Hmmm, let's see. Single pump and mag, smaller blower and cubic inch displacement. Sounds a lot like nostalgia AAFD & AAFC, which to me is the best show around. What's the old saying, "what goes around, comes around"?
Ron Henry
Elkhart, Indiana
Don't shorten the track. The change should be the cars. Smaller fuel pump, one mag, mono strut, smaller wing/truck bed on both cars. Goodyear will also like the idea of a slower car.
Paul Rees
Long Beach, California
First, it’s a real shame losing Scott. I have big respect for the family. I remember seeing the great shows of the 70’s at E-town, Atco, MIR, Cecil, but I don’t think an extra 320 feet would have made a difference. If there needs to be a fix, fix the cars.
Like NASCAR restrictor plate racing, how about one mag or smaller blowers or etc. Change the body design to be closer to factory models. Don’t change the history of the 1320. It’s a risk all drivers take getting strapped into the cars.
Yes, let’s be safe but it’s their choice. Maybe when they said the old days were not safe look again and learn. Slower and live. How about nostalgia racing? Good, fun, safe, and the way it should be. To all the heroes RIP from Scott to Jungle to Al to John to Pat and all.
B. Thompson
Florida
I love the internet... gotta repeat this from memory because the page blanked on me...
The NHRA has proven once again that they are a reactive sanctioning body and not a proactive one. They were happy to let John Force do their R&D work for better driver protection.
They have non-standard track shutdown areas, antiquated sand traps, catch nets that maybe catch insects, but I don't know about cars. They allow walls to be at the end of a track, where they should be energy absorbing systems. Scott Kalitta's car looked like it hit so hard, all you saw were parts flying every which way, like a bomb exploded and I guess the award winning Safety Safari missed the camera boom that he also hit. Who in the world did that final track inspection?
The US Navy has been trapping disabled aircraft for years with a net and deceleration braking systems onboard carriers. If NHRA had been more proactive, they would have studied this long before this tragic accident.
1000-foot racing is akin to NASCAR turning it around and driving clockwise. It might be safer, but the "standard" in this case is counter clockwise. NHRA needs to bring the level of safety up to trap a bullet whether it is doing 330MPH or 300MPH. Either way you’re stopping a bullet and whether it is six inches of telephone book that stops it or five inches, why not take advantage of the technology out there and back yourself up with some Kevlar. I'm sure most drivers would prefer the stopping power over a lower caliber round.
Thanks...
Tom Burgan
St. Charles, Illinois
I disagree. NHRA national event drag racing is a quarter-mile contest. The records are quarter-mile records. What do we do about the 20 points awarded for a new ET record - Start handing out 20 points for each new 1000' ET record? The rest of the classes at the event will be running 1320 ft. - and we all know why. Because it's a drag race! NHRA doesn't have the cajones to admit that Englishtown was not a safe track to hold a national event. With the extra 100 lbs., the cars are harder than ever to stop. Just please fix the real problem here - the safety of the racing facility.
Scott Kalitta died needlessly in a totally preventable accident. Safe and adequate shutdown areas with arresting gear should be mandated at a national event facility. The explosion didn't kill Scott. The unsafe shutdown area killed Scott. The nitro classes are the kings of the sport. Don't turn them into an exhibition at 1000' or a bracket race with too many limits.
By the way, I saw Schumacher run 337 at Brainerd and talked to him afterward. No problem stopping on that run. The rule mandating the 50-degree/sec. timing retard at 4 sec into the run has led to countless engine failures in the wake of that record run. Just another example of poor rulemaking by NHRA.
Please, someone rescue the sport from the hands of Tom Compton and Graham Light.
Rich Taylor
Wisconsin
Jeff, good points, and well said. For the time being, 1000 foot will be a good compromise.
However, I have been noticing that most of the Fuel cars have been dropping the laundry before the speed traps, and with the time lapse from lever to blossom, the chutes don't open until after the finish line. Will the fuel cars now drive out the back door before pulling the chute lever? If so, how will that affect the stopping of the cars?
From the length chart I see that approximately half of the national event tracks are under 3000 feet total from start to back of the sand trap. If those tracks ran a shorter track, the longer tracks could still maintain 1/4 mile racing. That should be something that NHRA should consider.
Personally, I still think that 1/8 mile racing would better suit the overall needs of the sport.
Dale Tuley
Las Vegas, Nevada