powerplants being so dangerous/volatile. Forget the single pump/ single mag ideas, forget the 'restrictor plate' ideas...limit the compression ratio and blower overdrive and go back to the 1320. I think it really is that simple.

 

First; NHRA is about entertainment. Drag racing is how they do it, but it's about entertainment and $$$.

The top speed isn't that important anyway, because the majority of the show is at the starting line. And most TF/FC races are over before half track anyway. The guy who doesn't break or shake the tires is usually the winner.

There is nothing sacred about 1320'. It wasn't handed down on the original stone tablets. It is just the length that was settled on after trying standing mile, half mile, 1/4 mile, 1/3 mile 1/8 mile, etc. Don't forget Wally was a SCTA and Bonneville guy before starting te NHRA. 1/4 mile was just the best compromise at the time.

Lots of talk about extending runoffs and stuff like that, but how do you do it? Buy more real estate? I'd like to see that at Pamona. Better tracks? Are you just going to put the "substandard" tracks out of business? Then where do you hold the "National events"? Most of the big tracks are located close to a large market, so again real estate prices are higher. Don't want to move from those large markets, because you'd loose the entertainment customer. So what do you do? You shorten the run to 1000 ft. Cars won't go as fast and you gain 320' more shutdown. Sounds like a good compromise for the new racing conditions to me.

Also if I'm not mistaken, Scott wasn't the only one to make use of that sand pit that weekend. I seem to remember at least one other car and two bikes that ditched there that same weekend. So I think this decision is based on more thantjust Scott's death.

 

Racing in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series classes of Top Fuel and Funny Car will continue to be contested over a 1,000-foot course for the duration of the 2008 season as NHRA and a safety task force continue to investigate, analyze, and determine ways to implement initiatives to continue to enhance safety.

With support and encouragement from the racing teams, NHRA instituted the 1,000-foot rule prior to the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, the 13th race in the 24-event series. Racing over the 1,000-foot distance has already provided several important benefits, key among them decrease in parts attrition and increase in tight, competitive competition.

 

Well, I ain't gonna drink that koolade. This new rule means that we have already seen the fastest and quickest. IMO, NHRA is looking for a solution that the racers have to pay for. Lenghtening the shut down puts the expense on NHRA and the tracks. That isn't the way NHRA does business.

 

I only got to watch the races at Pacific Raceways on TV Sunday but as Bass said, most of the races were decided on the line or in the first couple hundred feet of the track. No lack of good racing as far as the fuel cars went except a lot of tire shake going on.

I think too many people are too hung up on the tradition of 1320 ft and not the actual racing aspect.

I have to agree with those who say that the big issue with longer shut down areas would be the cost (if available at all) of land acquisition. A lot of these tracks are in areas where there is no available land beyond the track and land to build a new track is out of the question.

Years ago I ran across a local self styled street racer and asked him what his car did in the quarter. His answer was that he didn't know what a quarter was because he only ran the distance of 3 light poles where he raced.

The 1/8 mile guys back east must be looking at this as "1000 ft. wow that would be a long track compared to what we race on".

 

I don't see how you're going to be able to lengthen the shut down very much. I don't think it's as simple as buying the land at the end of the track and paving it. That would be hard enough, but how you gonna cross public roads, etc.? Sure you could build new tracks out in the sticks where there aren't any developments to worry about, but that's probably not gonna happen. I think we're pretty well stuck with making the existing facilities work. And it's not like the cars are unlimited anyway. They have rev limiters on them already. I'm with Armstrong, change the rules, get rid of the rev limiters and gear ratio rules and see what they can do.
Larry T

Just got to thinking, I'd like to see what was on the other side of the sand box at the National Event tracks.

 

After watching last sunday I have discovered that 1000 feet is still some good racing.

 

I'm for the 1000 foot. If you can't lengthen some existing tracks shutdown area because the land isn't available for whatever reason, we don't want them to become obsolete, and shut down. We've lost enough drag strips (and drivers)

 

Well, they seem to be able to catch F-16s that miss the catch cable on aircraft carriers. The tech necessary to acomplish it exists. The problem, IMO, is that they can't figure out how to make the teams pay for it.

 

I gotta agree with Bass on this one. I was at Denver which was the first place to run the 1000. Saw alot of Tshirts with "Drag racing is 1/4 mile" printed on them. There was kind of a tension in the air all day until the first Funny car made a pass. It was like nothing had changed. The crowd went wild, your vision blured and the stands shook just the same as a full 1/4 mile pass. From a spectator stand point I didnt really miss the extra 320 ft. I do hope things work out and they bring the 1/4 back, but dont let this temporary fix keep you away from the track. On a side note, I did see a few of the Top fuel cars not even use thier chutes to slow down.

 

1000 foot closes one record book permanently and makes a new one necessary. I hate that.

 

Yeah but so did drugs in MLB...

 

I watched 2 days of racing at Seattle last weekend. What I noticed was that the timers stopped at 1000' but most of the fuelers didn't pop the chutes until the quarter mile. But then Seattle has a generous and uphill shutdown area.

Kevin in Seattle

 

As much as I'd like to see it go back to 1,320 (and it may very well do so in time) we're only talking about 5 - 6 tenths of a second difference and 30 mph....hardly noticeable to the eye. I've only seen 1,000 foot of TV, but it's still fun to watch.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

1320 ft closes more than a record book, it potentially closes tracks where lengthening the shut down area isn't an option. Not good.

It's not a coincidence that Drag racing thrives in the South, home of many 1/8 mile tracks. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a dragstrip around here. Shorter tracks are a big part of that. More tracks is good.

I don't run blown nitro pro classes, so I don't really have dog in this fight, but keep in mind it's an acceleration contest, not a top speed contest.

 

What irks me about last weekends race is that they made a huge point to show how loooong of a shutoff area they had and the barriers and the nets and all that stuff, but still had em shut down at 1000'. WTF???

If everything was so great and optimum, why still have em shut down early??? Lack of nitro maybe? Pissin & moanin drivers? Either way... With a great track and super long shutoff... WHY SHUT EM OFF EARLY??????? I think there is more to eat here than we are being fed.

 

Racing was awesome at Maple Grove Sunday. Close races, no crashes or oildowns, in the car and on the way home by 04:30. I can accept 1000 feet. NHRA put red reflective triangles at 1000 feet for nitro cars that they removed for other classes. Looks like IHRA going to 1000 at some events in '09 for all categories. .

 

...and it didn't rain this year. I watched it on TV and agree there was some good racing going on (lot's of red lights though).

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

Being at Maple Grove last weekend I walked down to the end of the track to watch the nitro semifinals and finals. Although I do not like the 1000 ft., and most passes never reached the 300 mph mark, it was still exciting and a great show. I'm hoping this is just temporary until they can come up with some solution.

And the best part was no rain!!!

 

I was on the Board of Land O Lake region SCCA for many years, and there are two things you must understand in any form of racing.
1. Neighbors, EPA, watershed management, and a host of other goverment agenceys usually don't want the track there, So adding to the length of many tracks is usually out of the question. ( our region looked into building a new track ).

2. Events of any kind have to be insured, when the risks get to high, finding an underwriter to insure an event is nearly impossible. The things the underwriter demant to be insured can be interesting and challenging ( our involvement with the Minneapolis SCCA Trans-Am would be a good example )

so the bottom line is if we want events we may not always get what once was or what we would like.

jim h retired from road racing for 4 years now.

 

I got out of drag racing about 10 years ago. I had a 8.50 Sportsman Cavalier it was fun for a while. Got tired of the NHRA's BS so I sold it and bought a circle track Latemodel Sportsman Monte Carlo. Now I get to race longer and with less hassles from a poorly run sanctioning body. If you have ever tried to run a sportman class car at an NHRA national event you know they treat you like $hit because you dont have a million dollar sponsor.

JMO, Danny