So, can you give me some kind of idea how much it costs the teams to run 85% instead of 90%?
CK: Let me say this: what really takes the abuse are the rods and crankshaft. On a 90% nitro combination you can get eight to 10 runs on a rod, on 85% you're lucky to get one…very seldom do you see two. With 90% nitro you usually get 18-20 runs on a crank before it needs replacing; with 85%, it's good for 10-12.laps. The difference in cost to race is significant.
So, is the parts attrition with an 85% nitro combination in effect putting the little guy fuel racer out of business?
CK: It really is. PRO did a survey a couple months ago -- they surveyed everybody, all the owners, all the crew chiefs -- and the results came back that 60% were in favor of returning to 90%. I couldn’t believe it was that low.
Who voted against it?
CK: Gary Densham was one. I banged him pretty hard at the last couple races because I had the statistics about what people did. When Gary runs IHRA he runs 90%, he match races and runs 90%, but he voted against it. I told Gary I was really awestruck that he
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Who else voted against the 85% rule?
CK: Force's bunch. They've got themselves an edge and they've spent a lot of money on testing, on design. They do their own blocks, heads, and superchargers, and they voted against it and they don’t want to give it up. In fact they actually did some testing when they thought NHRA might go to 80%.
You've already answered this question, but I want to make sure I get it on the record. One of premises for the NHRA making spec engine rules and eventually reducing the nitro percentage to 85 percent was to decrease the number of engine explosions, fires and oil-downs, and to save the racers money. Have the rule changes been successful in doing that?
CK: No! I think there are more explosions.
So, it's safe to say that the biggest problem we have in drag racing today, as far as everybody being more competitive and it costing less to race, is this percentage rule?
CK: If you are a mechanical person and you understand the big picture. I'm the one that has to pay for all these parts, so I know what it is without it. All you need to do is ask Kenny Bernstein about it because he pays for two cars now. He understands it very well. He's come back and said, this has cost me this much money and here's what it's cost me when we went to the 85%. When you have a 50% increase in your parts damage, when that happens, you do pay attention.
You’re saying the Kenny Bernstein says his cost to race with 85% in the tank has increased by 50 percent?
CK: Yes
How do you feel about some of the other restrictions the NHRA has put on the nitro cars?
CK: They (NHRA) put some crazy restrictions on the engines. They told us, Oh you can't change the manifolds, oh you can't change the supercharger, oh you can't change the head, oh by the way, you can't change the block. And what I said when they started coming with this, I said, We aren't Pro Stock, we're racers. This is the ultimate sport and they’re putting handcuffs on us.
